2115 Learnard Avenue

Mike and Rechelle Malin purchased 2115 Learnard in June 2016 and recently complete a major rehabilitation on the house, which is believed to have been built in 1865. Mike and Rechelle did most of the demolition themselves. Along the way they uncovered an old well, an old cased entry with a transom window that was completely hidden inside of a closet and a large beam in the subfloor that looked, due to a variety of peculiar notches, as if it had been salvaged from another project. 

When the couple tore out the ceiling in the foyer, a time capsule fell out. The Higbe family, who owned the house prior to the Malins, had placed several photos, a to-do list and a few other items inside a plastic bag in the floor of the upstairs bathroom when they remodeled it about 20 years ago. The Malins returned the items to the Higbes.

During the rehabilitation, the entire house was gutted, and the back of the house, which housed the kitchen, a utility room and an enclosed porch, was deemed structurally unsound and had to be pulled off. The house retains the same footprint of the old house, but the interior has been reconfigured to reflect modern family life. What was once a warren of smaller rooms on the main floor is now one large living space with an open connection to the kitchen. The four large bedrooms on the second floor were made slightly smaller to accommodate two new bathrooms and a laundry. The Malins were able to save some of the old wood floors on both levels of the house.  

Eric Wagner was the general contractor for the project, and Steve Malin of Treanor architects helped the Malins with some of the details of the plan. The house turned out beautifully and the family is very happy with the results. They enjoy the Barker neighborhood and the rural quality of life on Learnard. 

2017 Preservation Achievement Awards, May 25, 2017

Please join us for another special evening as we honor this year’s winners: Shelley Hickman Clark, Karl Gridley, Depot Redux and Diane Stoddard. The Preservation Achievement Award, created in 2009, honors individuals or groups who have contributed in extraordinary ways to help preserve buildings or natural sites significant to the history of Lawrence and Douglas County.

Shelley Hickman Clark is a retired Clinical Professor of Law at the University of Kansas. Specializing in preservation law, she has both taught preservation in the classroom and argued it in the courtroom. She has a keen interest in preserving territorial sites and significant cultural resources in the unincorporated areas of Douglas County, and it shows in all the great preservation groups (including LPA!), she has either served on or chaired. She is the current chair of the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.

Karl Gridley is a Lawrence native who has a deep appreciation of territorial history, trails, cemeteries and any structures of native stone. This has led him to important work at Barber School (just north of Clinton Lake), Black Jack Battlefield, Pioneer Cemetery and many off-the-beaten-path stone fences, family plots and foundation ruins his many friends in the county wish to stabilize or preserve. For a number of years he has lived in and cared for the Larson House, the last remaining stone house associated with the Wilder & Palm Windmill Agricultural Works, which operated until 1885.

Depot Redux is a volunteer group formed by Carey Maynard-Moody in 2008 to bring attention to the Amtrak stop at our midcentury modern Santa Fe Station at 413 E 7th Street. This dedicated group took it upon themselves to clean up the dilapidated facility and keep it that way, improve safety there for passengers, and educate the public about this local architectural gem both misunderstood and forgotten. When the first of three different City Commissions voted to begin negotiations for the city to become owner of the building, assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard began one of the most difficult negotiations of her career. Nine years later, when the current City Commission voted to officially take ownership, and with a funded rehab project ready to roll this summer, Carey, Diane and all those Redux volunteers were still standing. Good things come to those who work!

Reserve your space! It’s easy—buy tickets here.

St. John Parish, 1228 Vermont Street

While other congregations have left the core of Lawrence over the years for greenfield campus developments on the outskirts of town, St. John the Evangelist Parish long ago decided to retain its historic footprint on the western edge of downtown. With a decision such as that comes problems that must be solved when church and school expansion are planned. As part of a $3.3 million project that will include a new gymnasium and conversion of the old gym into a visual and performing arts center, an old house at the corner of 12th and Kentucky that had once been the Convent for the Sisters of Charity was in the way.

