A highly unique building type, the W. R. Gray photography studio in St. John was built in 1900, and was the first structure in the state of Kansas built specifically as a photo studio. Containing both the studio storefront at the street and the residence at the rear, the wood framed building served continuously as …
In 1912, dry goods merchant Vernon Wiley announced plans to build an 8-story concrete and steel skyscraper that would be twice as tall as any other building in downtown Hutchinson at the time. Searching for $350,000 in funding, Wiley traveled to New York with building plans in hand. After multiple rejections, he successfully piqued the …
Historic preservation projects are often buildings that once served as centers for their communities. Turnhalle in Lawrence is a special example of one such building, serving as the center of the local German community, the largest immigrant group to populate Lawrence in the 19th century. Standing in frontier contrast to the more elaborate Turnhalles that still …
The WPA expanded services to rural communities throughout America in the projects it built, and the St. Thomas Hospital in Colby is an example of one of those projects. Built in 1941, the hospital was constructed of local brick salvaged from the old high school that originally stood on the site. The 3‐story hospital had …
The simple Kansas farmstead is a common sight across the state, and the Samuel Kimble Farmstead in Manhattan is an example typical to the Flint Hills. Samuel Kimble was an early pioneer in the Manhattan area, having moved from Ohio in 1857 to work as a carpenter and stonemason at Ft. Riley. In 1860, he …
Having served multiple purposes over the years, a building can often find itself in need of an overhaul. The Marshall Theatre in Manhattan was no different. Built in 1909 and designed by architect Carl Boller, a well-known Midwestern theater designer, the two-story brick building containing an 1100 seat theater was regarded as one of the …
The Dr. E.A. Lyons House, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, was built by Lyons in 1888 as his home, including the office for his dental practice. Lyons had arrived in Kansas in 1871 as a homesteader, and arrived in Norton by covered wagon in 1885. A prominent civic …
“None come too early, none stay too late,” Hiram Price Dillon inscribed on the entry hall fireplace mantel of his 1913 home at 9th and Harrison Streets in Topeka. He had swapped his existing home and an undisclosed amount of cash for the location. After the swap, Dillon worked to design and build a new home on the …
Multi-year projects are nothing new in the world of historic preservation, but occasionally a project comes along that spans from years into decades, with incredible results. The Brown Grand Opera House was built in 1905-1907 by “Colonel” Napoleon Bonaparte Brown, a colorful local businessman who had arrived in Concordia in 1876 from Missouri with his …
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