The College Hill Commoner

COLLEGE HILL CROWN HEIGHTS UPTOWN SLEEPY HOLLOWVol. 2 No. 8 JULY 2009

8 Piece by piece:Owners of Aviary topoff cottage with a peakpiece, but all is notdone around the house.

6 Traveling on:Local publishers ofof newspaper,Kansas Traveler,are moving on.

15 A photographiclook at the oldneighborhood’sFourth of Julyparades.

• ••

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER

Thenightthat the theatrealmostwentdark. Staff rallies to keep the doors open.Manager steps up tobuy the business &vows to keep it openfor the next generation.A Commoner exclusive page 4

BOOKS 4 SALE

We don’t buy the lemonade from the cornerstand because it tastes good. We buy thelemonade from the corner stand because the

sign is crooked and the kids are cute. We’re charmed bythe scene and want to reward those young entrepreneursfor their gumption. We know we could get a better dealat the shop down the street (really, kid, a dollar a cup?)but we buy it up anyway because this is America, whereeveryone is entitled to earn a buck and the sooner we canencourage our kids to do that on their own, the better.

School is out, which was apparent last month by thenumber of tiny salespersons we saw out peddling theirwares in the neighborhood. Lemonade stands on Cliftonand Circle Drive, a car washing crew on Holyoke andRutan that went door to door with bucket and rags in hand,the popcorn dealer on Second Street who waved his sign atthe passing traffic. Then there was the little hustler in ourhouse. He had been hatching one scheme after another forweeks to earn a little folding money from the neighborsbefore he was finally visited with inspiration. He rushed upto his room with a pen and pad and returned 45 minuteslater with chapter 1 of My Life, an autobiography. He isseven years old.

“You think I could sell it?” he askedGod bless that child, and America, too.

BARRY OWENSEDITOR

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z JULY 20092

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

WRITE THE EDITOR: We welcome your letters. No subject is out ofbounds, so long as it is local. Letters should not exceed 300 wordsand may be edited for clarity and length.

E-MAIL US: [email protected]

WRITE US: 337 N. Holyoke, Wichita, KS, 67208

CALL US: 689-8474

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS: Spot an error? Please let usknow. It is the policy of The College Hill Commoner to print correc-tions and clarifications.

LETTERS

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONERVOLUME 2 ISSUE 8 JULY 2009

PUBLISHERJESSICA FREY OWENS

EDITORBARRY OWENS

CONTRIBUTORSKATIE GORDON, DAVE KNADLER, MARK PENDERGRASS, JEFF ROTH

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONERPublished monthly by

The College Hill Commoner337 N. Holyoke

Wichita, K.S. 67208316-689-8474

[email protected]

3THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z JULY 2009 OP-ED

Ask anyone, it is our dedicated staff that makes the difference.MEET OUR EXPERT, LONG TERM STAFF

MattManager

DustinAssist. Manager

JesseAssist.Manager

NickEve. Assist.Manager

• HUGE WINE SELECTION• PARTY PLANNING & GIFT IDEAS• ASK ABOUT OUR GIFT CARDS

3015 E. DOUGLAS(next to Harry’s Uptown Bar & Grill)

681-3761

Who among us has notbeen speeding westalong Second Street, or

east along First, only to look in therear-view mirror to see some jerkin a Dodge Durango trying to slideby on the right?

It is one of the great mysteries oflife in this part oftown: Are Firstand Secondstreets supposedto be three lanes?Two lanes? A sin-gle wide laneexcept for whenyou get to anintersection? Orare they reallyjust two sides of

the same tree-lined racetrack? And ifthat’s the case, when the hell is thecity going to take out the trafficlights and install banked turns onEdgemoor and Hillside?

Anyone who’s followed me downSecond knows my views on the sub-ject: Since cars may be parked oneither side during most hours of theday, a prudent driver stays to thecenter, driving at a speed deemedsafe according to conditions. For me,that’s about 85 miles per hour,although I’m always careful to slow

it down to around 60 at those yellowlights where the foolish and timidsometimes wait to cross. I realizethat’s too slow for some of you, butif you don’t like it, try getting out thedoor a little earlier. That way, you’llbe in front of me and I’llbe the one cursing andveering from side to sidetrying get around.

Some may questionwhether it’s really safeto be passing a lot ofcars and exchangingobscene gestures withother drivers in a resi-dential neighborhoodthat traverses a numberof school zones. Ofcourse it isn’t. But wewho drive these streetshave urgent business: a take-outorder at Great Wall, for example, ora craft show at Century II. Maybeanother mind-numbing shift at work,or the need to get home before thedog decides he doesn’t need to gooutside after all. In any case, time is ofthe essence. It’s a sad fact of life inWichita that if you don’t arrive at yourdestination in record time, you mightnot be able to find a parking spacedirectly outside the door. Safety is allwell and good, but but not if it means

parking a block away.I’ve lived and driven in a number

of different cities, and in all of thempeople like to complain that the otherdrivers there are the worst in world.In Philadelphia, it was true. But in

Philadelphia, thesheer number of carson the road meantyou’d spend a goodpart of your commutejust sitting there onthe SchuylkillExpressway. It didn’tmatter whether youwere in a gleamingBMW or a beat-upBuick; rich and pooralike were forced tocrank up the AC andput the road rage on

simmer. It’s one thing to flip some-body off at 75, quite another whenhe’s parked right next to you.

