Carlton School only top 10 endangered site worse than when listed in March 1997
It’s been 10 years since HPA published a "Top 10 At-Risk Sites" list that included Carleton School, so it seems appropriate to follow up on what has happened since then.
A group of preservationists from all over the city met after the November 1996 demolition of the Allis Hotel and came up with a list of the 25 most endangered buildings and sites. By March 1997 that list had been culled and a prioritized "top 10" had been established.
And, in the 10 years since, seven of the 10 endangered have been saved.
1. The Carey House (Eaton) Hotel has since been restored and turned into a thriving condominium complex. The only unused spaces are the lobby and ballroom.
2. The Keen Kutter Building has been turned into the Hotel at Old Town and is part of the thriving landscape in that area.
3. The Orpheum is almost completely restoried to its early glory with additional fund-raising and restoration constantly under way.
4. Engine House No. 6 has been completely restored and was recently named the Official Firefighters Museum for the state of Kansas.
5. The art deco exterior of North High School was beautifully restored as part of USD 259’s bond issue.
8 The Munger House at the Old Cowtown Museum was restored and repaired in 2003.
9. The Ark Valley Lodge was restored and repaired, with a low brick building added to the north to serve as an anchor to keep it from shifting.
Two more of those on the list have neither improved nor been razed.
7. The Shirkmere Hotel is still standing and operational.
10. The Caldwell-Murdock Building is being renovated as a boutique hotel and conference center.
Only one building on the list is in worse shape and facing a far graver future now than it was in 1997.
6. Carleton School was sold by the city to private developers who tore out the wide front steps and then walked away, leaving a gaping hole in the front and unsecured windows that have since been broken out.
Top at Risk Sites for 2000-02
Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita & Sedg. Co.
Click on photo for larger picture and more information.
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Rocket
Slide- Central Riverside Park |
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Ark Valley Lodge - 615 North Main |
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Flatiron Building - 21st and
Broadway |
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Michigan
Building - 206 East Douglas |
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Caldwell-Murdock Building - 111 East Douglas |
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Phillips 66 Station (Import Service) - 805 East Central |
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Noble House - 1230 North Waco |
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Rock
Court/Castle complex - 3801-3813 North Broadway |
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Dunbar Theater/Turner Drug Store
- 9th and Cleveland |
Top 10
at Risk Sites for 1998
Selected by the Wichita
Preservation Office and the
Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita & Sedg. Co.
1. Wishbone Building, 5231 E. Central, was given a one-month reprieve by owner Frank Carney, but no buyers had been found by March 1.
2. Ark Valley Lodge, on all three registers and in what was once Wichita's black business district, remains badly in need of repair as its walls are braced and starting to shift.
3. Flatiron Building, 21st and Broadway, still has no prospects for restoration.
4. Michigan Building, 206 E. Douglas, is still vacant as well.
5. Carey House (Eaton) Hotel, 500 block of E. Douglas, on the local, state and national historic registers, is seeing hopeful signs. The hotel, along with most of the rest of the block known as Carey Square, was purchased in April 1997 by the City of Wichita in a sheriff's foreclosure sale. The City did vote to demolish two buildings in the block but retain the facades and is getting closer to selecting a developer for the hotel as well as the rest of the historic block.
6. Dunbar Theater/Turner Drug Store, 9th and Cleveland, remains at risk.
7. Munger House in Old Cowtown Museum is on state and national registers and is in need of extensive repair or restoration for rotting and splitting logs.
8. Engine House No. 6 is on the state and national register, and considerable progress has been made to restore the structure. However, major funding is needed to replace the roof, repoint and seal the bricks and restore the interior of the 1909 fire station. The building does sport a new parapet and roof as well as a new heating system and windows.
9. McCormick School Museum, 855 S. Martinson, remains closed.
10. Orpheum Theater, 200 N. Broadway, on all three registers, now has funds for a new roof and heating system, but it still needs support to complete the restoration.
Top 10
at Risk Sites for 1997
List of 25 narrowed by
preservation community
Local preservationists met in November 1996, after the vote to demolish the Allis Hotel, to begin the process of cooperation so there would be no future losses of historic structures. One outgrowth of those breakfast meetings was the list of 25 most endangered buildings and sites published in the Wichita Eagle Dec. 30, 1996.
Since that time, the list has been narrowed to 10 and prioritized. While some of those on the list have active support groups making real progress toward renovation and restoration, such as the Orpheum and Engine House No. 6, the group of preservationists from all over the city wanted to go on record as supporting these as the 10 most deserving of cooperative efforts. Their intent was to work with the city to insure none of the buildings listed would go the way of the Allis.
1. The Carey House (Eaton) Hotel, on the local, state and national historic registers, tops the list. The hotel, along with most of the rest of the block known as Carey Square, was purchased in April 1997 by the City of Wichita in a sheriff's foreclosure sale. The City will attempt to find developers for the hotel as well as the rest of the historic block.
2. The Keen Kutter Building has very recently been designated as an historical site, but its wood floors are rotting, and it needs a new roof. Plans are being proposed for renovation of the structure.
3. The Orpheum, on all three registers, now has funds for a new roof and heating system, but it still needs support to complete the restoration.
4. Engine House No. 6 is on the state and national register, and progress is being made, but major funding is needed to replace the roof, rebuild the parapet and repoint and seal the bricks.
5. The North High building, on the local register, is in no danger of demolition, but its terra-cotta relief artwork is badly deteriorating from the elements.
6. Carleton School is on no register and has stood vacant since USD 259 administrative offices were moved and the building was traded to the city. It is for sale.
7. The Shirkmere Hotel has seen extensive restoration to its lobby and ballroom, but the rest of the structure needs maintenance. It is on no register.
8. The Munger House, on state and national records, is in need of extensive repair or restoration for rotting and splitting logs.
9. The Ark Valley Lodge, on all three registers and in what was once Wichita's black business district, badly needs repair as its walls are braced and starting to shift.
10. The Caldwell-Murdock Building, Wichita's first skyscraper, is on no register and is in jeopardy of being razed.
Updated 04/28/08