Awards of Excellence:

Breezedale Monuments

The Breezedale Monuments have marked the entrance to the early 1900s Breezedale neighborhood in Lawrence, Kansas, since 1910. The construction of the monuments and the neighborhood generated a lot of press in the local news, as the monuments would mark the terminus of the south end of the streetcar line along Massachusetts Street. Built of native stone with copper letter inlays spelling out the name of the addition to the city, the monuments also included benches and electric lighting.  Over the years, the monuments fell into disrepair, with the copper lettering fading, masonry deterioration, and the central portion of the eastern monument being cut to provide an additional sidewalk connection to the residence nearby. Replacement stone for the restoration project was procured from the original source, and the mortar was analyzed and replicated including local Kansas River sand. The benches and lettering were restored on the west monument and reconstructed on the east monument, repairing both to their original state. The final touch was the installation of a new electrical and lighting system, allowing the monuments to be lit at night, once again marking the entrance to the Breezedale neighborhood at all times of day.