Here in Wichita, there’s never atraffic jam to impose perspectiveor the camaraderie of a sharedordeal. And if there were, a quickalternate route is always just ablock or so away. What Wichitalacks in scenery it makes up for inalternate routes. People here justaren’t used to needless delays,some old geezer crawling along at

only 5 mph above the speed limitwith his left blinker permanentlyon.

Then there’s Eastborough.People warned us about that thefirst day we arrived. Here’s thistasteful little enclave for the semi-affluent with a whole police forcededicated to a single task: nailingthose who slightly exceed the 20-mph speed limit. They’re good at ittoo. That same avenging angel inthe Dodge Durango, who’s goingto pass you in College Hill even ifit means driving on the sidewalk,becomes a quiet little lamb whenhe approaches the lions ofEastborough.

Maybe Eastborough has it right.You wonder, idling along thoseleafy streets, what a strictly-enforced 20-mph speed limitwould mean for Crown Heightsand College Hill. For starters, itmight mean that a single lanewould suffice. Then again, theextra five minutes needed to getdowntown would quite likelydestroy our quality of life. So let’sforget about that. Ladies and gen-tlemen, start your engines.

Writer Dave Knadler lives inCrown Heights.

The Fast Lane Runs Through It

DAVE KNADLER

It’s a sad fact of lifein Wichita that if

you don’t arrive atyour destination in

record time, youmight not be able to

find a parkingspace directly

outside the door.

4 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z JULY 2009

Theatre Manager Buys Crown Uptown BusinessBY BARRY OWENS

The Crown Uptown Theatre will fin-ish this season, open the next, and hope-fully remain open long enough for hisgreat grandchildren to buy tickets, newowner Robert Brinkley says.

Brinkley, general manager of the the-atre, is the new owner of the business. Hestepped in to buy the business and saveit from closure last month after KarenMorris, widow of the late Ted Morris,decided to retire. She and her husband,who died last year, were partners in thetheatre they opened 32 years ago.

“It was just time,” Morris said.Morris had initially intended to close

the theatre and announced on June 17that the weekend’s performances of“Disney’s High School Musical” wouldbe the theatre’s last.

The first that most employees heardabout it was in the next morning’s paperor on the local news. Or, from the grimphone calls that came from Brinkley.

He called employees the followingmorning not only to inform them that thetheatre was closing, but to ask them tocome in that night even if they were notscheduled. The phone was ringing off thehook, he explained. The show was soldout. Over sold, actually. People wantedone last chance to catch a show at theCrown. The theatre needed every singleemployee to be there that night. Every

single employee said yes.“They came here knowing that they

didn’t have jobs on Monday,” saidBrinkley. “What other company out therecan say that? We laid our people off onFriday and they still came to work theweekend. It is because we are familyhere.”

That night, ticket holders were linedup in the lobby and outside and morethan one photographer stood across thestreet snapping shots of the neon sign and

marquee out front. “I wanted to get a shotwhile the lights were still on,” one ofthem said.

Inside, Karen Morris seated guestsand said goodbye to old friends. In thelobby, one local family, the Starbirds,presented her with a card thanking herfor her all the shows they had seen thereand to say they were sorry it was closing.

“Well, thank you,” Morris said. “ButI think there may be a way that we canfind to keep it open,” she said.

Behind close doors, she and Brinkleywere talking. First, the plan was to keeptheatre open at least another weekend toallow ticket holders a chance to see“High School Musical.” Then there wastalk of keeping it open through the end ofthe season. By the time Brinkley took thestage to introduce the show, he seemedconfident he would find a way to keepthe theatre open indefinitely.

“It’s ironic timing,” Brinkley told thecrowd. “But we just got the rights theother day to do Chicago. And you knowsomething, we’re going to do it.”

There was a gasp from the crowd,and then wild applause.

“A lot of people have the impressionthat we are just trying to get through theseason,” Brinkley said a week later in hisoffice. “Our plan is to move forward withthe 33rd season here at the Crown.”

But there will be a few changes, start-

ing with the name. It is now CrownUptown Theatre.

“We took the dinner theatre part outbecause we want to emphasis that we area venue,” Brinkley said. “We are open todo business for whatever the communityneeds,” he said, listing weddings, recep-tions, business meetings, even churchservices for a congregation in need ofspace.

That doesn’t mean there will befewer shows. Brinkley said the next sea-son will feature a full slate of shows, forwhich casting on some of them is alreadycomplete. Among other shows, the sea-son includes the hit “Chicago,” and“Basement Ladies 2: Second Helping” asequel to the “biggest show that we everdid,” Brinkley said.

Brinkley has been the general man-ager, a position he will retain, at the the-atre for six years. The Morris family willcontinue to own the building, butBrinkley now owns and operates thebusiness.

“There is a lot of need out there forthe arts in society, and closing a businesslike this would diminish that—not tomention that we have close to 35 regularsalaried and hourly employees that workhere,” Brinkley said. “Right now, theeconomy can’t afford to have another 35unemployed people out there. I just feltcompelled not to let that happen.”

Robert Brinkley, general manager and newowner of the Crown Uptown Theatre.

PHOTO: BARRY OWENS

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BY BARRY OWENS

There is a good deal more than adime’s worth of difference between theproperty values in College Hill andsome other, less well-kempt neighbor-hoods in the city.

