2019 KPA Awards Projects
Each year the Kansas Preservation Alliance, Inc. recognizes exemplary efforts in historic preservation across the state of Kansas. The 2019 Awards for Excellence were presented May 17th at the Historic Fire Station No. 2 in Topeka, where the following projects received awards.
Santa Fe Station, Lawrence (Douglas County) – Merit Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
In July 1951, the Kansas River flooded throughout eastern Kansas. Lawrence was inundated by water and some of the low-lying areas south of the river had two to three feet of water, including the Santa Fe tracks and the 1883 station. This devastating flood so damaged the old 1883 station that the Santa Fe Railroad Company decided to replace the 1883 station with a new station on the same site. When it was dedicated on February 7, 1956, the Lawrence Journal World carried a front-page story with the headline “Gratitude shown to Santa Fe for Local Progress.” The station continues to be an operating passenger station for AMTRAK, serving the eastbound and westbound Southwest Chief daily.
Alchemy Coffee, Lawrence (Douglas County) – Merit Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
811 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence has housed many different commercial enterprises over the years, including at one time Brinkman’s Bakery. The building has retained much of its integrity from the 1900 to 1945 era, when it was still a bakery in a quiet university town, contributing to the history of the development of Lawrence’s central business district. The result of this project is a bright and lively space for patrons to enjoy interacting with one another over coffee and baked goods.
Belle Wilmont House, Lawrence (Douglas County) – Merit Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
The Dwelling at 707-709 West 12th Street was constructed circa 1911 on the north edge of the top of Mount Oread, at the north end of the University of Kansas campus. Through the years many University of Kansas professors, instructors and students have called the place their home. The historic residential areas surrounding the University of Kansas are rapidly changing with the loss of historic dwellings to significant development pressure and University encroachment. The rehabilitation of this historic structure for its intended use represents an important effort to stabilize and preserve the historic residential context of the area.
Broadway Lofts, Leavenworth (Leavenworth County) – Merit Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
The North Broadway School building is a great example of a ‘modern elementary’ City School. The building, designed by prolific school architect Charles A. Smith in 1922, retains a majority of the character defining features of schools built in this time period. After years of sitting vacant and in disrepair, Exact Partners took on the task to redevelop the school into a multi-family residential apartment development. The project transformed a dilapidated and abandoned historic school building into a fresh, active site. The new residential units contain a well balanced blend of historic architecture and contemporary urban apartment design.
Wilcox School, WaKeeny (Trego County) – Merit Award for Excellence with Distinction in Preservation
Built in 1886, Wilcox School District 29 is significant as one of only a few remaining rural school houses in Trego County and one of a few remaining native limestone one-room schools left in the United States. The school served Wilcox Township for sixty years. District 29 was eventually consolidated with other rural districts and the Wilcox School closed in 1947. Restoration began in 2012, and today the school is a monument to the demanding manual labor and ingenuity of the early settlers of Wilcox Township who dreamed of making a better life for their families and neighbors.
Orville Huntress Building, Manhattan (Riley County) – Merit Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
Although various sources give this building a construction date of 1883, evidence suggests construction may have begun prior to 1881. Commissioned by Stingley and Huntress, they were listed as the building’s occupants in 1886. The building was occupied by the post office in 1894. The owners expanded the building between 1885 and 1890. In 1886, the building also housed the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall and Knights of Honor on its second floor. Today, the renovated Poyntz Avenue storefront is occupied by a home store and the ground floor of the rear addition is occupied by a single business – a tabletop game and coffee shop. The entire second floor is occupied by a local strategic marketing group.
Seven Dolors Sanctuary, Manhattan (Riley County) – Merit Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
In 1946, the citizens of Manhattan approved a bond to construct a multi-purpose auditorium to honor the 2,610 Riley Countians who had served and the 101 servicemen who lost their lives in World War II. As the years passed, Manhattan and Riley County residents became unaware of the auditorium's role as a living World War II memorial. Through their advocacy and fundraising efforts, the Friends of Peace Memorial Auditorium were able to convince the City Commission to change course and avoid placing offices in the space. In conjunction with the rehabilitation of the Auditorium, a dedicated web page with historical and biographical information regarding Peace Memorial Auditorium is available at www.peacememorial101.org.
