LPA Members-Only Event: Old Housewarming, Oct. 31

LPA will be having an Old Housewarming members-only event at the Dudley Wiggins House, 840 W. 21st Street, on Sunday, Oct. 31.

Please come help us congratulate Randy and Wanda Breeden in caring for this handsome brick farmhouse in the Centennial neighborhood. Built in the mid-1860s and listed on the Register of Historic Kansas Places, it has been beautifully rehabbed by the Breedens, who just recently completed a sale of the property.

LPA saved this house from a demolition proposal in 1985 by purchasing it for $25,000, raised from personal loans given by 33 LPA members. Its condition had fallen a long way from being serviceable as a family home. The Breedens, looking for a project house, were told of its availability by LPA board member Katie Armitage. So they took the plunge and purchased it from LPA.

Their first task was to create some semblance of an upstairs bedroom for their young daughter while they turned the rest of the house into a DIY construction zone. Their initial walkthrough with a city inspector gave them a long list of critical tasks to complete. Fortunately, they had the skills necessary to do the work, as well as friends and family members to help them along the way, Randy is a professional designer and a solid carpenter; Wanda (Puderbaugh) is from a family of woodworkers and builders, including her father Perry and her brother Allen.

Now it’s 36 years later, their family has been raised with a lot of great memories, and the couple is moving on—to a place with less upkeep! But their pride in and love for the home still is evident: They just recently completed a concrete project in the basement. It’s time for a round of applause!

Event Notes:

Lawrence Preservation Alliance Old Housewarming (Members Only)

Dudley Wiggins House

840 W. 21st Street

Sunday, October 31

1:30 to 3 p.m.

This is a free event for LPA members. Masks will be required inside the house, and also on the porch if many people are congregating there.

The property is set back on the north side of 21rst Street, between Louisiana Street and Naismith Avenue. We recommend parking on the 2200 block of Carolina Street, which intersects with 21rst very close to the house. An LPA sign will be posted near the street.

LPA Annual Membership Meeting Set for October 9 at Winter School Building

Please join us on October 9 for LPA’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Membership at the newly restored Winter School on Farmers’ Turnpike between Lawrence and Lecompton. We are excited to see the results of this recent rehabilitation project undertaken by members of the Winter family.

This open-house event begins at 1:30 p.m. and will be held in two sessions to allow as many members as possible to visit and congregate safely. Brief presentations by members of the Winter family will be made in the schoolhouse at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. LPA board members will be at tables in the courtyard throughout the event to visit with you and listen to your ideas and comments. Members arriving at 1:30 are encouraged to depart by 2:30 so that folks arriving later can participate.

Masks will be required in the schoolhouse and encouraged in the courtyard. Meeting materials, including president and treasurer reports and the new LPA strategic plan, will be emailed to members on Tuesday, October 5.

Winter School is located at 744 N. 1800 Road (Farmers’ Turnpike), about 1 mile west of the I-70 interchange, on the north side of the road just past Heritage Baptist Church. If you reach Berry Plastics while driving west, you’ve gone a bit too far. 

 Winter School, 744 N. 1800 Rd. (FarmerS’ TURNPIKE)

Winter School

This rural schoolhouse just east of Lecompton has been a Winter family project since Mathias “Ship” Winter donated the land for its construction in 1869. The school opened in 1871 and served the surrounding farming community until 1949. A nearby farmer purchased the property in the mid-1950s, and the schoolhouse began an unfortunate reuse as an agricultural building, which greatly accelerated its deterioration. In 1984, members of the Winter family formed Winter School Preservation and bought it back, knowing that a long road of stabilization and preservation work lay ahead.

The family hired the design-build firm Rockhill and Associates in 1986 to do limited stabilization work to the building. In 2018, when the Winters decided they wanted to restore the property for educational and gathering use, the family worked further with Dan Rockhill and his longtime associate David Sain to create a rehabilitation and new construction plan. Wint’s daughter Katie—who grew up in Lawrence, left as a young adult, and then moved back with her family—tells us that the Winter family enjoyed this planning process in which Dan and David were able to share their extensive knowledge of old stone buildings and their creative design ideas. The project was aided by a grant from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.

The leaky roof and eaves were repaired. The rotting floor and missing windows were replaced, and original windows still existing were repaired. The original limestone walls were tuckpointed and the historic stucco coating was repaired.  After a new water meter and septic system were added, a 14x20-foot outbuilding was constructed to house two unisex bathrooms and complete a wonderful rural public space.

