SCOPE OF WORK: Federal & Missouri Historic Tax Credit Applications
CLIENT: Hiawatha Clock Tower, LLC
INVESTMENT: $1,300,000
COMPLETED: Winter 2009
AWARDS: Kansas Preservation Alliance Award for Excellence (2010)
First National Bank Building, Hiawatha, KS
Rehabilitation of the Clock Tower Building in Hiawatha, Kansas preserved a local icon that has been an integral part of the courthouse square since 1891. The rehabilitation restored the original arched entrance west of the clock tower, repaired the leaky roof to prevent further damage to historic plaster and tin ceilings, and maintained the large open spaces and historic fabric that define the interior. After standing shuttered for nearly a decade, the building is once again vibrant. It houses city offices and council chambers, as well as a local history museum. The success of this project will pay forward in many ways for many years to come.
Local history enthusiast, Frances Sewell Plamann bequeathed a large sum of money to the Brown County Historical Society. In her honor, the Historical Society purchased the First National Bank Building with plans to rehabilitate the building into a local history museum and offices for the City of Hiawatha. The City offices occupy the first floor. The museum occupies the second floor, along with the city’s council chamber.
Much of the building’s historic character is defined by the large, open spaces of the former banking hall on the 1st floor and IOOF hall on the 2nd floor. In order to retain the open feeling, partial height partitions that stop well short of the ceiling define the new usage and spaces. On the first floor, the marble floor, marble column cladding, vault, and coffered plaster ceiling were retained. A new open stair was installed in the northwest corner to provide efficient and easy circulation between the 1st and 2nd floors. The stair design and details complement the building’s historic character but communicate the fact that they are not part of the original fabric.
On the 2nd floor, the layout of rooms and hallways remains largely intact with a few minor modifications to accommodate the change in usage and code requirements. The lodge hall remains open with the exception of the commission chamber, which occupies the northeast corner. The chamber partitions are partial height and the historic sense of volume in the hall is retained. The historic decorative tin ceiling was restored and the historic wood floor was restored in the main hall. In the south rooms, carpet was installed over the historic wood floors.
A large percentage of the project’s budget was spent on stone restoration. Delaminated and deteriorated stone sills were replaced. In recent years, the main entrance had been relocated to the center of the turreted corner. The rehabilitation restored the doorway to its original location in the center of the north elevation.
The successful rehabilitation of this 119-year old building breathes new life into Hiawatha’s most prominent intersection. The project illustrates how historic tax credits benefit small towns. Construction infused the local economy by creating jobs and spending to purchase buying building materials. After many years of underutilization and vacancy, the building has now come back to life and will play an important role in the everyday lives of Hiawatha citizens.