Comments are being accepted in Washington, D.C., on the application to have the High Rise Apartments in Great Bend added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. Lynn Fleming, executive director of the Great Bend Housing Authority, which oversees the apartment building at 1101 Kansas Ave., said the historic designation is important because it will take the structure into the future.
A place on the national register will help the Housing Authority secure tax credits as part of the funding for a total rehabilitation of the building that was completed in 1972. The comment period is one of the final steps and the Housing Authority has already raised nearly $16 million for the project. Fleming said they hope to close on the transaction next month.
“We’re real excited to get started,” she said. Once the rehabilitation starts, it is expected to be completed within 18 months.
The funds secured for the project so far are:
• Federal & State Historic Tax Credits - $5,198,000
• Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka - $1,000,000
• Kansas Housing Resource Corporation (KHRC) Housing Trust Fund - $500,000
• KHRC Low Income Housing Tax Credits - $6,938,000
• Mortgage $2,350,000 ($750,000 of which is a “soft loan” that will be forgiven)
“In addition, we’ll receive $771,000 in annual tax credits over 10 years, or $7,710,000 from KHRC,” Fleming said.
The history
The High Rise was on the agenda when the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review met on Nov. 16, 2019, for its quarterly review of nominations of Kansas properties to be added to the National Park Service’s National Register for Historic Places.
The proposal included a detailed history of Great Bend, with a focus on housing availability and demographics of the area in the 1960s. The city was at peak population, and there was a shortage of affordable housing for senior citizens.
The application listed the building as an example of Brutalist-style architecture, which began in the mid-20th century, reaching its peak in the mid-1970s, and was used primarily for institutional buildings.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Nov. 23, 1970, and the project was completed on Jan. 8, 1972, at a cost of roughly $1.8 million.
Today, the High Rise is an income-based apartment building funded by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Renters pay 30 percent of the household income and utilities are provided at no cost.
Read more of its history online at https://gbtribune.com/news/local-news/high-rise-nominated-national-register-historic-places/
The future
“The building is 48 years old and hasn’t had a lot done to it,” Fleming said, noting some of the original porcelain sinks are chipped and the original particle board cabinets were never built to last for a generation. However, Fleming said, “This building is the definition of good bones.”
At present, the High Rise has 97 apartments but that includes some studios with no bedrooms. Removing some walls to create larger units and bringing the number of apartments down to 81 will make it more marketable, Fleming said. Being on the National Register for Historic Places won’t interfere with making internal improvements.
“The outside of the building has to stay pretty much the same,” she said.
The Housing Authority also plans to change how the apartment is funded. At present, the plan is to convert from HUD Public Housing to Project-Based Section 8 housing. “It’s a better funding stream, more reliable,” Fleming said. It’s still a government-funding program that provides rental housing to low-income households in privately owned and managed units.
The Housing Authority has stopped adding potential tenants to its waiting list in anticipation of future construction, Fleming said. Work will begin on floors 5-7 with current residents occupying apartments on lower floors.
Public comments invited
The National Park Service issued a notice, published in the Federal Register on Sept. 2, entitled: “National Register of Historic Places; Notification of Pending Nominations and Related Actions.”
Comments are encouraged to be submitted electronically by Sept. 17 to National_Register_Submissions@nps.gov with the subject line “Public Comment on High Rise Apartments, 1101 Kansas Ave., Great Bend, SG100005621.” Those with no access to email may send them via U.S. Postal Service and all other carriers to the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, MS 7228, Washington, DC 20240.
The properties listed in the Sept. 2 notice are being considered for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places. Nominations for their consideration were received by the National Park Service before August 22. Pursuant to Section 60.13 of 36 CFR part 60, comments are being accepted concerning the significance of the nominated properties under the National Register criteria for evaluation.
“Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time,” a National Park Service news release cautions. “While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.”
Other Kansas structures beings considered for the registry:
Douglas County
Holy Family Catholic Church, 911 East 9th St., Eudora
Leavenworth County
William Small Memorial Home for Aged Women, 711 North Broadway St., Leavenworth
Saline County
Lowell School, 1009 South Highland Ave., Salina
Sedgwick County
Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center, 225 West Douglas Ave., Wichita
McCormick-Armstrong Press Building, 1501 East Douglas Ave., Wichita
Wichita Public Library-Main Branch, 223 South Main St., Wichita
Shawnee County
Charles and Dorothy Kouns House, 1625 SW MacVicar Ave., Topeka
Fire Station No. 6, 1419 NE Seward Ave., Topeka
House at 116 Southwest The Drive, (Houses of the Garlinghouse Company in Topeka), 116 SW The Drive, Topeka
James and Freda Lippitt House, (Houses of the Garlinghouse Company in Topeka), 2532 SW Granthurst Ave., Topeka
Wabaunsee County
Grimm-Schultz Farmstead, 35180 Old K-10 Hwy., Alma