As Katie helped with this family endeavor, she remembered all the civic work her dad and his father, Wint Sr., have done during her lifetime. “But the cool part for me” she says, “is how interested people in Lecompton are about it. They are so thankful and have shared stories about what it meant to their family. I have also been able to make this part of my children’s upbringing, and that is special to me.”

While the pandemic has slowed the opening of this facility to the public, Katie’s background in education for museum and non-profit platforms will help inform future use of the schoolhouse. It soon will be open to families for self-guided tours, and later to groups through arrangements with the Lecompton Historical Society.

LPA Announces September Preservation In Progress Awards

For our September Preservation In Progress Awards, LPA is excited about a downtown rehab that allows a Lawrence favorite to move to Massachusetts Street, a city-owned parking lot resurfacing project that took a historic turn, and a mid-century modern commercial rehab that brings back memories of an iconic business and its owner.

The Raven Book Store, 809 Massachusetts Street

It would be hard to imagine two businesses more different than an ax-throwing entertainment venue and a bookstore. But the transition from one to the other — through a crucible of fire — has brought new life to the Newmark Building at 809 Massachusetts Street.

Built in 1865, the building reopened recently as the new location for longtime Lawrence bookseller The Raven. The previous tenant of 809 Massachusetts was Blade & Timber, an ax-throwing attraction that was forced to close in October 2018 after an electrical fire broke out in the building. While the fire caused extensive damage, according to a report in the Lawrence Journal-World, Dalton Paley of Paley Properties & Investments, the building’s owner, was committed to ensuring that the structure maintained its historic character.

“I’ve been fixing up historic buildings since I started working with my dad, and he did it before me,” Paley said. “Every building we own right now is on the historic registry. This type of rehabilitation project preserves the character of downtown, and to me, downtown Lawrence is the heart of our city.”

Working with Hernly Associates Inc., Paley Properties & Investments was able to restore the limestone façade on the back of the building, including two original windows; maintain most of the original wood floors on both the first and second floors of the building; and reinstall the first floor’s original tin ceilings. Paley also rehabilitated the Massachusetts Street storefront, restoring the transom above the front doors to let more light into the space. In addition to space for the relocated Raven Book Store space on the first floor, the building now has two new one-bedroom apartments upstairs.

“We were really excited to honor both the history of The Raven and the history of this space,” said Danny Caine, owner of The Raven. “The whole concept is to merge a traditional historic storefront bookstore with a bold and exciting kids section in the back.”

“Much of the end product is thanks to Danny’s vision,” Paley said. “We like to take on projects with a specific tenant in mind, and The Raven was a perfect match, combining our interest in preservation with a lot of smart thinking about what will attract retail shoppers to Lawrence.”

Amtrak/Santa Fe Depot Parking Lot

Sometimes a truly amazing discovery can sprout from mundane beginnings. Back in March, a contractor hired by the city began work on a routine parking improvement project just east of the historic midcentury-modern Amtrak/Santa Fe Depot at 413 E. 7th Street. Farmer’s Excavating was scraping away layers of dirt and gravel that had been there for years when they uncovered something that was certainly curious: an intact layer of red brick underlying almost the entire surface. Rather than continuing with the excavation and adding the brick to the debris pile, the contractor stopped work and alerted city engineer David Cronin.

Was it an abandoned brick street? The bricks were mortared together, which would not have occurred in typical brick street construction. Diving into research on the newly discovered brick, Cronin contacted Historic Resources Administrator Lynne Braddock Zollner; Stan Hernly, the project architect for the depot rehabilitation project that had been completed in 2019; members of the volunteer group Depot Redux, which had worked for years to save the modern station; and nearby East Lawrence neighbors, some of whom had lived in the area for many years.

The answer provided a link to the property’s historic past. The brick surface — nearly the length of a football field — was the floor and loading platform of the old freight depot that stood next to the original two-story depot until that structure was demolished after the great flood of 1951. Today’s modern version of the depot was built in 1956, and it is believed that the freight building survived into the 1960s.

Once the historic material had been identified, the city’s attention focused on whether it could be incorporated into the plan for the new lot. It was determined that the brick surface had a good base and an acceptable slope for drainage. Keeping the brick as usable surface on the lot’s north side could accommodate 17 parking spaces next to the east end of the depot, and the brickwork could be incorporated as a key element of the larger parking lot project.

