Clapp House Nominated To National Register

The R.D.W. Clapp house was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places by the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review on February 18, 2006. Already on the Wichita Register, the state’s nomination is almost always accepted by the National Park Service.

The Tudor Revival home is reportedly modeled after Sheffield Manor in England.

Located at 320 N. Belmont Avenue in the College Hill neighborhood in Wichita, the R.D.W. Clapp House is a two-and-a-half story red brick house constructed from 1923 to 1926 in the Jacobean variant of the Tudor Revival style of architecture. The house features extensive use of limestone for quoins, window detailing, crenellation, and other ornamentation. The slate roof is side-gabled with asymmetrical front gable wings on the north and south ends. It is being nominated as a superb example of Tudor Revival-style architecture.

Old Town is Nominated to State andNational 
Registers of Historic Places

The Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review has nominated the area bounded by Douglas, Second, Washington and the elevated railroad tracks to both the state and national registers of historic places.

The nomination means automatic acceptance on the state level, but a national review committee will decide within the next few months on its acceptance at that level.

The May-June 2003 Kansas Preservation newsletter says the "Wichita Historic Warehouse and Jobbers District...is being nominated for its commercial association with the growth and development of Wichita ...and is the potential site of many preservation and rehabilitation projects."

01/06/09

Girl Scout Little House is Endangered by Neglect

The Girl Scout Little House, 1221 W. 11th St., in North Riverside Park has been a familiar Wichita landmark for over 80 years. But it may not last too much longer without some tender loving care and needed maintenance. Inside and outside the structure is starting to show signs of neglect.

The building was not always a Girl Scout facility. It had its beginning as an effort to reduce infant mortality rates by providing fresh air in a clean and insect -free environment. 

"The first baby camp was on the grounds of Wesley Hospital in 1918. Next, there was another structure that had a very brief existence at 1140 Forest Ave. from 1919 to 1920. The existing building was built in 1920 after the other burned down." (From information supplied by Jim Mason, Naturalist, Great Plains Nature Center. Researched from the Wichita Eagle and Wichita Beacon.)

It was known as the Fresh Air Baby Camp when it opened. The building contained an open crib room, isolation room, laundry, bathroom and kitchen.

In 1926, the operation was moved to the Wesley Hospital grounds and the building was leased by the city to the Girl Scouts. They used it as day camp and scout activity center until 2001 when they decided to give up the building. It is presently vacant and unused. As an important part of Wichita’s history and the source of fond memories for many former Girl Scouts, it needs to be restored and maintained.

01/06/09