FranaWiki:About
Clinton Presidential Center & Downtown Little Rock Memory Project
On November 18th, 2004, Little Rock capped a seven-year effort to bring to Clinton Presidential Center to Little Rock with the largest celebration ever hosted in the state of Arkansas. There were 40,000 invited guests, a performance by Bono and The Edge, and a gigantic fireworks display over six bridges spanning the Arkansas River. Foreign dignitaries, politicians, and celebrities came for the Library dedication ceremony, and all living United States presidents, but one, were in attendance.
The Clinton Library opening brought in an additional investment of $1 billion into the historic River Market and Argenta districts, as well as vast throngs of visitors from around the world. Citizens, business leaders, and government officials have worked tirelessly to restore the luster of our downtowns on both sides of the river, adding beautiful streetscapes, waterfront attractions, urban lifestyle choices, and safe living spaces.
But how exactly did this library come to Little Rock? Who contributed to the downtown revitalization effort, and what challenges did they face? How have these changes contributed to the economic well-being of Central Arkansas generally? In January 2006 students in the Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas began a project to find out. This experimental wiki democratizes our heritage by preserving and reflecting on the memories of the people who made it happen, as well as important places, events, and signposts along the way.
Little Rock Renaissance needs your help in developing this electronic textbook ("e-text"). We want you to make public knowledge by making knowledge public. Sharing on the wiki is easy. The only thing you need to do is create a login. We’ll approve you as an editor. Consider using your real name as a username; we want to credit your contributions on the front page, and we want you to see the pictures. Or simply browse through the wiki and be amazed at what you didn't know about the rebirth of the Little Rock metro area.
