One of Lawrence’s most sterling recent renovations projects is the A.K. Allen house at 945 Kentucky St., a two-story brick house built in 1862 that survived Quantrill’s Raid. Classical Developments LLC, with KU grad Mike Heitmann as managing member, oversaw the rehab of the property, which was recently completed—and we’ve got before and after photos, inside and outside the house, to share with you.

The house was in foreclosure and had sat vacant for many years. The gable-front National Folk nine-room house was designed by architect Ferdinand Fuller, one of the leaders of the New England Emigrant Aid Society, and built for Asaph King Allen, a free-state settler to Lawrence in the 1850s.

Preservation consultant Dale Nimz was hired to research the history of the house and to help the ownership group identify qualified craftspeople to work on the project. The wood windows in the original portion of the house were fully restored by Oklahoma-based Wood Window Rescue Inc., in its Kansas City shop. New wooden storm windows also were fabricated and installed.

The exterior brick was repointed using mortar mixed to historic specifications. An appropriately sized addition was framed in back, and additional work, including a reconstruction of the original front porch was undertaken by General Contractor Mark Engleman. The structure is now being rented as a duplex.

These two photo galleries show you the poor shape the house was in when restoration began, and how it was restored to its former glory—and beyond. The house was a winner of LPA’s Preservation in Progress award for Summer 2019.

945 Kentucky is a contributing property in the Oread Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, and historic tax credits are being used to help finance the work. Saving a pre-Quantrill house near downtown is an extraordinary thing.