601 Louisiana Street
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601 Louisiana Street
For the past two years, this grand old home has been recognizable as much for the blue city dumpster in the parking cutout on 6th Street as for the neoclassical full-height circular porch columns in front. That is about to change, however, as a herculean effort led by new owner Amy Lee is heading into the finishing stages of painting and floor finishes.
Built in 1914 for Otto B. Guffler, the house was better known as the longtime home of Larry Martin, curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the KU Natural History Museum and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After he died in 2013, his wife Jean continued ownership. Amy purchased the home in 2020 at a price reflective of Jean’s appreciation of the large scope of work the home would need going forward.
Grand staircase inside 601 Louisiana Street
A law school graduate of the University of Kansas in 1987, Amy has lived in historic homes in the Old West Lawrence neighborhood and partnered in other fixer-upper purchases of houses for rental use. Now employed by the investment advisory firm Guggenheim Investments, she enjoys exercising her entrepreneurial spirit, sense of independence and creative problem-solving side through her efforts to purchase and rehab properties. And she loves the experience of living in an older home with architectural detailing and personality. “It’s like living in a piece of art!” she says.
When she first set foot in 601 Louisiana, she saw past all the work that needed to be done to find a solid structure with good bones, and she was excited by the potential of the dynamic front entry. But there was so much work needed to reach that potential—hence the dumpster. She hired Kenneth A. Peters, Builder Inc. as general contractor, and slowly but surely the team has made progress in replacing all service and mechanical systems, taking care to disturb as little of the interior walls, ceilings, floors and trim as possible.
The project is using both state and federal tax credits, which will reimburse 45 percent of allowable rehab expenses. When it’s completed later this summer, Amy plans to make the house available as a single-family rental. And stay tuned, LPA members: We may get an opportunity to tour this one before move-in day happens.