| Year(s) Listed: • 2007 |
| City/Town: • Leavenworth |
| Location Class: • Commercial |
| Built: 1908 | Year Saved: |
| Historic Designation: • National Register of Historic Places |
| Awards: • Medallion Award |
| Contributor: Preservation Alliance of Leavenworth |
The six-story 1908 warehouse was built for the Crancer Hardware Company. They were at one time the largest supplier of tin fabrications and tools west of the Mississippi. From the 1940s to 1971 the building operated as a Montgomery Wards.
All historic materials and interior configuration of the building were retained in the rehabilitation. Mechanicals, restrooms and other utilitarian spaces were limited to the rear corner of each floor. Paint was removed from wood columns and beams, the brick walls were left exposed. Throughout the building non-historic windows were replaced with new windows that matched the one-over-one, double hung configuration of the original windows, as depicted in an historic photo.
The most notable aspect of the project was the restoration of the storefront. The original transom, with rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Luxfer prisms, remained but was badly deteriorated. The distinctive transom was fully restored, using salvaged Luxfer prisms to replace missing and damaged elements.