Fay Jones Butterfly House Could Become a Synagogue

A local Jewish congregation is hoping to turn a historic house in Fayetteville into a synagogue. The Temple Shalom of Northwest Arkansas celebrates 25 years in Fayetteville this year, and they`re hoping to spend the next 25 plus years in the Fay Jones Butterfly House on Rockwood Trail in Fayetteville. The group says they would make only minor changes to the home in order to retain the house`s beauty and spirituality. The most major changes would be the addition of a parking lot and improvements to the landscaping. Temple President Joe Ratner is thrilled about the prospect, "Temple Shalom is very excited about the idea of getting to have a home of our own after 25 years in town, and to be able to make it not just a building, but really, a work of art by one of Fayetteville`s most prominent citizens." The congregation must raise more than $200,000 to buy the home and make renovations. They have already raised over $200,000 from within their congregation, but they need a total of $500,000 by the end of February in order to receive the $500,000 in matching funds offered by an anonymous donor. The estimated price to purchase and upgrade the Butterfly House is $1,000,000. You can donate to the cause at the web site linked on this page. The planning commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday to decide whether to grant the Temple a conditional-use permit for the home. Some neighbors are opposed to the idea because of traffic concerns.