Homeowners around here can cred-it some of that to pride of place and theextra effort and equity that homeownersput into their properties. That the homesare old and fine to begin with helps. Butarguably the biggest difference is thatthe rental properties—and there aremore in the neighborhood that you mayhave noticed—are better maintained.Shabby rentals bring shabby rents andtenants, which make for shabby blocks.

So it is that College Hill residentand rental property owner Bill Hesskeeps a close eye on his neighborhoodproperties and is on the lookout formore to maintain.

This month Hess launches a proper-ty management business, College HillProperty Management, with the goal ofmanaging his current properties andacquiring contracts to manage otherrentals, exclusively within CollegeHill.

Hess is a lifelong College Hill resi-dent and co-owner and manager of therecently sold Inn at the Park Hotel andVenue. He currently co-owns and man-ages Belmont Place, The BelmontApartments and several other apart-

ments and duplexes in the neighbor-hood.

“I want to provide the kind of man-agement that really cares about thearea,” Hess said. “I know nothing aboutthe south side or the west side, but Iknow all there is to know about CollegeHill.”

Hess and his wife, Judy, are bothactive members of the College HillHome Owners Association. Both arelife long residents of the neighborhoodand attended College Hill grade schools

and East High School.Hess is currently vice president and

land manager of McCoy PetroleumCorporation.

“As I ramp down in the oil business,I’m ramping up in the property manage-ment business,” he said. “I’ve got a crit-ical mass of properties that I have own-ership of myself. Now I want to addproperties [outside of those he owns] tomanage.”

Late last month, Hess made anoffice for himself in a ground floor

apartment in The Belmont, a 1915Chicago-style apartment building at115 S. Belmont.

The apartments, which feature mur-phy beds and a rooftop garden, haveheld up well over the years. So too havethe apartments just across the way,Belmont Place. Both are fully occupiedand Hess said there is a waiting list oftenants eager to move in to either build-ing.

“I specialize in College Hill rentalsbecause I know the area, the people thatlive here and, most importantly, I knowwhat it takes to manage historic andgenerally older properties,” he said.“My maintenance manager has beenwith me since 1999 and knows theproperties better than I do.”

Starting this month, Hess is cuttingback to three days a week in the oilbusiness and will spend the remainingwork days in his office at The Belmont.From there he will handle the manage-ment, accounting, and the assignmentof maintenance for his properties andthe others he hopes to pick up. (He canbe reached at 304-5444).

While it is hardly retirement, thework will keep him closer to home. Andhe is insistent on only taking on addi-tional properties in College Hill.

“They have to be close enough thatI can hit to them with a three iron,” hesaid.

5THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z JULY 2009

Resident, Property Manager, College Hill Caretaker

PHOTO: BARRY OWENS

Bill Hess, a lifelong resident of College Hill, outside Belmont Place apartments. Hess managesthe apartments, as well as several others in the neighborhood. This month he launches CollegeHill Property Management, with the hope of adding more.

BY BARRY OWENS

Every quarter for the past sixyears Kansas Traveler has hit thenews racks and mailboxes fromWichita to Wamego and all points inbetween. The regional publicationfeatures stories about Kansas attrac-tions, small town getaways, goodday trip destinations and events ofinterest for the Kansas tourist.

But the summer issue, which hitthe streets last month, contained alittle something new. There, on thefront page, was a letter from the pub-lishers: “This Kansas Traveler is thesecond-to-last one from us, John andSusan Howell,” it read in part.

The Howells, who live in CollegeHill, are stepping away from thepublication they created and publishout of their home on Dellrose.

“What really gets me motivatedare two things: deadlines and creat-ing something new,” Susan Howelltold The Commoner last month. “Ithink I am at the place where I wantto do something different.”

The couple started the paper in2004, and at that time, it was defi-nitely a different venture for them.John and Susan, both retired, arecomputer programmers by trade(John worked for N.C.R and Boeing;Susan worked for N.C.R. and TheWichita Eagle, where she developedcomputer systems for the paper).They were early adapters on theInternet and as early as 1995 werebuilding Web sites for small towns inKansas, and eventually all 105 of thestate’s counties.

“When John was at Boeing hewould run into people from Seattleand they would come to Kansas andsay, ‘There is nothing to do here.’We were determined to prove themwrong. So we started to put up Websites about little towns and little

places. Every weekend we were onthe road.”

But a Web site is not easy toperuse on the road. In 2003, Susanhad a revelation—the printing press.

“I went from what was at thattime fairly new technology back toabout 1,000 year old technology. Thewhole idea was to give a publicationto people that would entice them toget on the road and see some thingsin Kansas. We knew people inWichita who had never venturedbeyond the city limits,” she said.

The result was Kansas Traveler, afull color, quarter-folded tabloidnewspaper packed with articles andads about Kansas destinations. It isavailable by subscription and onnews stands. You will find copieslocally at Watermark Books.

“I didn’t want to do a glossy pub-lication because I wanted people tofeel comfortable picking it up, fold-ing it up, and putting it in their pock-et. And I’ve seen people do it overand over again,” she said.

But the next issue, which pub-lishes in the fall, will be the lastissue that travelers can pick up andfind the Howells names printedinside.

Susan said there have been suit-ors interested in purchasing thepaper and she is hopeful that it willcontinue.

“It is time for somebody else totake it to the next level. I am gettingto the point where I want to do some-thing different and I don’t have theenergy to keep doing it,” she said.

