Historical Industrial District
Historical Industrial District
Welcome to Leavenworth’s Historical Industrial District. This is the finest example anywhere in the country of an intact 19th Century industrial, manufacturing and warehousing center. Its wealth in coal, beer, metallurgy contributed it its success. Our natural resources and location on the Missouri River are perhaps our greatest asset. Leavenworth’s early history as last vestige of civilization before wagon trains headed west, made Leavenworth a powerful place for industry to flourish and she grew from a few hundred people in 1854 to over 5,000 by the time Abraham Lincoln announced his candidacy for President, here, in 1859.
The buildings in this district speak volumes of the city’s early importance to the young nation’s westward expansion. The district is bound on the east by the Missouri, on the south by Three Mile Creek (3MC) and follows an irregular boundary from Third Street to Cherokee Street There are seven contributing buildings and one contributing feature (a brick alleyway mid block between Choctaw and Cherokee streets which retains its original integrity and provides a glimpse of the brick streets buried under the City’s asphalt). There are no non-contributing structures in the district although several unsafe structures were removed and the vacated lots are used for parking—a much preferred alternative to inappropriate infill that might have occurred if the demand for parking had not surged after World War II.
S. L. North Carriage & Buggy, Freighting (Russell, Majors & Waddell), Munson & Burrows Wood Manufacturing, Leavenworth Steam Boilerworks, Brandon & Kirrmeyer Soda (pop), Keystone Mills, Missouri Valley Bridge, Leavenworth Carpet, Brown Medicine & Manufacturing, Union Stove and above all Malson & Wilson (later Great Western) flourished in the state’s first industrial park in the 1860’s and 70’s. By 1865, the town was the largest in the region with over 20,000 people. As with so much of Leavenworth’s built heritage downtown, buildings were lost to fire, tornado and neglect making preservation of what remains, so much more important today.
Great Western Stove Company
401-419 S. 2nd Street
1882, 1887, 1901 and 1934
The primary building, constructed in 1882, is a four story, symmetrical structure on the corner at 2nd & Choctaw. A distinctive cupola ornament (with flagpole) embellishes the parapet at the northwest corner of the roofline.
A double hip roof building to the south was constructed in 1901. This is actually two buildings, each with a central clerestory, one running north and south and one running east and west. The other building has similar windows, but has a large semi-circular window on a stone sill centrally located in the upper level.
A two story, brick addition was also added in 1905 to join the double hip roof building to an elevator tower which was built to serve a five story building built in 1885 as a stand alone property. A concrete block building added in the 1930’s connects the main building to the five story building and creates two interior courtyards, a feature that has attracted developers to this active secondary market tire warehouse (Tire Town).
The property retains its original configuration and has had no significant alteration since the block building was added in 1934. All of its defining characteristics are intact and it is truly the anchor property in the historic district. It was used as a tire production and warehouse facility through 2004 until it underwent an extensive renovation into loft apartments.
Great Western Stove Company
402-410 S. 2nd Street
1874, 1900
This complex of brick buildings occupies most of the west side of South Second Street at Choctaw Street, forming an L-plan. The primary building, located on the northeast corner of the block, constructed in 1874, is a four-story building with a stone foundation. It has two primary facades facing Choctaw and Second Streets. A two-story, one-bay connecting brick addition that links the main building to a double-hip roof, stepped gable, symmetrical brick structure was constructed in 1900. It mirrors a building across Second Street. Each bay contains a double-hung sash window with a pedimented lintel and cast iron sill, except for the central bay, which contains a garage door bay.
The defining historic elements of the building are intact, including the design, size, scale, massing and materials. The original fenestration is intact, although many windows have been replaced with modern units that fill the original openings. In spite of these alterations, this building clearly conveys its integrity and contributes to the significance of the District.
Great Western Manufacturing Co.
411-419 S 3rd Street
c. 1899, c. 1940
Unified School District #453 purchased the Leavenworth Foundry in 1985 and converted it to its Service Center. The primary building was erected in 1899. The window openings have cast iron sills and arched brick lintels. The building has a high degree of historic integrity, retaining its location, materials, size, scale, massing, fenestration, and character-defining elements, including its spatial relationship to Three-Mile Creek.