As he worked through the preservation of the brick, Cronin moderated an email chat with more than a dozen community stakeholders to discuss various aspects of the project. Several details were thoughtfully worked out by this ad hoc group. One of particular interest was the appearance of a 10-foot-wide slash that ran diagonally through the brick field. It was determined that there had been a rail spur there to a warehouse just south of the site, but the rails had been removed at some point. The group analyzed three different options to preserve this facet of the site’s history before deciding on a concrete outline inlaid with brick, running counter to the direction of the brick in the rest of the lot.

Work has begun again, and what would have been a typical parking lot will now help current and future generations understand East Lawrence’s rich railroad history through a long-hidden physical connection to its past. City staff and the contractor followed a preservation best practice when a surprising and possibly significant historical element was uncovered: Work was stopped, experts and neighbors were engaged to discuss and resolve the issues presented, and plans were modified to allow the historic material to exist within the new project. LPA cannot applaud this preservation effort loudly enough. 

Mar Lan/Zimmerman Steel Building, 701 E. !9th Street

COURTESY OF HERNLY ASSOCIATES.

The old Zimmerman Steel Building, a much-loved local midcentury-modern commercial structure that sits just east of the Burroughs Creek Trail at 701 E. 19th Street, is looking mighty fine these days. And there’s a good reason why: its new owner/occupant is cut from the same fabric as Lee Zimmerman himself, who acted as his own general contractor to build the structure circa 1960 to house his company. Now this iconic structure is owned by Mar Lan Construction, a commercial general contracting, design-build and construction management firm, and just as Zimmerman built it, Mar Lan has now rehabilitated it.

In 53 years of business at the 19th Street location, Zimmerman Steel fabricated and sold structural steel and architectural metal components for many prominent buildings in Lawrence, on the KU campus, and throughout northeast Kansas. Many of the midcentury-modern buildings in Lawrence were built with metal pieces purchased at Zimmerman Steel.

The Zimmerman Steel Building was built in two phases in the mid-20th century as Lee Zimmerman moved his operation from 1832 Massachusetts. The shop space came first, in 1959, and Zimmerman designed and fabricated the steel frame himself. In 1963, Zimmerman added office space to the north that was designed in the midcentury-modern style by the architectural firm Robertson & Ericson. Zimmerman enjoyed this modern style, as he had built his family home at 200 Nebraska — now listed with LPA help on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places — in the same style in 1955.

Founded in Lawrence in 1999 by Gale Lantis, Brian Lantis and Kevin Markley (James Allen was added later as a fourth partner), each principal in Mar Lan has a life in construction that goes back more than 30 years. When the company began looking for centralized space, it had an office at 1008 New Hampshire and storage and shop spaces in two other locations.

“We wanted something unique and different,” Markley says, “and we had always admired the Zimmerman Building back to the days when we were customers of Zimmerman Steel.” But when they inquired about a possible sale or lease from what was then the property’s third owner, they were told no.About two years later though, that owner reached out to see if they still had interest in a purchase, and Mar Lan leapt at the opportunity.

Evaluating the site, they could see that a lot of updating was necessary, but Markley remembers it was important to “keep the original concept and layout sacred…the spaces seemed like they were made for our programming.” They contracted with Hernly Associates to write a nomination to the Kansas Register of Historic Places and were approved for listing in February. Listing on the National Register of Historic Places followed. This allowed Mar Lan to take advantage of the federal and state tax credit programs for rehabilitation projects for listed historic properties.

The project involved installation of new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, new bathrooms and all new finishes. The office roof was replaced, new insulation was added and the storefront windows got new insulated panels at top and bottom and new interior storm windows. We had to ask Stan Hernly about the work scope, because a lot of it isn’t immediately evident when looking at the building today. He remarked that “I like when people can’t tell by looking how much work has been done on a historic rehabilitation project—it means the preservation architect has done a good job!”

One thing did need a complete overhaul, however. “The site was a real mess,” Markley says.  “Landscaping was a big thing for Lee Zimmerman, so we thought it was paramount that we pay careful attention on how this was managed.” From curb to gutter to landscaping, it was a complete site makeover. Mar Lan staff designed and installed this aspect of the work, and the personal pride they took in it is evident.

Mar Lan never left Lawrence, but with their cool new digs, LPA can honestly say, welcome home Mar Lan! And thanks to you and Hernly Associates, welcome back to the Zimmerman Steel Building!

Work Resumes on Amtrak/Santa Fe Depot Parking Lot, With Old Brickwork Preserved

The city’s revised plan for the refurbished parking lot at the Amtrak/Santa Fe depot shows the restored brickwork, in red, that was the floor and plaza of the old freight house on the site.

