The J.C. Penney building was constructed in 1917, as stated on the parapet. Originally this structure was two separate buildings before conjoining facades. The northern storefront was the first location of the J.C. Penny in Siloam Springs in the 1930s, before the store moved further south on Broadway in the mid-1940s. In the 1930s, the southern storefront held the Dixie News newspaper. The building later housed Dodson’s 5 & 10-cent store. According to local history, the building’s most memorable anecdote was Sam Walton’s offer to purchase the structure for his first store in the 1950s. Dodson refused to sell, and Walton moved his investment northeast to Bentonville. By 1960, Dodson’s had become Nickle’s Variety Store and remained so for around twenty years. Since 2011, the fully combined structure has been operated by John Brown University Broadcasting Center and holds the broadcasting studio of 90.9 KLRC. 

Originally, both single-story structures were made of brick masonry and displayed heavy brick corbelling. The southern structure’s parapet was raised, and the corbelling reshaped to adapt to the northern façade when they were conjoined. Each structure possessed recessed double-leaf entrances and were lit by traditional stationary display windows. Today, the transom windows are covered in stucco, styled as paneling. Since the alterations and joining of the two storefronts occurred beyond the present 50-year mark, the structure is considered contributing to the downtown historic district.

For more information on this building’s history, contact the Siloam Springs Museum at Don@siloamspringsmuseum.com. For information on building improvement consultation, grants and tax credit opportunities, contact Main Street Siloam Springs at info@mainstreetsiloam.org. 

Event on Broadway, c. 1940, Siloam Springs Museum. 

Broadway looking northwest on Center, d. 2020, Main Street Siloam Springs.