The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts was named the 2022 Hot Springs Historic Preservation Champion of the Year by the Hot Springs Metro Partnership for its $5.5 million renovation project of Helen Selig Hall and Auditorium.
The award was announced during the organization’s Economic Development Awards ceremony at the Metro Partnership’s Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet on April 18 at National Park College. The honor recognizes an entity that has shown great care for the preservation of a historic structure in Hot Springs.
ASMSA converted the former St. Joseph Hospital convent and chapel complex on campus into residential housing for students, a mental health hub with offices for professional counseling staff, a new student union and an auditorium. The restoration of the two buildings was completed in September 2022.
The renovated facility is named in honor of former Hot Springs Mayor Helen Selig, who was among the earliest and most vocal proponents of bringing the school to the city. Selig was a prominent leader of a community group who lobbied the state to choose Hot Springs as the school’s home in 1992. She and her family have continued to support the school throughout its existence. Selig died on Feb. 18, 2022, after a long-term illness.
Director Corey Alderdice said the project provided ASMSA the chance to honor the investment the community has made in the school over time while also providing a path toward future growth.
“The renovation of the former chapel and convent as Helen Selig Hall is not only an important next step in the physical transformation of the ASMSA campus but it also represents the opportunity both to look back and ahead as the school celebrates thirty years of educational excellence,” he said. “The project fulfills an early vision of ASMSA's Hot Springs advocates who imagined the potential for these spaces while also offering modern interpretations of how student housing, mental health, and community spaces play important parts in the growth of our community of learning.”