A contractor for the city has resumed refurbishing the parking lot next to the Amtrak/Santa Fe depot in East Lawrence--and the project will incorporate a large swath of historic brickwork that workers uncovered earlier this year.

The brick area, almost the size of a football field, appears to be have been part of the floor and platform of the old Santa Fe freight house that was removed from the site in the mid 20th century. The adjacent two-story Santa Fe depot was severely damaged by the great flood of 1951 and torn down. The station was replaced by what is now the modern Amtrak depot in 1956; the freight house remained in operation a few years longer. Over the years, the brick was covered by dirt and gravel until it was rediscovered when the city began expanding the parking lot earlier this year.

To the delight of local historians, work was stopped immediately in April while the city assessed the status of the old brick and determined that it could be used as part of the surface of the new parking lot. A slash through the brickwork about 10 feet wide--the remnant of a former rail siding that cut through the site—will be filled in with similar brick but highlighted to show that aspect of the site's history.

"The updated plans still accomplish the original goals outlined in the project, while maintaining the historic brick surface," the city said in a statement. "Many thanks are owed to those who gave their personal time to help understand the historical aspects and give context to this unique discovery."

The redesign to preserve the brick and provide proper drainage will require the contractor to replace an adjacent storm sewer line. The city expects the project to be completed by late October or early November.

Foundation Work Begins on Coal Creek Library in Vinland

The Coal Creek Library in Vinland is on the move! But only a few feet. The 121-year-old landmark, the oldest library in Kansas, is being carefully shifted by Patton Structural Solutions of Paola so that its foundation can be rebuilt. Work on the circa-1900 building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will include rebuilding the foundation, replacing damaged pressed metal siding, and repairing and painting the historic wood windows, door, and porch. Once the new foundation is in place, the building will be returned to its previous location. You can see video of the move on the Vinland Facebook page, and please consider making a donation to help support the historic library's future.

Red Bricks & Storied Structures Preservation Conference Planned for Baldwin City July 22-23

8th and High Streets, LOOKING NORTH, BALDWIN CITY, CIRCA 1920s

The maple leaves will not yet be turning color, but preservationists will be turning out in Baldwin City on July 22-23 for a free conference certain to both inform and inspire. Organizers of the Red Bricks & Storied Structures Conference have compiled a compelling list of events for visitors to enjoy in this beautiful and vibrant small city in southern Douglas County.

Topics to be covered include a county barn preservation program, cemetery conservation projects, information about listing property on registers of historic places and a panel discussion of the county’s long-running historic building survey plan. Thursday’s schedule is bookended by two special tours—Baker University in the morning and the west campus historic neighborhood in the late afternoon. Another important and timely discussion will center on brick street and sidewalk maintenance.

Women's Bridge, built in 1889 at the direction of Mayor Lucy Sullivan and an all-female city council. rehabilitated in 2006. (Photo by ROGER BOYD)

This is a great opportunity to get out and visit old friends you wish to see and meet new ones. LPA will see you there!

Conference sponsors are the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC), Baldwin City, Baker University, Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce, the Lumberyard Arts Center, Baker Old Castle Museum, Kansas United Methodist Archives and the Santa Fe Trail Society.

The conference is free, but advance registration is required by July 20. Prepared box lunches are available both days. Please place your order and prepay by July 15. Walk-up registration for the conference will be available, but without prepared box lunches. More information on the conference is available here.

Conference Schedule

Thursday, July 22, 2021

8 a.m.  Conference Registration – Rice Auditorium Lobby; browse information tables

8:15 a.m.  Tour of Baker University Campus – Sara DeCaro, Baker University Archivist. Registered conference attendees will receive a Baker/Baldwin City Then & Now booklet that highlights local historic structures and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

9:15 a.m.  Break – Rice Auditorium Lobby; browse information tables

9:30 a.m.  Welcome, Rice Auditorium – Casey Simoneau, Baldwin City Mayor, and Amy Van de Riet, Chair, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.
What is Historic Preservation & Why Is It Important to Our Community?

10 a.m.  Cemetery Conservation: Tombstones of the Kansas Prairie – Panel Providing Overview of Local Cemetery Projects.  Moderator: Jan Shupert-Arick. 
Panelists: Amy Roust, Susan Davis and John Nichols.

10:45 a.m.  The National Register of Historic Places! Why Should I List My Building on the State or National Register? How Do I List My Building? Dispelling Myths and Sharing the Benefits of the National and State Register. Speaker: Jamee Fiore, National Register Coordinator, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. 

