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2005 Awards of
Excellence |
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MEDALLION WINNER
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GREAT OVERLAND STATION – Topeka
The
former Union Pacific Railroad Station is a grant
neoclassical passenger depot, designed by noted
architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood who designed at
least twenty-six Union Pacific stations and depots.
It has a spectacular interior, typical of the grand
stations of the early part of this century. Once a
bustling center of the capital city, the station lost
its glamour and usefulness with the decline of passenger
service and Amtrak’s move to the Santa Fe depot in 1971.
Used as a freight station for a few years, the depot
closed permanently in 1988. Fire destroyed a part
of the vacant building in 1992 and the structure was
facing demolition. Railroad Heritage, Inc. (then
Topeka Railroad Days) requested a delay to allow for a
structural analysis of the building; Union Pacific
Railroad agreed. Since that time the continuous
efforts of Railroad Heritage, Inc. have resulted in
rehabilitation of the building and its re-opening in
June of 2004 as the Great Overland Station. More
than six million dollars in private funds, federal and
state grants and rehabilitation tax credits were secured
to finance the project. The Station now serves as
a museum for railroad heritage and community meeting
space. In addition to Railroad Heritage, Inc.,
those responsible for the success of the project include
Glenn, Livingood, Penzler, and Miller Architects of
Lawrence, and Schwerdt Design Group of Topeka; Murray &
Sons Construction Co. Inc., and Kelley Construction,
Inc. |
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ADVOCACY AWARDS |
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The
Leawood Historic Commission is the recipient of a
Preservation Advocacy Award for their efforts to save
the Oxford Schoolhouse. At one time there were
over 100 one-room schoolhouses in Johnson County.
The Oxford Schoolhouse was the last remaining remnant of
a by-gone era in southern Johnson County.
Following nine years of fundraising and tireless effort,
the Leawood Historic Commission found an appropriate
site for the school and secured funds to move and
restore the structure. On March 3, 2003, the
schoolhouse was moved eleven blocks south to Leawood’s
Ironwoods Park. The school then underwent a
complete renovation and reopened to the public as a
living history classroom and community gathering place
on July 24, 2004. The Leawood Historic Commission
led the effort to save and preserve this valuable piece
of Johnson County history. |
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OTTAWA'S
FRIENDS OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS |
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When the
Ottawa Middle School was first condemned in May of 1996,
a group of concerned citizens organized themselves in an
attempt to prevent demolition of this local landmark.
This group was formally organized as Friends of Historic
Buildings in 1997. They sought legal council and
the assistance of the Kansas State Historical Society.
The group listed the property on the National Register
of Historic Places and sought assistance from developers
and design professionals regarding the condition and
potential reuse of the buildings. Despite multiple
votes by the local school board to demolish the
buildings over a period spanning eight years, the
persistence and commitment of the Friends of Historic
Buildings eventually paid off. The Friends worked
with Steve Foutch of Allied Development for more than a
year. In November of 2004, the school board agreed
to sell the property to Foutch. A project is
currently underway to rehabilitate the complex into
senior and low-income housing, community recreational
facilities and meeting space. The Friends of
Historic Buildings remained dedicated through an eight
year grassroots advocacy campaign that resulted in
saving the Ottawa Middle School complex. |
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