Grover Barn Designated as National Underground Railroad Site

The City of Lawrence has designated the Grover Barn, 2819 Stone Barn Terrace, as a documented Underground Railroad site on the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom.
 
The Grover Barn is one of the best preserved Underground Railroad sites still standing in Lawrence.  Abolitionists Joel Grover and his wife Emily, who arrived in Lawrence in 1854 with the second New England Emigrant Aid Company party, sheltered freedom seekers in the stone barn built in 1858 on their farm southwest of Lawrence. 

“The Grover Barn is an important historic site in Lawrence and this recognition will ensure its continued preservation and the opportunity to share  stories about how the barn played a role in the Underground Railroad,” said Diane Stoddard, assistant city manager.
 
Incidents of the site’s role as a “station” on the Underground Railroad are remarkably well-documented in the historical record. The most significant involved eleven freedom seekers and a free-born baby who were hidden at the Grover Barn in January 1859. The abolitionist John Brown and his men had helped to liberate the group from slavery in Missouri the previous December in a highly publicized raid.  After a brief stay at Grover Barn on his last trip to Kansas, Brown led the freedom seekers to Detroit, and saw them cross over into Canada. 
 
In addition to its national significance, the barn is also important to local history, as a territorial period structure remaining in Lawrence and a rare historic agricultural structure within city limits.  The Grover barn and a portion of the original farm remained in the Grover family for 105 years. From 1963-1976 the barn was used as an artist’s studio and in 1980 the City of Lawrence acquired the building for use as a Fire Station through 2006.  The structure is currently used by the Lawrence/Douglas County Fire/Medical Department and the Lawrence Police Department.
 
Designation on the Network to Freedom will bring national recognition and provide accessibility to grant funds for interpretation and preservation of the site.  A citizens group, the Guardians of Grover Barn, partnered with the city to nominate the site to the Network to Freedom.  They plan to continue this partnership, working to increase awareness and appreciation of the Grover Barn’s important story and to seek grant funding for interpretive signs at the site. 
 
"The Guardians of Grover Barn are more than pleased that the importance of the unique history of the barn has been recognized and validated at the national level," said Kerry Altenbernd, chair of the Guardians of Grover Barn board. "This is a major first step in bringing that history to the people."

New Project Explores the History of Lawrence, Block-By-Block

Explore Lawrence has teamed up with a University of Kansas journalism class to launch an in-depth examination of the history of several blocks of Massachusetts Street through photos, text and multimedia. 

Lawrence: Block-by-Block is housed on UnmistakablyLawrence.com and features timelines for buildings the students have researched. Most of the timelines also include downloadable audio stories that give even more insight into the history of the buildings.

There are timelines for the buildings that currently house Merchant Pub & Plate, Rudy’s Pizzeria, RND Corner Grille, Jefferson’s Restaurant, The Burger Stand, Greenhouse Culture, Urban Outfitters, and The Granada. More timelines and audio stories will be added the students complete their research.

The project was conceived by Peter Bobkowski, an associate professor in the school of journalism. 

“History and heritage travelers spend more time and money in a destination than the average leisure traveler,” said Andrea Johnson of eXplore Lawrence. “We are always looking for new content and innovative ways to connect with this market, so this partnership makes perfect sense for eXplore Lawrence to be involved in.”

April 14 Open House to Honor the Unique Zimmerman House

Please join Lawrence Preservation Alliance and Lawrence Modern on April 14 for an open house honoring the successful nomination of the Zimmerman house to the Lawrence Historic Register.  Warren Heylman, the architect, and Lee Zimmerman, the original home owner, are scheduled to attend.

This is a remarkable opportunity to meet both men at the home they helped create. Built in 1955, the Zimmerman house is unique among Lawrence home designs with its forward-thinking, Japanese-inspired mid-century modern architecture, creating a strikingly different and memorable home design that has been beautifully preserved.

The open house will be from 3 to 5 p.m., April 14, at the house at 200 Nebraska, with presentations starting at 4 p.m.

For more information, go to: https://lawrencemodern.com/

Guests are encouraged to bring a dish to share.

An Early History of LPA, 1984-1990

After 34 years as a local non-profit promoting local architectural history, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance has achieved a history of its own. And what a history it is: a number of pivotal events in LPA history are also important moments in city history. Lawrence today would not be the same if LPA had not existed, and every day we work to ensure that statement continues to remain true.

We reached out to the first president of LPA, Oliver Finney, and asked him to search his files and memory to write an early history of LPA. At LPA’s inception in 1984, there was no organized preservation effort in Lawrence. The Old West Lawrence Historic District was in existence, but there was no preservation ordinance, no Historic Resources Commission, and no Historic Resources Administrator. There was a strong sentiment among Lawrence leaders that individual property rights far outweighed historic or cultural concerns. If those early LPA Boards wanted to accomplish something, they had to band together and do it themselves (often putting up their own money), and they had to expect resistance. We are certainly glad that they did, and very pleased that Oliver has recounted these important historic events that follow. Thanks Oliver! 

Download a PDF of LPA Early History (1984-1990) here.