11:45-1 p.m. Lunch  

1-2 p.m. Finding Funding for Historic Preservation: The Kansas and Federal Tax Credit Programs/The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s Natural & Cultural Grant Program/What Are Tax Credits and How Are They Related to Historic Preservation? Local Testimonials on Tax Credit Programs. Speakers: Katrina Ringler, Grants Coordinator, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office, and Michael Delaney, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.  

2:15-2:30 p.m. Break; browse lobby tables

2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Community Conversations: Preservation Challenges in Maintaining the Character of Place –Brick Street Conservation/Local Challenges and Approaches to Brick Street & Sidewalk Maintenance. Moderator: Amy Van de Riet, Chair, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council. Speaker: Glenn Rodden, Baldwin City Administrator. 

4:45 p.m. All conference attendees and preservation friends are invited to be in the full conference drone photo on the bricks on 8th Street in front of Rice Auditorium. Be part of Baldwin City’s celebration of its brick streets!

5-6 p.m. Baker West Campus Historic Neighborhood Walking Tour – Meet at Rice Auditorium. Tour will be led by Sara DeCaro and Zac DeGreef. Tour includes appetizers and beverages at three locations on the walking tour. 

Friday, July 23, 2021

8 a.m. Registration will be open at the Rice Auditorium Lobby; browse information tables.

9 a.m. Baldwin City’s Downtown Commercial District, with behind-the-scenes tours of the Lumberyard Arts Center and Baldwin City State Bank. Led by Sara DeCaro, Archivist, Baker University, and Katrina Ringler, Grants Coordinator, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. Meet at the Lumberyard Arts Center, 718 High Street.

11 a.m. Welcome by Baldwin Chamber Executive. Director Lori Trojan.

11:05 a.m. Glimpses of Barn Preservation Program in Douglas County/KBA Collaboration - Jan Shupert-Arick, Heritage Conservation Council Program Coordinator, and Steve Christy, President, Kansas Barn Alliance.

11:15 a.m. Becoming a Kansas Main Street: Benefits to Main Street Communities, Scott Sewell, Director, Kansas Main Street.

12:15-1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 -2:30 p.m. Historic Building Surveys & The Impact of the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s Historic Building Survey Plan, Speakers on Panel: Katrina Ringler, Kansas State Historic Preservation Office; Michael Delaney, Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council;  Stan Hernly, Hernly Associates Inc., Survey Consultant.

3 p.m.Preservation Conference Meet and Greet– Conference attendees and friends of preservation are invited. Location: The Lumberyard Arts Center/Sullivan Square, 718 High Street.

Dinner on your own/food truck – Downtown Baldwin City

7:30 p.m. Third FridayLive On Highat the Lumberyard Arts Center/Sullivan Square, 718 High Street.Join local singer-songwriters Eric Nelson, Chris Hudson and Kristin Hamilton for an evening of acoustic music and original songs in the round.

Please Help Us Protect Lawrence's Historic Preservation Ordinance

LPA Members and Friends of LPA:
We need your help. While there is a lot to like in the proposed Downtown Master Plan, which will be considered and probably approved by the City Commission in the coming weeks, it also contains language that we believe inappropriately targets the city’s longtime Historic Preservation Ordinance. We do not believe a 20-year strategic plan is the place to litigate specifics of the Historic Preservation Ordinance, which ensures that our historic built environment maintains its unique character and architectural integrity.

The Preservation Ordinance is in the process of being revised; city staff has been working on it for some time. The revised draft will be entering into a public comment period later this year. There should be a full and transparent process involving stakeholders and the public when we make changes to that ordinance, and LPA will be very active in helping to shape that process. The Downtown Master Plan should not circumvent that public process by prejudging the specific details of what the revised ordinance will provide.

Among other problems with language in the draft downtown plan (see below), a claim is made that historic environs reviews of proposed developments has “stymied" downtown reinvestment. That is a hyperbolic statement. We strongly encourage removal of that statement and any specific recommendations for changes to the Historic Preservation Ordinance from the Downtown Master Plan Draft.

Please feel free to express your opinions about this important issue to the City Commission and to members of the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee, which is currently working on modifications to the plan to present to the City Commission. Because of increased interest in the plan, the city has extended the community input period until 5 p.m. on June 24, and .has scheduled another virtual meeting of the Downtown Master Plan Steering Committee for 4 p.m. on July 8. You can register for that meeting here.

