Title: Julian Archer and the Pratt Place Inn - Part 3 of 3
This weekly is extracted from an article in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette dated June 29, 2014, entitled ‘History and hospitality - Julian Pratt Waterman Archer’, and written by April Robertson.
"AN OZARK CHATEAU. When his mother, Evangeline Pratt, died in 1979, Archer inherited Pratt Place. The structure, built in 1890 and bought unfinished by his grandfather in 1895, had fallen into disrepair. The grounds, which were willed in equal parts to Evangeline and her sister Joy Pratt Markham, had to be untangled from the property of the University of Arkansas, to which Joy’s half was willed.
Returning to Arkansas in 2006, Archer realized that his work was cut out for him.
The house was too big for his family and he feared that renters might cause irreparable damage, so Archer began to envision a chateau. He saw a place where people celebrating special occasions or visiting Fayetteville for Razorbacks games could treat themselves, something with a timeless look and fastidious service. The grounds included many acres of forest.
Though he didn’t have any engineering or architectural experience, Archer named himself as contractor of the project to ensure that Pratt Place would be restored to its original glory. In making it the successful, nationally known boutique hotel that it is today, Archer relied on his natural problem-solving skills. He prides himself in doing as much of the work as he can handle on his own.
When it came to installing a marble bathtub modeled after Cleopatra’s, it was Archer who operated the crane, lifting the structure that weighs more than a ton to safety in the corner room of the second floor.
“From plunging a shower up there, all the stuff you’re going to run into, like working on the sewer and on and on and on, it’s part of being an owner,” Paul Milam, owner of Golden Kolache Bakery, says of Archer’s energy. “But absolutely, he can analyze and come up with solutions, resolve problems.”
He recruited his children to help ready the house and lawn, and used his wife’s judgment for hand-selecting a number of Qing dynasty-era Chinese wedding chests, handmade Oriental rugs, fabric-covered walls, and centuries-old French armoires atop Brazilian cherry floors.
The result is a space that feels like a retreat, even though it is less than a mile from Razorback Stadium and near downtown Fayetteville.
For other tasks, he hired professionals — some of whom had much different ideas for the space.
To him, the myriad renovations would be worthwhile to keep the original structure intact in light of its historical importance. Instead of tearing it down, Archer had the house moved from its foundation while creating a basement, now used for bridal changing rooms, spa services, a wine cellar and various storage and staff functions, before returning the structure to its original location.
Aside from structural and cosmetic changes, he ensured public safety by installing a sprinkler system, alarms and smoke sensors, as well as making one of the rooms accessible to the disabled. All the effort played a part in Pratt Place earning the AAA 4 Diamond Award for lodging and the distinction of being one of only two Forbes-rated hotels in Arkansas, earning three out of a possible five stars.
Arkansas and family history are commemorated there, with rooms named after the state’s tree species, property that preserves woodlands and photos of the family and grounds as primary decorations.
“It’s his ability to honor his family in a way that’s called for by the Scriptures. He does so by preserving,” Bob Cooper says of the Inn. “In his later years, when most people are pulling up the deck chairs and heading to Acapulco, he’s doing the most strenuous thing of his life.”
“He’s somebody that is persevering,” says Milam. “He never gives up on stuff. He sets his sights and goals and does whatever he needs to do to make those happen. I admire Julian and Jane for doing this at this stage in their lives. How incredible is that, running a business of that magnitude late in life.”
“He did it because he enjoys it,” Sherman says. “It ties together things he’s interested in, and is the center of his family. He loves Fayetteville as much as anything.”
The grounds hold a special place for many who grew up in Fayetteville, not just Archer’s family, because Joy Pratt Markham ran a children’s camp and offered riding lessons from the place in the 1920s and 30s.
“[Pratt Place] is connected to Fayetteville history,” Milam says. “A lot of kids had experience with camps and riding horses there … if you mentioned the Markhams or Sassafras Hill, people say, ‘Yeah, I remember that, I lived there [or] I camped out there.'”
Archer’s management style creates the quality of service that brings hundreds of brides to his doorstep with families in tow, knowing that the inn, barn and grounds will meet their expectations for one of the most important days of their lives.
In recent years, it has earned distinctions as Best Wedding Venue in Arkansas by Martha Stewart Weddings, Best Wedding Reception Venue by Celebrate Magazine, Best Northwest Arkansas Bed & Breakfast-Wedding Venue by CitiScapes and Best of the Best-Wedding Venue by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
“We had a concept of what we wanted to do, how we wanted it to look,” he says. “This cloth … the doors … the armoires … we spent a lot of time [ choosing] … you’ve got to spend time over years thinking about it, but it has indeed come about the way we wanted it to.”"
#SaveMarkhamHill #PreserveFayetteville #KeepFayettevilleForested #MarkhamHillHistory