An archive of photos, news clippings and other documents of the early history of the LPA is available in PDF format here: Vol. 1; Vol. 2.

More LPA-Sponsored Properties Added To Lawrence Register of Historic Places

The Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously on February 13 to list four properties on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. One, the Santa Fe Depot, was nominated by the City of Lawrence, the new owner of the building. The other three were nominated by LPA in partnership with the property owners.

These three properties are part of a larger LPA initiative to document and list significant local properties that were not listed on local, state or national historic registers.  In May 2016, the LPA Board funded the project with a $5,000 allocation. This project is now almost complete.

The Santa Fe Depot, constructed in 1955 in the Midwest Mid-Century style, retains a tremendous amount of architectural integrity, including some of its original furniture. A long-awaited rehabilitation of the structure is about to begin. Already listed on both the state and national historic registers, the depot has qualified for historic tax credits that the city will use to help finance the rehab project.

The Louis and Eva Poehler residence at 801 Alabama, completed in 1900, is a somewhat unusual gambrel-roof sub-type of the Shingle style of architecture. The front porch, and sleeping-porch wing in back were added in the 1920s.

The Thaddeus D. and Elizabeth K. Prentice House at 1645 Kentucky, built in 1921, is a good example of the Craftsman style. Unlike the situation in many cities, Craftsman-style homes in Lawrence are scattered throughout a number of neighborhoods, rather than concentrated in one or two subdivisions.

The Adam and Annie Rottman house at 2127 Barker was built in 1870. This handsome brick Italianate served originally as a farmhouse for a farm that covered most of what is now the Barker neighborhood.

Restoration Work Begins on Santa Fe Depot

The restoration project for the Santa Fe Station will begin construction in late February and continue through late October 2018. The project is being administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation and First Construction of Lawrence will be the general contractor. The project will consist of exterior and interior repairs, improvements to ensure accessibility in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, new roofing, solar panel installation and HVAC improvements. Questions regarding the project can be directed to David Cronin, City Engineer, at 785-832-3130/dcronin@lawrenceks.org. 

Previous Coverage: Santa Fe Depot Project on Track

LPA-Sponsored Properties Added to Lawrence Register of Historic Places

1645 Louisiana St.

645 Mississippi St.

1509 Massachusetts St.

200 Nebraska St.

The Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously Dec. 5 to list five properties on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. One, at 2110 Harper, was nominated by the Douglas County Commission. The other four were nominated by LPA in partnership with the property owners.

These four properties are part of a larger LPA initiative to document and list significant local properties that were not listed on either the local, state or national registers. In May 2016, the LPA Board allocated $5,000 to fund the project. One property, at 819 Avalon, was listed on the Lawrence Register later that fall, and has since been listed on both the Register of Historic Kansas Places and the National Register of Historic Places. Four other project properties were recommended by the Historic Resources Commission (HRC), to be listed on the local register in November, and await a final determination by the City Commission in early 2018.

1645 Louisiana, an Italianate home built in the early 1870’s on 96 acres owned by Benjamin Akers, was part of a first-class horse breeding and training facility that included a racetrack near what is now 19th Street. That acreage is now the University Place Neighborhood.

645 Mississippi, built for Jacob House’s son Robert in 1918, is a prominent example of the Prairie Style, which is quite rare in Lawrence.

1509 Massachusetts is an excellent example of the Mission Revival Style, also rare in Lawrence. It was built in 1913 for H.B. Ober, who owned a prominent downtown clothing store.

200 Nebraska is a Mid-Century Modern built in 1955 for the Harold Zimmerman family. Members of the Zimmerman family owned and operated Zimmerman & Sons Hardware (now Cottins), and Zimmerman Steel Co. Selected by the local group Lawrence Modern as one of its Baker’s Dozen, this structure was designed by Warren Heylman, who went on to a highly decorated architectural practice in the Pacific Northwest.

City Commission Votes to Add Five Properties to Lawrence Register of Historic Places

The City Commission has voted to give preliminary approval to add five properties to the Lawrence Register of Historic Places. The LPA was honored to work on four of the nominations, including the Lee Zimmerman House, pictured. We'll share more about these properties in the coming weeks, but for now, cheers to all those that helped make this happen!
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Fall 2017 Preservation in Progress Awards

LPA recognizes two older properties where new owners performed whole-house rehabs using a sensitive and sensible touch. Congratulations everyone!

• 2115 Learnard Avenue, Mike and Rechelle Malin
• 726 Louisiana Street, Susan and Mitchell Chaney

Workshop, Nov. 6: How to Write a Successful National Register Nomination

Amanda Loughlin, National Register Coordinator for the State of Kansas, will hold a workshop at Lawrence Public Library on Monday, Nov. 6 at 1:30 pm on how to write a successful nomination for the National Register. Loughlin will provide insights into how to research and complete the nomination forms.

The workshop may be of interest to those who own historic homes or business buildings or those who have interest in having a church or historic site placed on the state or national register. Buildings on the state or national register may be eligible for state tax credits.

The workshop is free, but advance registration is required. There is limited seating. To register, contact Jan at JShupertArick@Douglas-County.com, or at 785-330-2878, by Oct. 31. More information is available here.