Of note: the foundry, one of the oldest in Kansas, made titanium parts for the F-111 fighter parts prior to closing in 1988.
Great Western Manufacturing Co.
206-220 Choctaw Street
c. 1860, c. 1885, c.1890, c.1910
This complex has three buildings sharing party walls and each facing south. The earliest building is the central two-and-one-half story brick structure which may contain 1860 elements on the interior. The exterior dates to an 1885 Great Western Manufacturing Company expansion and features embellished corbeled brickwork. An 1890 addition was originally a three-and-one-half story, hipped roof structure, later reduced to two stories because of wind damage and fire threat. A two-story brick addition to the east elevation of the central building dates to 1910.
The large size, scale and massing of the buildings, as well as the common use of materials and architectural details, brickwork and fenestration, visually link the various additions to the original complex. They continue to have a defined industrial character and convey the commercial associations for which the District is significant.
High Noon Saloon gradually acquired, converted and refurbished all of this property during the 1990s. It was used as a brewery/restaurant from that time until the 2020 pandemic forced its closure.
Great Western Manufacturing Co.
320 S 2nd Street, 200 Choctaw Street
1905
Originally connected to its neighbors to the west at 206-220 Choctaw Street, this two-story building sits on a raised brick foundation on the northwest corner of Choctaw and Second streets and features a parapet coped with square-cut stone. The primary entrance shows a classical motif with heavy lintel. This building was converted to six loft apartments in 2003 and new metal, full-sized windows with transoms replaced the mid-1970’s inappropriate metal window inserts. The original painted “Great Western Manufacturing” signs were repainted on the sides of the building during the conversion.
Even with the conversion, this building retains a majority of its defining historic architectural characteristics. The original materials, design, workmanship, size, scale, fenestration patterns and massing remain. It has a high degree of architectural integrity and is a contributing resource to the District.
Union Stove and Machine Works
117-121 Cherokee Street; 309-13 South Second Street
1874, 1879
This building was the first property to be converted to other than industrial use in 1985. Accountants, abstractors, beauticians, dentists and other professionals occupy the structure. This led the way for the other projects to follow.
This brick building comprises the remaining buildings from the original Union Stove and Machine Works complex. The company’s original building dates to 1874 and faces north. This façade has seven bays. It is two-and-one-half stories tall with a raised full-length clerestory. Other blighted, unsafe buildings in this complex were demolished in 1985. The surviving building dates from the earliest occupation of the property by the company and retains its corner location, size, scale massing, fenestration, and roof form as well as materials and design features. The east and south facades, which originally served as party walls, have been re-clad since the demolition. In spite of these changes, its association with the industrial era has been maintained.
A new building with modern brick was constructed at 101 Cherokee Street to house the C.W. Carousel Parker Museum. This newer building houses three anique carousels, two of which were manufactured locally by the C.W. Parker Carousel Company in Leavenworth, Kansas. The design of the 2005 building was intended to look similar to a circus tent. It was approved by the local Landmarks Board because it retains the size and scale of the other buildings while being unique. The building is on the cleared Union Stove Company Property.
Savoy Hotel
126-130 Cherokee Street; 211-217 South Second Street
1900
The Savory Hotel was built to serve travelers associated with passenger train service to Leavenworth. Its size dictates that it was probably never a major competitor for this trade. By the 1920’s it was a brothel. By the 1950’s it operated as Laura’s Hotel. In the vernacular, it was an ‘after hours’ and a very good bar-be-que ‘joint’. The upstairs cribs were 8’x8’ rooms. By the mid 1960’s Leavenworth Steel purchased the property for its primary office building. Laura’s raised throne platform upstairs was still intact in 1985 but gave way to the conversion project that ensued in the effort to save the building.
With the exception of the replacement of the storefront windows, this building retains all of its original materials, workmanship, fenestration and design.
Alleyway between Second and Third Streets north of Choctaw Street
1880
This historic alleyway runs east and west between Second and Third streets behind the buildings facing Choctaw and Cherokee streets. Approximately 14-feet wide and extending about 312 feet, this road surface retains its original red brick pavers, as well as spatial relationships. This strip of alleyway is in good condition and clearly conveys its defining historic characteristics. Although a small section at the intersection with Third Street has been covered in asphalt, this surviving structural element contributes to the District.
