LPA Announces Winter 2022 Preservation in Progress Awards

For our Winter 2022 Preservation in Progress Awards, LPA digs into a very interesting but sometimes unnoticed corner of city history, applauds a rehab/new addition project that saves a historic residential property from demolition, and shines a light on a sweet and thoughtful rehabilitation of an old, detached garage.

2235 East Drive

2235 East Drive

Tucked away in a pocket of Lawrence that most “townies” don’t even know about, the marvelous home known as Roanoke has been undergoing a careful and thoughtful update by new owners Andrew Sexton and Julia Ireland. LPA has noticed exterior painting work being done there, as well as some Facebook posts by the owners, who purchased the property in December 2020. But for the most part, East (and West) Drive, nestled between Vermont and Tennessee and just north of 23rd Street, isn’t an area that many vehicles or pedestrians pass by.

This Queen Anne Cottage, built in 1894 by Alexander Shaw & Son, served as the primary home of Martha Gillette Babcock, widow of Carmi Babcock, Lawrence’s first Postmaster General and second mayor. A real estate investor, Babcock had purchased a large tract of land south of 14th Street, which became known as Babcock’s Addition as early as 1858. He and Martha married in 1866, and this home was built to replace a prior house that was destroyed by fire. The only structures in the immediate vicinity older than this home are the two stone structures just to its west—a barn/carriage house and a workers’ house—that remain from the previous house and now sit on the property of 2239 West Drive.

This historic barn/carriage house and workers' house at 2239 West Drive still remain from Carmi Babcock's first house that was destroyed by fire and are the oldest remaining structures in the immediate area.

Andrew and Julia have worked hard to inform their design updates with historical research, including consultations with archivists at the Watkins Museum of History and communications with previous owners, including one family—three owners prior—who lived here for 30 years. They even took time to learn about historically accurate color palettes for their home before tackling the seven-color paint job.

Plumbing and electrical updates were necessary, along with repairing, sanding and refinishing the main staircase and refurbishing the original hardwood floors throughout. Many hours were spent repairing the original windows—including original weights and cords—so they all open easily again. Outdated wallpaper is in process of being removed, and plaster walls repaired and painted.

Landscaping improvements have included removal of extraneous railroad ties and concrete while adding grass and butterfly gardens. During this work, Andrew and Julia discovered a 7,500-gallon brick cistern in good condition and are developing plans to use it for landscaping irrigation.

A highlight for Andrew and Julia is the complete remodeling of the kitchen, with a more user-friendly layout, new custom cabinetry, more storage areas, and the addition of a large walk-in pantry.

2235 East Drive

Curious to learn more about the antique carriage lamps that were being used as porch lights but hadn’t worked in ages, they found out from the family that had lived here for 30 years that the lamps were originally powered by candlelight and were salvaged from that owner’s grandfather’s barn in Marion, Iowa. One of the owners at the time, a KU professor, worked with the shop department at KU to electrify them and the head of the shop department presented them to the homeowners as a housewarming gift. Now the lamps are glowing once again!

Of course, there’s always more work to do, but Andrew and Julia enjoy appreciating the house’s history while respectfully adding their own stories to it. “As caretakers of this historic home,” they say, ”it is important to us to maintain its beauty and integrity while making improvements and needed repairs. The quality of this home is unmatched by today’s standards, and it was truly built to last. There have been generations of families living within these walls during times when our country was very different. This home is more to us than just a place to live. It is a living history that we get to be a part of.”

816 Rhode Island

816 Rhode Island - Courtesy of Chris Cunningham

This one-story gable-front and wing national folk residence, a contributing property in the North Rhode Island Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, is doing just fine these days after decades of being down on its luck. Built in 1867, it already had lost its original front porch by the time the district was designated in 2004, and any repairs made in the time since were of the “make-do” variety. Most repair needs simply went unmet.

By 2021 a new owner proposed to demolish the structure and replace it with new construction. When the Historic Resources Commission (HRC) denied that application, the property was sold again, this time to Chris Cunningham, one of the principals in CT Design + Development. While this firm is relatively new, its partners have years of experience in Lawrence.

The property presented a difficult set of design issues because the historic structure, in addition to being in very rough shape, was so small that building an addition that could not be seen from the public right of way—an important goal for any addition to a listed property—would leave the builder with an addition too small for it to be a feasible project.

Chris’ initial design featured a modern two-story addition at the rear of the house that would use floor-to-ceiling glass on the east and west facades of the portion that extended beyond the existing structure and thus would be completely in view from the street. The glass look, desirable in modern design, would also make the addition less imposing to the historic structure from the street view than a solid wall construction would. It was enough to interest the HRC, and with one further adjustment on that portion of the addition—changing the second level to an outdoor deck with a fireplace—the project won HRC approval.

Courtesy of Chris Cunningham

Cunningham partnered with Landon Harness (Form & Function)—a previous PIP winner—to bring the project to life. For the old structure, “straightening, leveling, and making it ready to stand for another 150 years was certainly an undertaking,” he says. The speculative nature of the project was vindicated when, two months before completion, it went under contract to a new owner excited to move in.

Just one year ago, 816 Rhode Island was a historic property nearing its end with seemingly nowhere to go but down. LPA congratulates the entire project team for finding a way to save this National Register historic property.

718 Ohio Detached Garage

Courtesy of Alee Phillips

Fascinating architecture and local history are evident to anyone walking the sidewalks of neighborhoods located within Lawrence’s original urban core. The same is true of alleys and the structures along them. Tim and Alee Phillips spent 2020 doing a full rehab of the little house at 718 Ohio, but this year they turned to the detached structure out back, with the goal of using it as a 1½- car garage. After consulting with city Historic Resources Administrator Lynne Zollner and knowing about the availability of Kansas’ 25 percent historic tax credit, they decided to tackle this second rehab project.

718 Ohio Detached Garage

The house was built in 1910, but evidence uncovered during its rehab suggests a portion of it is older. The date of the detached structure is unknown. Longtime neighbors told the Phillips that the previous owner, Henry Johnson, had stored an old car in it for as long as they could recall—but no garage door opening was evident. When the panel and batt siding was removed to uncover original siding underneath, an opening on the west wall was revealed that was similar to the still-existing barn door on the east (alley) side.

The cracked foundation slab was removed, revealing that the original sill plate was laid on stacked bricks. That forced the couple to increase the concrete portion of their budget for a more substantial alternative.

Courtesy of Alee Phillips

Hickory Ridge Construction (Matt Mozier, principal), the same contractor that did the rehab work on the house, performed all the carpentry work. New framing supports were added, and new cypress drop siding installed in areas where previous siding had been removed or was not salvageable. Matt relied on Woodhaven in Perry, Kansas to provide an expert match to the profile of the original material. Spyderart was the concrete contractor. Mike Myers of Hernly Associates provided architectural services.

A fun aspect of the project is that the barn door, with original hardware refurbished by Tim and Alee, still functions, though it does have a full wall behind it and is no longer an opening to the structure.

Stories of our history are embedded in structures both magnificent and humble. Humble stories are often most vulnerable to being lost over time, due to their nature. LPA appreciates this effort that preserves those stories for a modest alley structure while providing a daily function for a modern family.