the college hill commoner, nov. 09

COLLEGE HILL CROWN HEIGHTS UPTOWN SLEEPY HOLLOWVol. 2 No. 12 NOVEMBER 2009

10 Hello Walls:Gallery owner finds fresh walls,and plenty of them,in Happiness Plaza.

4 It’s tough allover, even inCollege Hill. Smallbusiness hit hardby economy.

8 The Toy Factory: A workshop where asecret Santa and hiselves make toys forneedy children.

• ••

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER

THE OLD, YOUNG FOLKS HOMEWHEN THE WICHITA CHILDREN’S HOME HAD A COLLEGE HILL ADDRESS PAGE 12

THE WICHITA SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

The Wichita Children’s Home was located in College Hill at the corner of Quentin and 1st streets from 1891 until 1912. The house, now gone, had formerly been a rental and was hauled to the loca-tion by teamsters and horses. Though large (it was known as The Big House on the Hill) it would not prove to be large enough to hold all of the city’s needy children. See page 12.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Fall in the old neighborhood and the leaves are on the tram-poline. You can give the children corn brooms and lawnbags all day long, but there will be more leaves (probably

blown down from Dellrose) by morning. Why bother? Just let theleaves be until December when it is frostier and there is less fightleft in them.

We’re all restless and easily distracted this time of year. Youstep outside, meaning to gather wood or groceries, but the worldhas gone technicolor and leaves are falling in slow motion andsuddenly you are on a movie set and feel as if you should bedoing something to help set the scene, so you hold onto your hatand lean into the wind. Your inner director tells you that you area man off to the train station to board a sleeper for Vermont,where the apples are in season, for the first leg of your nationalbook tour. The book is going to be a huge best seller, Oprah hasalready called. And NPR. The maples are ablaze and your life ischanging right before our eyes. Here, hold this suitcase, you’regoing places, the director says. And ... ACTION!

It’s fall, oh, patient readers, and the afternoons are golden andheartbreaking and a man should be permitted to dream of suchthings, if only fleetingly. Soon enough the chill will settle in for agood long while—already the days are shorter—and the after-noon errands will be grim. The neighborhood is quiet in the win-ter without all the contractors about. There is only the mail carri-ers and helicopters outside. The trees are bare. The sidewalkslonely. There’s little left outside to stir the imagination. So wethank the stars for Halloween around here, the last hurrah of theseason before we march back inside for a little television and anap. Like you, we whooped it up and trick-or-treated and howledat the moon and made our children go out dressed up as gardengnomes this year. It was a lot of fun but a lot of work, too. Thegnome costumes were easy, as far as homemade jobs go. But thepublisher’s costume took hours as we sorted hundreds of leavesby size and color, fixed them with hot glue to fabric, and drapedand wrapped them just ever so around her. A woodland creature,she called herself, with twigs in her hair and a leaf painted on herface. But she was wrong. That was no woodland creature.Clearly, that was Miss Fall.

BARRY OWENSEDITOR

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z NOVEMBER 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

ADVERTISE: [email protected], or 689-8474

LETTERS

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONERVOLUME 2 ISSUE 11 OCTOBER 2009

PUBLISHERJESSICA FREY OWENS

EDITORBARRY OWENS

CONTRIBUTORSGUS FREY, JAMES WILSON

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 NOVEMBER 2009 OP-ED

Kids in this neighborhoodhave it lucky. They knockon our door at any hour ofthe day and we buy what-

ever they’re selling: chocolate barsand coupon books and muffin mixand popcorn. Girl Scout cookies bythe gross. We don’t complain, because

we know their par-ents and we don’twant to get a repu-tation as bittercheapskates. Also,we feel like we’rebuying insurancefor when thosekids get a littleolder and feel likedraping someone’sresidence with toi-let paper.

But the biggest reason I keepthe checkbook by the door is that Ihave my own dark memories. Iknow how it is to trudge across astrange lawn with a clipboard andbox of overpriced merchandise, toknock on a strange door and hearan angry dog barking inside.Gather ‘round, kids, and I’ll tellyou the story of my brief career indoor-to-door sales.