“At first, I thought, I’m justgoing to kill it, I’m just going to shuther down. But then I thought, youknow, I’m going to miss having thispaper to read. I wouldn’t have theKansas Traveler to find out whenand where the events are.”


Traveling OnLocal publishers of Kansas Traveler moving on

Susan and John Howell, publishers of Kansas Traveler, celebrate the first year of the publication with cake. Now five years later, the next issue will be their last.

SHANNON LITTLEJOHN


EXPIRES 7/31/09

AUG. 5

Fair Volunteers NeededThe College Neighborhood

Assoc-iation is seeking volunteersto help with the Family Fun Fair inAugust at College Hill Park.Theannual fair features family games,such as an egg toss, and cakewalk,and other summer time fun events.The association needs volunteers toshow up and lend a hand. No datefor the August fair has yet been set.

To volunteer, call Judy Hess,681-2841, or Laura Allen, 687-2676.

Men’s Chorus FundraiserThe Heart of America Men’s

Chorus will perform Voices fromthe Heart, an 11-man ensemblethis month at College Hill UnitedMethodist Church, 2930 E. FirstStreet.

The concert, billed as SummerReverberations, will include spiri-tuals, Broadway music, country,comedy and inspirational num-bers. The concert will also featurelocal vocalist Jennifer King, whois a soloist at St. James EpiscopalChurch.

King will perform several

familiar songs, includingSomewhere Over the Rainbow anda sacred medley of Sandi Pattysongs.

The concert is July 12 at 6 p.m.A reception will follow withhomemade desserts and drinks.Tickets are $20 at the door or maybe purchased in advance by call-ing 316-263-0808.

Proceeds will be used to offsetthe cost of the ensemble's trip toOhio, where they have been askedto perform at a national musicconference.

Lincoln Heights Party SetLincoln Heights Village, at

Douglas and Oliver, turns 60 yearsold this month, and the merchantsplan to celebrate with a party in theparking lot on Aug. 8 from 6-8 p.m.The whole neighborhood is invited.

The event will feature livemusic, food, classic cars, contests—best decorated kids bicycle and tri-cycle—drawings for gift baskets,and a chance to win a diamond val-ued at $3,000 (register at anyLincoln Heights Village merchantbeginning July 6 for a chance towin).

COMMUNITY CALENDAR


PIECE BY PAINSTAKING PIECERestoring Aviary a labor of love and test of patience for College Hill couple.

BY BARRY OWENS

It is hard to miss the Victorian cot-tage at the edge of the park on CircleDrive near Roosevelt. Aviary, as thehouse is called—the name is inscribed instone on the chiminey, a pun on thename of its builder and original residentGeorge Bird (of the architectural team ofProudfoot and Bird)—is colorful andcute as gingerbread.

It is also historically accurate. Fromthe cedar shingles to the stone steps, theexterior has been restored to what itmust have looked like when Bird firstcrossed the threshold in 1887.

Bird, and his partner WillisProudfoot, designed the cottage in 1887as a model home in College Hill. It wentup at the same time as another modelhome just around the way on CircleDrive, Hillside Cottage, also designedby the architects, which for a timehoused the Wichita Country Club. Thehomes were among the first built inCollege Hill, meant to lure otherbuilders and homeowners to the neigh-borhood.

Current owners Alan and KathleenPearce moved in almost 100 years later,in 1985, and have been at work ever

since restoring the place to its originalcondition.

“It’s like detective work,” saidKathleen.

The couple employed a magnifyingglass and old photographs to puzzle outthe design of the original wooden porchrailing (it had been replaced withwrought iron).

When photos weren’t readily avail-

able, they dug deeper. They excavatedparts of the yard and found the originalfoundation of the porte cochere. Theoriginal stone steps to the porch wereunearthed, as well.

And last month, roofers were sentaloft to install a replica of the originalornamental peak piece. The original stillexists, but has deteriorated and wasremoved and stored in the garage when

the roof was replaced. A tin replica wascreated by Tennison Brothers.

The homeowners watched fromsafely below as the roofers hauled theornament up the steep roof and wiggledit into place.

“Is it level?” Alan shouted to themen above.

“It’s level,” they shouted back.“But does it look straight?” Kathleen

wanted to know. She circled the house,taking it in from nearly all sides, beforegiving the go ahead to screw the pieceinto place.

It would be pleasant to report herethat the installation meant that the housewas topped off, and the Pearces couldstep inside, rest a spell, and enjoy thesatisfaction of a job well done. ButKathleen said that there remain a fewnagging details: the western balcony,long ago walled up and shagged overwith carpet, needs work, a wooden archis missing from the porch, and the brickchimney near the back of the house wasoriginally made of stone.

“Will we get around to all of that? Idon’t know,” said Kathleen. “But if youwanted it to be absolutely accurate, youwould need to have those things done.”

Aviary, a cottage on Circle Drive near Roosevelt, was built in 1887. Current owners Alan andKathleen Pearce worked from this photo and others to restore the home to original condition.

THE FRAME GUILD R FRAMING & RESTORATION R

MON-FRI 10-5:30, SAT 10-2

506 E. DOUGLAS (316) 684-1361

COURTESY PHOTO

Above: Roofers haul up an ornamental peakpiece last month to top off the 1887 Aviary, a cot-

tage on Cirlce Drive near Roosevelt beingrestored by current homeowners Alan and

Kathleen Pearce. Top row: The balcony as it wasbeing restored; Alan with the remade porch rail,

and the original and replicated ornamentalpieces side by side. Center: The house today.

