Construction Begins on Elevator Addition to the Dreamland Ballroom

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., May 8, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Friends of Dreamland (FOD) celebrates 10 years of action in 2019. After almost a year of deliberating and bureaucracy, this spring the construction of the long-awaited elevator addition to access the third floor Ballroom will begin. The addition will include a 4-stop elevator, basement to ballroom, that will make this historic, 100-year-old structure handicap accessible.

Last spring, FOD was awarded a grant from the National Parks Service and the Department of Interior for nearly $500,000 for various work on the 3rd floor of the FlagandBanner.com building. That funding has allowed the grassroots nonprofit to make big changes including the addition of new windows, professional sealing of the building and relocation of bats, architectural plans for the addition and hiring Roberts Construction.

The FOD board has initiated a Capital Campaign, Pave The Way, to assist with unexpected and extra costs associated with construction. The Pave the Way brick donation program has been a part of FODs fundraising income for the last decade. By adding the 'elevated' donor option to this program will allow greater tax-deductible donations.

Donations will support the beautification and revitalization of a historic district, contribute to the preservation of African American artifacts and aid in educating visitors about the history of Little Rock's 9th Street.

Executive Director of Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, Matthew McCoy said, "With the upcoming new accessibility, the Dreamland Ballroom is set more firmly than ever on its pathway to preservation. A decade of work and support from board members, donors, and community members has finally paid off! Now we can finally turn our attention to other ways of completing our Mission: bring back the music, the history, the party; the Dreamland Ballroom!"

You can follow on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for FOD's mailing list to learn about events, tours and fundraisers. FOD's annual fundraiser, Dancing into Dreamland, will be held in the Ballroom on November 15, 2019. More info at dreamlandballroom.org.

SOURCE Friends of Dreamland