Awards of Excellence:

Horace Mann Elementary School

Horace Mann Elementary School was built in 1909, designed by William W. Rose, the architect for the Kansas City, Kansas School District. Built during the height of the Progressive Era, the Classical Revival styled building includes features of the era’s education reforms, like tall windows for plenty of natural daylight, and art, music, kindergarten, and physical activity spaces. The building functioned as an elementary school until 1939, when an addition was added and it was converted for use by the Kansas City Junior College, which occupied the building until 1968. The historic site, masonry exterior, and window design were all retained and restored. Inside, the original double-loaded corridor school layout was maintained, with the new apartments occupying the original classroom spaces. The chalkboards, built in cabinetry, cloakrooms, and wood flooring were retained and incorporated into the design of the living units wherever possible. The design philosophy minimized contact with the historic walls, ceilings, and historic features, allowing the full height and width of the original spaces to be expressed in the final spaces.

Federal and state historic preservation tax credits were utilized to fund this rehabilitation.

The project team included: Foutch Brothers, LLC; Rosin Preservation; Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Community Development; Community National Bank; and Historic Preservation Partners.