Inset: The house in 1985.


Last month restoration workers dismantled one ofthe piers of the Belmont Place arches on Douglas.Stones were removed one by one, including onethat had recently been tagged with “love,” cleanednumbered and stored in a locker until reassembly,which is expected to be completed this month.

Photos byBARRY OWENS

Falling Rocks

During Wichita’s early years,travel was usually across theopen prairie by horse, buggyor ox wagon, the latter

euphemistically called the prairieschooner. On fair weather days as manyas 20 to 30 ox-drawn wagons could beseen on Main Street, having hauled inlumber from Emporia’s Neosho and

Cottonwood riverv a l l e y s . T h e ywere supplyingthe young town’sbuilding needs.The town soonboasted an assort-ment of hard-ware stores, drugstores, harnessand wagon shops,restaurants, three

hotels, two saloons, “and too many lawoffices to count.” By far the largestdemographic group in the 1870s was sin-gle men in their twenties, attracted to thefrontier’s adventures and opportunities.These early Wichitans included spur jin-gling Texas drovers and foreign sound-ing store keeps, grangers to gamblers,bankers to bar keeps, plus a flock ofsoiled doves who fluttered about them.

Some of the young men were luckyin land early on; they were the land spec-ulators who turned a smart profit by pur-chasing recently opened governmentland and selling it to later arriving immi-grant farmers. One such newly arrivedfarmer was Solomon S. Ridle. He was a31-year-old Pennsylvania farmer whospoke with a German accent. He came to

Kansas in 1871 with his wife Mary andtheir two children Bertha and Guy hav-ing left behind the occupied, high pricedfarmland back home. He was intent onstarting a farm in affordable and verdantKansas, formerly mischaracterized as adesert, previously considered fit only forIndians.

Go East, Young Man New arrivals to Wichita in the 1870s

were quick to buy a newspaper and readthe real estate ads. They would seek outa local agent to learn of availableacreage. This newly offered public landthey would either preempt from the gov-ernment (occupy and buy), or purchaseoutright from an existing landowner.Advice was freely given, such as “Buy tothe east and avoid crossing the riverwhen you bring your crops to market.” Abridge across the Arkansas would bebuilt by 1872, but to cross it would cost atoll each way. This detriment west of theriver would foster the earliest recordedexample of east siders’ notions of superi-ority.

Mr. Ridle was soon introduced toCivil War veteran E.F. Staley who hadjust started a farm with a shack, waterwell, and plans for springtime plantings.He was on 160 acres out east in the coun-try, up on the hill. You could almost seehis place from town. The two struck adeal and recorded Staley’s deed on April5, 1871. Ridle paid Staley $600 for thenorth east quarter of College Hill’sSection 23.

The Ridles needed a larger farm-house. In addition to Bertha and Guythey needed to provide shelter for their

“hired man” Perry, a 19 year old fromEngland. If their farm house followedconvention it would have been set backfrom the road 50 to 100 yards. The“road” north of their place was not muchmore than a trail worn from Augusta toWichita. “Augusta Road,” as it wascalled, was eventually renamed “CentralAvenue.” In town it represented thedividing line between real estate addi-tions platted by competing townfounders—William Greiffenstein andDarius Munger. As seen from the roadthe Ridle house probably featured astoop over the front door and shade treesto the west. Mary Ridle may have gazedout to her flower patch through a baywindow. Two such farmhouses still existin the area, if you know where to look.One sets slightly back from Central andthe other back from Kellogg, (more onthat later).

Hard Row to HoeFarming on College Hill was not

originally considered a sure bet. Thosewho bought in the valley knew from ear-lier Indian days that crops would thrivein the rich valley soil. They weren’t ascertain about the upland areas.Nonetheless, hill pioneers such asSoloman Ridle began breaking the sodfor crops, trees and hedge fences, as didRidle’s neighbor to the west, M. R.Moser. Moser was a wagon manufactur-er whose farm occupied much of thenorthwest quadrant of today’s CollegeHill. The farm was prominent enough toeventually have a Moser Avenue, that is,until a president’s popularity fostered aname change to Roosevelt Street.

Moser established his farm through aseries of land purchases in the early1870s. His activities such as wheatthreshing and orchard planting wereoften mentioned in the newspaper.Mention was especially made of the fine

brick home he built in 1873, east of townon Augusta Road. In a few short years,however, his wagon factory was turningout seven wagons a week and occupyingmore and more of his time. By 1874Moser desired to turn his farming opera-tions over to someone else to handle. In2009 a lease of Moser’s farm turned upin a neighborhood real estate abstract. Itreveals details about the farming activi-ties actually going on in College Hill. M.R. Moser and tenant farmer W.U. Coxagreed to lease to Cox and his familypossession of the brick house and adja-cent farm buildings, except the “mainstable” that Moser needed to retain forhis driving horse, until livery arrange-ments could be made in town. Moseragreed to bore a well and erect a wind-mill if sufficient water were produced.Mr. Cox, for his part, agreed to plant 40to 60 acres of the farm in wheat, rye, oats,barley, or buckwheat and pay rent basedon one third of the proceeds from thefarm’s grain, fruit and vegetable sales atmarket. Moser would additionally pro-vide grape vines and blackberry plantsfor Cox to grow. Moser, renown for hisarborist skills, also provided scores oftree seedlings for Cox to plant and keepcleared of weeds. Cox was also expectedto keep the front yard sown in bluegrass,all this according to the 1874 lease.