Colorado Derby Building, Wichita (Sedgwick County) – Honor Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
The Colorado Derby building, a 9-story example of modern movement architecture, was completed in 1960. The building was designed as a speculative office building but was fully occupied shortly after it opened. It is named after the Colorado Oil & Gas Co., which was the first company to occupy the building. In 2014 it was purchased by Water Street Lofts, L.L.C. and was renovated, now known as Colorado Derby Lofts. The building underwent an adaptive reuse renovation for use as residential apartments.
Heritage Homes Association, Abilene (Dickinson County) – Advocacy Award for Excellence
For over thirty years the Heritage Homes Association (HHA) has been an active public voice and resource for preservation in Dickinson County. The HHA was founded by the Dickinson County Historical Society in 1988 as an outgrowth of its Historic Preservation Committee. Preserving the history of Dickinson County’s historic homes is the mission of HHA. The annual homes’ tour showcases many historic homes and demonstrates to people that you can live a modern life in a historic home.
Building 102, Fort Leavenworth (Leavenworth County) – Honor Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
Built as workshops for the Leavenworth Arsenal c.1859, Building 102 served a utilitarian function for its first 40 years and is a contributing structure to the Fort Leavenworth National Landmark District. Upon closure of the arsenal in 1874, Building 102 served as workshops – such as blacksmith and machine shops – and later storerooms for the Quartermaster Depot into the early 20th century. Reuse of this building focused on retention and preservation of those materials, features, finishes, spaces, and spatial relationships that portray the building in its first non-utilitarian use as an open barracks.
Kansas Ave. Lofts, Topeka (Shawnee County) – Honor Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
The Parkhurst Davis Mercantile Building anchors the south end of the small Mill Block Historic District in Topeka, KS. The building stands on the site of Topeka's first cabin constructed in December 1854, as indicated on a cornerstone dedicated by the Topeka chapter of the D.A.R. and inscribed “This building marks the site of the first cabin in Topeka where the town company was organized. Dec. 5, 1854”. On the building interior the two lower levels have been transformed to a main entry, community room and office space on the first floor with parking on both the first and lower levels. Floors two, three and four have been fully built out into a total of 33 loft style apartments.
Morris County State Bank, Council Grove (Morris County) – Honor Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
A critical supply point on the Santa Fe Trail, the town of Council Grove had been bypassed by both the Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroads in the 1860s, but by 1886, the KATY and Missouri Pacific railroads had put the community's development back on track. It was in this economic environment that the Morris County State Bank rose, and the Council Grove Republican declared the bank's new Italianate gem "by far the handsomest and most substantial structure yet attempted in this city.” But by the time Davis Preservation purchased the building in August 2017, much of it had been vacant for forty years, and the entire building had been abandoned for a decade. The result was a project that both met community needs – particularly for quality housing – while also respecting its traditional downtown environment by reserving the historic bank space for retail or office use.
Woodland Place South Barn, Courtland (Republic County) – Honor Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
The Woodland Place South Barn and related structures served the long history of Woodland Place Stock Farm and Woodland Ranch. George Johnson began the farm and stock operation and Joseph and Bertie Elliott continued farming the land and raising Shorthorn cattle, with ownership passing from one generation to the next. Jolynn Elliott Pierce, great-granddaughter of Joseph and Bertie, and her husband, Locke, have managed the farm since 2009. The barn needed significant repairs after over a century of service. The barn will continue to serve the Woodland Ranch and the rich history of farming in North Central Kansas for years to come.
Ottawa Post Office, Ottawa (Franklin County) – Medallion Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
Completed in 1913, the Neo-Classical Revival style Ottawa post office is a stand-alone building at the north end of Ottawa’s downtown. The adaptive re-use from an institutional use to an event space was a good fit to utilize the building’s open volumes and to revive its status as a community gathering space. This rehabilitation project turned the long-vacant post office into a private event space and extended the viability of a historic resource while maintaining its character-defining features. The design team found creative solutions to incorporate new technology and modern decorative features like lighting into the existing space, while also highlighting the building’s distinctive features.
Dyche Hall, Lawrence (Douglas County) – Medallion Award for Excellence in Preservation
Dyche Hall is an educational, research, and museum building on the University of Kansas, Lawrence Campus. Constructed in 1901 with additions in 1963 and 1995, Dyche Hall houses the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. In 1974, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its architectural and educational significance. This project involved extensive renovations and materials preservation, and the result is a restored icon of the KU campus ready to serve students into the 21st century.
