Awards of Excellence:

KCI Soccer Club, Kansas City High School Gymnasium and Laboratory

The 3-story structure was built in 1923 as part of the Kansas City High School by association.  Interestingly, the Gymnasium and Laboratory facility was built across 9^th Street from the school house and was connected by an underground tunnel.  After a 1934 fire that started in the boiler room destroyed the school house on the far West Edge of downtown Kansas City, Kan., the Auditorium and Laboratory has stood completely independent.

Serving as a Junior College until the late 1960s the building has long maintained its function as a place of instruction.  The following tenant, the Boilermaker’s Union, used it as a training facility.  Instruction and training still take place as the basketball court and the over-decked indoor swimming pool facility have been converted into an indoor soccer facility.  Because of it being a soccer facility, there was no need replace the existing lockers, which have helped maintain interior defining characteristics.  On the exterior, all existing metal features were retained and repainted.  Historic wood windows were restored.

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

The project team included Foutch Brothers LLC, Historic Preservation Partners, Rosin Preservation LLC, Community National Bank in Basehor and the Unified Government of Wyandotte.