Within a few short years the newspa-per reported favorably on the success ofthese activities on “Moser Hill” with its“fine brick house” and “the big orchard.”As an example: “Moser set out a thou-sand forest trees on his place last weekand says he hasn’t hardly made a com-mencement,” the Eagle reported in Aprilof 1876. The newspaper also reportedthat the farm had 7,000 pounds of grapesto sell. The entire hillside became asource of admiration for those in town.“This elevation is fast becoming dotted


The High GroundBY JEFF A. ROTH

HISTORY

A 1912 photo showing the J. F. Rogers farm at Douglas and Broadview (the house and barn can be seen at right), one of the earliest farms in College Hill.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Early farmers first to put down roots on the Hill

This is the finalinstallment in afour-part series

about theearliest residents

of the oldneighborhood.

WICHITA-SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

with homes and ornamented with grow-ing trees, orchards and hedge lines, whilethe interspersed wheat fields lend to thewhole, as seen from town, a delightfulcharm,” the paper declared.

Although the brick house is gone andany other evidence of the Moser farm isburied below the yards of College Hill’sM. R. Moser’s Subdivision: Clifton toYale, south of Central. However, a peri-od farm house built by a neighbor diago-nally to the north, still exists. The John T.and Emma Woodford house, built at3430 E. Central, served as the home fortheir modest farm which stretched fromCentral to Murdock. Maps through the1930s show Sleepy Hollow Park to havebeen named Woodfords Park. Today hisformer farmhouse is a private residencewhich has housed small businesses overthe years.

The Magic City Evidence exists of another turn of the

century College Hill farm, the J. F.Rogers place on Douglas Avenue.During the construction of a home oneast Douglas in 1912 a photographicimage of the Rogers’ farmstead wasunwittingly captured. A sequence ofeight photographs were shot over a fewweek’s time to document the construc-tion progress of D. L. Hammond’s newhome at 3912 E. Douglas. In the earliestof the eight photographs, before thesoon-to-be finished structure blocked theview to the east, the Rogers’ Italianate-style farmhouse and its barn to the northwere photographed where they stood atthe northwest corner of Douglas andBroadview. Similar to the MoserSubdivision, today’s homes in theRogers Addition to College Hill havetaken the place of the former farm build-ings. According to neighborhood legend,111 N. Broadview occupies the footprintof the former J. F. Roger’s barn, whichseems consistent with the photographicevidence available.

One 19th century home that time hasnot erased, however, is that of nearbyfarmer and noted Wichita pioneer,Charles C. Fees. In 1870 this 27 year oldformer Pennsylvania teacher and Unionsoldier was exploring eastern Kansas for

the prospect of homesteading. He kept adiary throughout that year. An entrydated June 6, 1870 mentioned leavingEmporia, hitching a ride on a lumberwagon bound for Wichita, and paying$2.50 for the privilege. The conversationthrough the Flint Hills may have lan-guished somewhat since Fees describedhis wagoner as being an ex-Rebel soldier.On June 10 Fees jotted down his firstimpressions of Wichita, as seen from thehill east of town: “Arrived at Wichita, thewonder of the world, at sunset.” “Thisvalley, the Arkansas, is truly beautiful.”In closing that evening he wrote,“Emigration is coming in fast andWichita is springing up as if by magic.”Fees happened to hit upon one of theearly monikers of old time Wichita—TheMagic City.

National Archive records indicatethat Charles Fees bought a quarter sec-tion of land south of Merriman Park(College Hill Park) only six days after hisarrival, a tribute to the hustle and effort ofthe realtors of his day.

Smart CowsCharles and Mrs. Fees, after their

first few years of successful farming onthe hill, built their farmhouse andmoved there in 1881. It was set back tothe south of the section line that was

eventually graded intoKellogg Avenue. Their farm-ing activities of milkingcows and growing wheat,corn, oats and hay arerevealed by Mrs. Fees’ 1902 familyincome and expense ledger nowarchived at the Wichita-SedgwickCounty Historical Museum. With herweekly milk and egg income and sea-sonal fruit, vegetable and crop incomeshe was able to afford groceries, medi-cine, dry goods, (trolley) car tickets,piano lessons for Clara, and even herhusband’s $7 annual golf dues at theWichita Country Club, which hadopened its 9 hole course just two yearsearlier in Merriman Park.

Both Charles and Helen Fees hadbeen educators and in 1886 they donat-ed 20 acres from the south end of theirfarm for a college that was opened onCollege Hill in 1888, up the hill fromthe end of Lincoln Street. It was namedWichita University but it only operateduntil 1893 when the economic reces-sion at that time doomed it. The build-ing stood vacant and it was reportedthat Mrs. Fees’ milk cows found it to bea satisfactory shelter. It was purchasedfor the Sisters of St. Joseph for use as aconvent and orphanage, but the build-ing burned down in 1913. In its place

stands the Mount St. Mary’s Conventof The Sisters of St. Joseph’s.

The Charles C. Fees’ farm housecommanded a beautiful view into thevalley. His house stood alone on the hillfor decades before development in thelate 1920s surrounded it. The house,later adorned with square columns anda second floor gallery, still stands at3805 Longview – another aptly namedstreet on the hill. In an Eagle newspa-per article in 1927, it was reported thatwhen Charles Fees arrived in Wichitain 1870 he carried in his trunk a sack of

black walnuts. These he planted asimprovements to his land during thoseearly settlement days. For decadesthereafter the house was described asbeing shaded in the oldest and tallestgrove of walnut trees in Wichita. Tothis day, 140 years later, one lone sur-vivor still stands in the back yard, shad-ing 3805 Longview’s southern expo-sure.