Architect and parishioner Dan Sabatini and his wife Nicole saw the structure’s historic value and continued utility to the parish if a new location could be found. Sure enough, the building would fit nicely between the school on the Vermont street side and the parish center, which is also located in a well-kept older house. The plan was enthusiastically supported by parishioners, who cherish their long Lawrence history.

When the day of the big move came, the children of St. John School all came outside in early February to watch the Convent roll on a trailer to its new location just a block away. This is a preservation lesson those children will never forget, and St. John can attest that sometimes the greenest field is the one closest to home.

726 Ohio Street

Unlike some who buy an older property and feather the nest before moving in, Ernie Eck and Patricia Karlin have lived at 726 Ohio Street for several decades, completing numerous improvement projects over time. The more they fell in love with their house, the more they realized they wanted to undertake a major exterior rehabilitation. Beginning in spring 2016, the asbestos shingle siding came off and new cedar lap siding was installed. Custom wood storm windows were fabricated to fit each window opening and new French gutters were installed. The project was topped off with a striking four-color paint job. Their work took the property from non-contributing to contributing to the Old West Lawrence Historic District.

534 Ohio Street

Todd and Kelly Foos are completing their rehab work before moving in, but because Todd has done much of the work himself, and the house was in such horrible shape when they bought it, it’s taken them years to get to the point where this total interior/exterior project is close to completion. The property had been cut up into apartments by previous owners and had suffered from abuse and neglect. Now this great older home is a credit to the Pinckney neighborhood Todd and Kelly soon will call home. The couple even saved and rehabilitated all their old windows, a preservation act that is a surefire way to get LPA representatives bearing awards to show up at the door!

The Johnson Block

Michael Arp bought his house a number of years ago from a couple that had once shared the LPA presidency, so the house was already in good shape. He did worry about the stability of the surrounding neighborhood, though. As he researched the area, he discovered that the west side of the 800 block of Missouri and the east side of Arkansas, with a shared alley between them, were developed by Victor Johnson as a model block subdivision in 1909. Michael continued his research and began talking with his neighbors about nominating the Johnson Block as a Historic District in the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. Working with Historic Resources Administrator Lynne Zollner, and with the help of LPA, which provided grant funding to hire an architectural historian to finish required documentation and write the nomination, Michael was able to achieve near-unanimous support from his neighbors in the proposed district. The City Commission approved the Johnson Block historic listing late last year. Great job Michael!

545 Ohio Street

Mike Randolph, of Free State Properties, has rehabbed a number of core neighborhood properties over the years, and this one certainly caught our eye. He purchased this house and began a careful rehab after years of neglect. The project included a rebuilt porch, new roof, HVAC, insulation, kitchen and bath areas, landscape and paint. The original windows, siding, flooring and trim were restored.

Because the property is in the Pinckney I Historic District, the work plan required approval by the Lawrence Historic Resources Commission (HRC), and Mike was able to use the state Historic Tax Credit program to offset some of his costs. He has since sold the property, so the Pinckney neighborhood now has one more rehabbed house and one more happy homeowner.

821 Indiana Street

Trey and Rae Toman purchased this large Old West Lawrence home that had also fallen victim to years of deferred maintenance. Taking most of the summer, their project included a long list of general updates and repairs, painting, landscaping and renovation of interior spaces. They also are doing some foundation repair. This is how older neighborhoods become enviable to others: diligent and dedicated homeowners working carefully, one house at a time.

739 Alabama Street

The Learned House recently changed hands after many years of occupancy by one owner. Mark Kramer, who has lived in Old West Lawrence for a number of years, purchased the property and began taking on the years of deferred maintenance, and we’re sure glad he did. General cleanup, structural repairs, new paint and wall surfaces, trim restoration and landscaping were all part of the program. Updated kitchen and bath areas are next.