When brothers Steuart and Tom Walton built a 142-room hotel on the Bentonville square last year, they named it The Compton. The name was in honor of legendary Arkansas conservationist Neil Compton, who led the successful effort to prevent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from damming the Buffalo River.

Bentonville appears to be doing a good job combining nature and art, attracting visitors from around the world while earning positive reviews in numerous publications. The Compton is the brothers' nod to the nature part of that equation. Their nod to the art side will be The Hart on Main, the name of their planned residential, retail and office development on the north side of the square.

The Benton County jail, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will be restored as part of the development. The name is for Thomas Hart Benton, who grew up in nearby Neosho, Mo., and later came to Arkansas on a regular basis to do sketches. Benton's art is part of the collections of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art at Bentonville and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art in Little Rock.

The name also honors U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri, the grand-uncle of the painter's father, M.E. Benton. He served in the Senate from August 1821 until March 1851. The senator was a supporter of westward expansion and was among those who pushed for Arkansas statehood in 1836.

Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon and Washington have counties named after Benton. Both Bentonville in Benton County and Benton in Saline County are named for the senator.

"The Hart reflects the spirit and history of Bentonville," said Brian Shaw of Blue Crane, a real estate development company owned by the Walton brothers. "In addition to its location on the town square, it acknowledges where the community began and honors the people and stories that continue to shape it."

The north side of the square was last renovated in the 1980s, when most of the........

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