The activity and settlement effortsof these nineteenth century Kansasfarmers: Ridle, Moser, Woodford,Rogers, Fees and others, attest to thedrive and work ethic of the people whofirst worked with the land of CollegeHill. They coaxed crops from theupland ground unlike the nomadichunters and Indian valley dwellersbefore them. The Anglo-immigrantswho arrived only months before them,the real estate profiteers, planted onlytemporary boundary stakes, not realroots. The farmers of College Hillproved up more than land preemptionimprovements, they proved an inten-tion to live on the hill. By definition,they deserve to be considered the firsttrue residents of College Hill.


ABOVE PHOTO: JEFF ROTH. INSET: WICHITA-SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM.

HISTORY

Charles C. Fees, an early neighborhood farmer and Wichita pioneer, built this farm-house in 1881. It still stands today at 3805 Longview, south of Kellogg. Inset: WichitaUniversity, built on land (today a convent on Lincoln) donated by Fees.

THE HIGH GROUNDCONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Bundtlettes Available at Dillons Bakery.


Lincoln Heights Village, atDouglas and Oliver, turns 60 yearsold this month, and the merchantsplan to celebrate with a party in theparking lot on Aug. 8 from 6-8 p.m.The whole neighborhood is invited.

The event will feature livemusic, food, classic cars, contests—best decorated kids bicycle and tri-cycle—drawings for gift baskets,and a chance to win a diamond val-ued at $3,000 (register at anyLincoln Heights Village merchantbeginning July 6 for a chance towin).

It is hard to imagine Wichitawithout strip malls squatting onnearly every other corner, butLincoln Heights Village was one ofa kind in its day.

Even today, it remains unique inthe city. There is a broad sidewalk,newspaper boxes, outdoor cafe seat-ing, classic storefronts, a parking lotbuilt to human scale. It seems likean inviting public place in the neigh-borhood, rather than a walled offcommercial center only safelyaccessible by vehicle.

Developer Walter Morris consid-ered the village shopping center tobe the heart of the neighborhood,and the crowning jewel of his longdevelopment career, which includedLincoln Heights, the upscale hous-ing development in College Hill thathe built 20 years earlier, CrownHeights and Sleepy Hollow.

“It is not merely the best in theMiddle West,” Morris, then 90-years-old, said during the openingof the mall in 1949. “It is the nicestshopping center in the world.”

There was certainly nothing elselike it in Wichita. Until then, mostshopping was done downtown, a farmore bustling and cramped destina-

tion than it is today. But here was a gleaming “vil-

lage” on the city’s east side wherelocal residents could not only park,but walk to, for necessities. And itwas air conditioned “for your com-fort,” as one advertisement noted.

The account from the openingceremonies was breathless.

“Just like Coney Island,” wrotean Eagle correspondent, “there werethrongs of people, a big searchlight,a band and music—everybodymilling around and streaming in andout of the brightly-lighted shopsalong the L-shaped ‘midway.’

Certainly much has changed inthe decades since the shopping cen-ter opened to render some of itsinnovations quaint.

The parking lot, for instance, wasconsidered “huge” at the time. Therewere 67 spaces.

But in a city with no shortage ofnew strip malls built upon vastasphalt moats of parking lots, quaintseems good. By definition, villagesare not the sort of places wherevehicles are supposed to live.


Lincoln Heights Village turns 60 this month, and the merchants are celebrating.‘VILLAGE’ MALL TURNS 60

Top: Lincoln Heights Village, circa 1949. The shopping center turns 60 years old this month.Above: A painter applies a fresh coat to theVillage’s 50-foot tall sign tower.

14 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z JULY 2009ETC.

The Road to SegoviaThe drive from San Sebastian to

Segovia takes four and a half hours onthe Autovia 1 norte.

To get an idea of the landscape, takea large tablecloth, shake it, and toss it ona table. Nearest to you, push the folds ofthe cloth high and close. This is the land-scape of the Cantabrian coast, whichcompares to Hawaii in that there aresteep mountains leading down into thesea and verdant vegetation because of thedaily mists. Piercing the steep folds aretunnels that vary in length from a fewhundred meters to several kilometers.Now begin to shorten the folds and spacethem a little further apart. The landscapechanges to something more like that ofthe foothills of Colorado or midwaythrough Kansas when one enters theSmokey Hills. The rain fall is reducedand the vegetation is still green, but notas thick as the coast line. Next, take thecloth and smooth into undulating flowslike that of the Flint Hills of Kansas.

As Will and I enter these rolling hills,it begins to rain and, naturally, one hums,“the rain in Spain falls mainly on theplain,” a song from My Fair Lady, that Iassume is not to be taken literally. Theseplains are covered in wheat fields as faras the eye can see. We have come to thecity of Vitorio and the end of the Basqueregion. Now we are entering Castille-Leon, the home of King Ferdinand andSpain’s most conservative region.

