Awards of Excellence:

White-Cowley Building

Located within the Council Grove Downtown Historic District, 204 W Main Street is also listed as a contributing building on the National Register. The two-story building has a small retail space on the first floor and the second floor was converted into two apartments with the design guidance of Ben Moore Studio. To ensure code compliance with the change of occupancy, fire ratings on doors and walls needed to be updated, while maintaining the historic character. A non-historic first floor storefront was removed, and an appropriate storefront installed. Replacement windows on the 2nd floor were removed and replica historic windows were installed on the 2nd floor. A new exterior stair was also added to ensure all exiting needs were met. Mechanical plumbing and electrical were also within the scope of work to transform the existing space into a functioning apartment. The historic features of the second floor were highlighted with the renovation, including the original doors and trim work on both the doors and windows. The project meets the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation and is a Federal and State Historic Tax Credit Project.