About Searcy's Downtown Searcy Ar

20 years ago Professional Escrow opened their doors in Searcy Arkansas.

The owner was a super-sharp and well-trained lady named Hazel English.

She had worked at one of the savings and loan operations that had suddenly become defunct.

She knew all about closes and assumptions of loans. She announced that her entire business would consist of closing loans for real estate companies or people selling their own homes and the office was to be in downtown Searcy.

We thought she was nuts! We snickered and said, "Well, why would anyone pay her to close a loan? Our broker closes them for nothing!"

And they did. The brokers made up their closing statement and had it signed and collected the monies, dispersed it and all was well.

Then one day my broker said, "I'm not taking the responsibility of closing loans anymore. We're going to send all of our closes to Hazel at Professional Escrow." This rest is history.

She had a successful operation. She sold it, retired and it is still going strong. Today they are having their 20th anniversary and we are all invited. I've gotta sign off on this blog and head for the refreshments and door prizes!!!

Congratulations to Professional Escrow, Searcy Arkansas, for 20 successful years and great service!!!

This old photo taken by my friend Paula when she was doing a Girl Scout's photography project is one of my favorite of Searcy Arkansas during the 40's, I think.

I've posted various pictures that she loaned me for my blog.

This photo shows what is now Quattlebaum Music Store and what is still Stott's Drug Store on the right side of the picture which is the South side of the Court Square.

This photo shows Quattlebaum Music and Stott's Drugs as they were just a few months ago.

I was cruising downdown and snapped this photo.

This week, however, I was in the downtown area and noticed changes going on at Stott's Drug Store. The were pulling off all the "modern" front of the store and revealing the old stuff underneath.

They are restoring it to look like the old historic Searcy Arkansas.

Notice how the metal has been pulled off the front and you can see the old wood below with the charming old wood posts that made up the front of the building. Metal edged windows looked as if they were getting wooded edges.

It all ties in with the merchant leaders working together to keep downtown Searcy Arkansas a vital and important area. I applaud their success! Here are a couple of close-ups showing the old and the not-as-old.

This picture of the old Plaza Theatre in Searcy, AR, also known by kids as the cheap ticket theatre is featured so nicely in this old photograph.

The band is in perfect order. But look above at the brick detail. And now look at the picture of the same building today. It has been updated and the street looks lovely. I love most the way they kept the brick architecture! In this picture we can also see how small the theatre really was!

In another life I must have been from England because I've always loved English Tudor styled houses. They always attract me, fascinate me, and make me dream.

This is the best, in my opinion, English Tudor in Searcy Arkansas. It is located very near downtown Searcy and has been there since 1945 with only two families having owned it up until 1995 when the house was sold and turned into a law office, Schmidt Law Firm PLC.

It has 3698 sq. ft. and was built with a one car carport. Not many families were lucky enough to have more than one car at the time!! Additional car storage was added over the years but none marred the front view of the house. And do you know what I like best of all? The playful use of brick over the little carport on the left. I wish I'd taken a close-up! Drat!

A quick drive-by and here it is!

Downtown Searcy ARKANSAS, corner of Arch

and Spring Streets on the Square.

This is an old picture of Searcy Arkansas's Security Bank. It is now called First Security Bank and is one of the strongest banks in the state.

My next picture will show how it has been restored. Throughout the years it has had different facades as the fashions changed.

Subject today, however, is the building across the street that shows in the background of this photograph.

It has recently sold and my understanding is that the upstairs has been made into a very fashionable downtown apartment.

Funny how old photos had a lack of distance. There is really a pretty decent width street between these two buildings but in the old picture here it appears to be an alley at the most.

I drove through this street the other day and did a double take. There was a painter at the side of the building painting it an icky green! UGH!!

This distance shot shows how the building is being renovated and it shows the scaffold where the painters are climbing up there and apparently painting a little at a time.

And the surprise is that it has gone from icky ugly to beautiful!!

They have put several different shades of color and even a red stripe at one spot.

Look at this larger picture and see if you don't agree that it is an asset to downtown Searcy now!