You can send messages to the Steering Committee and the project consultant in care of Assistant Planning Director Amy Miller at amiller@lawrenceks.org. Amy will forward your comments to the consultant and all Steering Committee members. You can contact the City Commission by sending your comments to Bobbie Walthall, in the office of the City Manager, at bjwalthall@lawrenceks.org. Bobbie will forward your comments to all City Commissioners.

Please consider making your voice heard. We need to be sure that the Master Plan process does not threaten a transparent public review of the Historic Preservation Ordinance.

Thank you,
Dennis Brown
President, LPA

Excerpt from the draft Downtown Master Plan (page 49):

Channel 5 News Features St. Luke AME Project

We'll have a full update on the progress of the rehabilitation of St. Luke AME Church soon, but in the meantime, KCTV Channel 5 has done a story about the work being done on the church

Heritage Conservation Council Offers Grants to Help With Structural Barn Assessments

The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council is offering grants to help underwrite the cost of structural barn assessments. Deadline for the grants is Tuesday, June 15.

The evaluation of a barn structure will be performed by a professional familiar with barn construction and approved by the Kansas Barn Alliance Board of Directors. The evaluation will provide an analysis of the present condition of the structure. The evaluation will itemize repairs needed in order of importance to allow for work to be done in phases.\

Applicants must be an owner of a barn in Douglas County. Barn owners who receive grant awards will also receive a one-year free membership to the Kansas Barn Alliance (KBA).

Applicants must describe the planned use for the repaired barn, the current use and its history back to the original owner and builder, if possible. Photo documentation of interior and exterior of the barn should be included.

The owner should be willing to have farmstead information entered on the Kansas Historical Society’s Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (KHRI), a record of pre-1950 barns and farmsteads and other properties. It is not a listing on either the Kansas Register or National Register of Historic Places. However, the barn or farmstead should have enough integrity to be a potential listing on the National Register of Historic Places whether the owner wishes to pursue it or not.

For more information about the Barn Assessment Grant program, and an application, go to this link.

Amtrak Station Parking Lot Project Uncovers Remnants of Old Santa Fe Freight House

The brick floor and plaza of the old Santa Fe freight station that was uncovered by the recent parking lot project. The Amtrak station is in the distance to the north of the brickwork.

A project to improve parking for Lawrence’s Amtrak station has unearthed a piece of the city’s railroad history. 

While clearing gravel from the lot across from Van Go, just south of the station, contractors for the city recently uncovered a large brick-and-mortar area that appears to be the floor and surrounding plaza of the freight house that stood on that spot in the early and mid-20th century. The brick area is largely intact and is almost the size of a football field. 

Freight houses were used for the loading and unloading of small amounts of freight shipped in by rail. The Lawrence freight house originally was an adjunct to the old Santa Fe depot, a majestic two-story brick building that served as one of Lawrence’s two main railroad stations from the late 1800s through the middle of the 20th century. It was part of a complex of railroad buildings in that area that included machine and repair shops and housing for railroad workers, known as La Yarda. Lawrence was an important waystation for the Santa Fe in the early 1900s.

The brick depot, built in 1883, was undermined in the great flood of 1951, when the Kaw overflowed and the depot had “water up to the window sashes,” according to a story in the Lawrence Daily Journal-World. 

The former Santa Fe freight house is visible on the far left behind the Lawrence depot as it was demolished in 1955. The Amtrak station now stands on the site of the old depot. Photo courtesy of Spencer Research Library

The Santa Fe tore down the depot in 1955, but left the freight house standing. The flood occurred at just about the same time that streamlined diesel locomotives were replacing clanking, smoke-belching steam engines, and it seemed appropriate to replace the old brick depot with a sleek modern station. 

What is now the Amtrak depot opened to great fanfare in 1956, and recently was restored by the city and the citizens group Depot Redux as an example of mid-century architecture. The freight house was still standing when the new station was built, according to old photographs, but was later torn down because the new station had its own facilities for handling local freight 

The city has paused the parking lot project and is considering what to do about the old brick floor, which is about the same size as the adjacent Amtrak station. “Because of the historical aspects of the discovery, plans are being reevaluated to determine if it is feasible to leave the brick in place as the new parking surface,” the city said in a release this week.

LPA applauds the contractor and city staff for taking the proper steps when site work uncovers a historic artifact or resource that had been hidden  and unknown to anyone involved: stop work, determine what it is, and then evaluate if the existing resource can be reused for the planned new use — in this case, a parking lot.