| Year(s) Listed: • 2018 |
| City/Town: • Topeka |
| Location Class: • Commercial |
| Built: 1910 | Year Saved: 2016 |
| Awards: • Merit Award |
| Contributor: Kansas Preservation Alliance |
The three-story commercial building at 718 S. Kansas Avenue was constructed in 1910 by local real estate man J.E. Frost. The building held professional offices and a small theater (the Cozy Theatre) into the 1950s. Two days into the new year of 2015, fire engulfed the building that shared a stone party wall to the south. While the fire gutted the three-story building at 720 S. Kansas Avenue, necessitating its demolition, it left 718 S. Kansas Avenue relatively unscathed. The renovation of 718 S. Kansas Avenue provides a shining example of care and attention to detail undertaken by the owners, architect, and contractor to transform the tired vacant upper stories of this building into an active participant in the revitalization of downtown Topeka.