The table cloth is again ruffled andthe further away from the coast we trav-el, the drier it becomes. Now the land-scape looks a little like Arkansas with thejuniper trees dotting the hills. Only a lit-tle further south are the mountains fromwhich the water comes that fills the aque-duct that services Segovia. The closer weget to Segovia, the more hills appear.Again, as in Arkansas the roads twist and

turn. rise and fall.Suddenly, there is Segovia. From a

distance one can see the aqueduct thatSegovia is famous for. What has beenpreserved and restored rises or ratherdescends from the mountains to the southand empty into the city center.

We are here.

The Nasty Bits Anthony Bourdain is chef, raconteur,

TV host, and author of the book TheNasty Bits, a wonderful collection ofodds and ends about the restaurant busi-ness. The nasty bits in the restaurant tradeare the left overs, the odd bits that youdon’t serve your best guest, but some-times, contain great flavor and taste.

I am tired of hearing that the Frenchare the nasty bits of European culture.They are not the left overs and remnantsof the finer cuts of meat. If they are a lit-tle aloof and distant from Americans,perhaps it is because we, in turn, arealoof and distant. Try a little culture,speak the language, even if in trying tospeak French, one commits cultural lin-guistic genocide.

I am in Saint Emilion, nearBordeaux, and trying to order mussels,so I ask the pretty young waitress for“moule.” She is embarrassed and runs to

get another pretty young waitress whospeaks English, and when I repeat myselfsaying, “Moule, you know mussels,” shesmiles and informs me that in French Iam asking for “ass.”

Try a little kindness. Asmile and a lit-tle self-deprecating humor goes a longway.

Bellagio Everyone I met in Italy said that

Bellagio was the prettiest place they hadever been or the one place they had to getto. But I am here, it is raining and whenit is raining, it is not so pretty. It is justwet. I have seen wet a lot of times and alot of places, and it all looks pretty muchthe same, wet.

Wet is nice if you are a farmer on thewestern plains of Kansas. I suppose it isnice if you are a duck, even if I don’tunderstand why people say that, and wetis good if you simply want to sit in yourroom and read a good book while listen-ing to the steady patter of the rain drops.But, I am on vacation, and Bellagio does-n’t look good in the rain, just anothersoggy rain soaked Kansas town.

TuscanyEven when it rains in Tuscany, there

is something to do. A short drive from

San Cascione brought us to one of themany small towns that dot the hillside ofTuscany.

As it was raining, we took refuge inthis small restaurant run by Marco, awaitress who always wore sunglasses,and a cook who looked to be Marco’smother, who toiled over a traditionalItalian oven.

The surprise is sometimes the food,which is excellent; sometimes the set-ting, which is old or beautiful; and some-times the staff, who are humanly won-derful.

Our waiter, Marco, was as graciousas could be imagined. The restaurantheld no more than four tables in the oneroom that was open, and Marco wasproud to serve his limited but deliciousfare. A peek in the kitchen revealed a tra-ditional Italian grill where the food waslovingly prepared by one cook, Mama.

Eventually, the rain lets up and it ispicture perfect again.

Out of OrderThree days in Monterossa, the

largest and prettiest town in CinqueTerre, left me disconnected and out oftouch with the word. The disconnectwas refreshing. All there is to do is enjoythe sea, the people, friends and the food.

Being disconnected is not terriblydisconcerting. It reminds you that therewas a time, not terribly long ago, that welived in relative isolation. News did nottravel at the speed of light. If a celebrity,such as Michael Jackson, died, it wasoften days, weeks, or months before youlearned of it. Distance separated us, itcreated other worlds where culture andreligion, and the old ways were pre-served and maintained. Not so anymore.

I love gelato, and I feel that theInternet is, in a sense, taking all the fla-vors and stirring them up into one bigand bland mixture. Forget sorting it allout. The tourists, the locals, the Internet,the television, cell phones and such havebrought us all together for good and bad—good because its nice to be connectedin a vast global village. Bad because Ilike strawberry gelato.

Buongiorno, Bonjour, Hola ... College HillLast month College Hill resident Art

Davis and son Will set out for Europe.While they are touring, Art is bloggingand tweeting about the experience. Youcan find the blog and follow along attraditionshome.blogspot.com. The fol-lowing are excerpts from the blog.

COURTESY PHOTO

Art Davis and son, Will, at Casa Botin , the world's oldest continuously running restaurant, inMadrid. The pair are traveling Europe this summer. Art is blogging about the experience.

$5offany regular priced adult

dinner & show ticket to see “Disney’s High School Musical.”

Cannot be used with other offers or coupons. Not valid for previously purchased tickets.

Redeem at box office.

Crown Uptown Theatre, 3207 E. Douglas, 681-1566

Our upcoming seasonCrown debut! CHICAGO Musical – Sept. 18 through Nov. 8, 2009

Crown debut! A CROWN UPTOWN CHRISTMAS Musical Comedy Revue – Nov. 13 through Dec. 31,2009

BOEING-BOEINGComedy – Jan. 9 through Feb. 7, 2010

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For season tickets packages and special rates call681-1566, or visit our website at crownuptown.com


On the Fourth of July in Crown Heights and CollegeHill, the neighbors turned out for parades on OldManor Road and Belmont Place.

Photos byKATIE GORDON

andMARK PENDERGRASS

More photos can be found at photographerKatie Gordon’s Web site:hfphoto.synthasite.com

We Love a Parade

KATIE GORDON

KATIE GORDON

MARK PENDERGRASS

MARK PENDERGRASS

MARK PENDERGRASS

MARK PENDERGRASS

KATIE GORDON

KATIE GORDON

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