THe Old Bank Building in Howard

[farmgal67357]

Maybe the folks who own it just need a little community support. Who wants to spend a lot of money on a building if the town is disinterested?
Lisa

[RDSchoutenFarms]

Maybe the Historical Society could help.

[Ms Bear]

Lisa, if there are enough people interested maybe someone can check to see if there are any grants available.  It is hard for a community to raise enough funds with help from grants.

[farmgal67357]

Very good idea, Ms Bear! Hey, owners of the old bank building! Are ya listening?
Lisa

[indygal]

Lisa, the circumstances surrounding this old building are rather unusual. It was purchased a few years ago by Tom Devlin (who also owns Flint Oak) because he didn't want to see it fall into further neglect. He put on a new roof on it, and then offered its use to the people of Howard for whatever purpose the city decided upon. In addition, he will supply all the materials if the townspeople provide the labor to restore it. Many ideas have been tossed around, but as you can tell, no consensus was reached as to what to do with the building.

I've been inside long enough to see that it pretty much needs to be gutted and rebuilt from the studs out, including wiring, plumbing, HVAC, ceilings/walls and floors. Also, to be used in a public capacity, the building would require ADA-compliance features (ramps, elevators, wide-stall restrooms, etc.)  While Mr. Devlin has made a very generous offer, I personally don't know anyone, especially skilled tradesmen, willing to volunteer the time and labor to bring the building back to its former glory. A few residents have tried to get the ball rolling, but it's going to take a lot more commitment of time and labor from the rest of the town to make this work.

I doubt that it would qualify for grant money, since it's privately owned.

[farmgal67357]

The owner needs to decide what the building should be. The community will never agree on a purpose for the building. It's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen.  Maybe the building could be made into different sections, and then those sections could be sold to new businesses.  Is the building on the National Historical Register? That might qualify it for some grants.
Lisa
I do commend the owners for trying to save this beautiful building!

[flintauqua]

   
Brick Plant at Moline

by DDurbin is a thread in the Good Old Days.

Peru had a brick factory.

I came across the thread about the Moline Brick Plant:


http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,1041.20.html

[frawin]

I came across the thread about the Moline Brick Plant:


http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,1041.20.html

Charlie, didn't Niotaze have a brick Plant?

[flintauqua]

I don't know about Niotaze, but Peru did.  It's remains are still prominant along 166 east of the town.

I'm doing a little googling on the history of brick making in Kansas, but so far all I've come up with is this link to an El Dorado gentleman's collection of Kansas (and other) bricks:

http://www.ourecho.com/story-517-Landscaping-with-a-Hobby.shtml

Charles

[flintauqua]

Another link.  273 pictures of Kansas made bricks.  No Niotaze, no Moline.

http://www.tlgwindpower.com/tweety/50states/kansasbrick.htm