I handled All-Occasion cardsfor a short time as a member of theJunior Sales Club of America. It

was a seemingly lucrative opportu-nity that came to my attentionthrough an ad in a Supermancomic book. The ad showed a grin-ning boy about my age ogling thetrove of goods thatmight be obtainedby selling certainnumbers of boxes.I studied the ad fora long time. Idecided to go forthe 10-speed bike,the transistor radioand the BB gun.Also the bugle, thetelescope and thearchery set. I confi-dently mailed offthe coupon and acouple of weekslater came homefrom school to find20 boxes of All-Occasion cards sitting on thekitchen table.

Only then did I realize I wasgoing to have to sell these things.That was one flaw in the businessplan; there were a couple of others.First, I lived in a semi-rural areapopulated with grim, frugal peoplewho did not send cards, and if theydid, they’d darned well make their

own out of a used envelope.Second, I wasn’t connected to anyworthy charity beyond myself, andI lacked the sophistication to lieabout the possible tax benefits.

So after two weeks,I had sold three boxes.One was to my mom,another to an aunt.The third was to ateacher of mine wholived up the road andreluctantly paid me inchange. With that, themarket for All-Occasion cards in myarea was saturated. Itdidn’t take a mathgenius to figure outthat the proceeds werewell south of expens-es. The bike was outand so was the bugle. Ifigured I’d be lucky to

get out of it with probation.After awhile I began to get let-

ters from the Junior Sales Club ofAmerica, wondering how theenthusiastic youngster who hadsent in the coupon had devolved soquickly into a cheat and aswindler. I would have mailed thecards back, but the logistics andcost seemed too daunting. So I

ignored the letters, and came homeevery day to the same accusingstack of boxes. I’m still not surewhat happened to them. The lettersfinally stopped, and I assume thatat some point I was excommuni-cated from the Junior Sales Clubof America. I went on to major inEnglish.

The moral of the story is thatkids in Crown Heights and CollegeHill should be grateful there arepeople like me, who are hauntedby the past and keep trying toatone for it by blithely buying twoof whatever happens to be onoffer. I just hope they don’t starthawking jewelry or electronics, orthis could get expensive.

Hear the doorbell? That’s aneighborhood kid who wants tounload a few pounds of deliciouscaramel corn so his class can takea field trip to the Louvre. Myadvice is, go answer it. Yes, youcan try lurking to one side of thewindow and hoping they’ll goaway, but they always know. Theycan see when the blinds move. Goahead and answer it. Ask about thevolume discount. And take yourcheckbook.

Writer Dave Knadler lives inCrown Heights.

Dearth of a Salesman

DAVE KNADLER

After awhile Ibegan to get letters

from the JuniorSales Club of

America,wondering how the

enthusiasticyoungster who hadsent in the couponhad devolved so

quickly into a cheatand a swindler.

BY BARRY OWENS

Small businesses face long oddswherever they are located, but bad luckand an even worse economy is shutteringCollege Hill storefronts at an alarmingrate. Recently four businesses in theneighborhood, including Barrier’s whichhad been a retail anchor in the neighbor-hood for decades, called it quits.

Early this month the jewelry and giftstore at the corner of Oliver and Douglastemporarily closed, posting signs in thedoor advertising a liquidation sale Nov.5-8. Barrier’s filed for bankruptcy lastmonth and will close by January. Thestore, which started with a single counterdowntown in 1933, has been a longtimeneighborhood fixture. It was jarring earlythis month to see a “going out of busi-ness” sign draped over the shop’s iconicsidewalk clock.

Such signs were scattered throughoutthe neighborhood on one grim afternoonearly this month.

At Caffe Posto, a coffee and gelatoshop that opened two years ago atDellrose and Douglas, a sign on the doorannounced that Sunday, Nov. 8 would beits last day.

At nuDu, on the same day, a sign onthe door announced that the boutique,which opened a year ago at Rutan andHillside and sells clip on hair extensions,would be closed for two weekends thismonth as the owner took her wares to atrade shows out of town.

“I have to go to the trade shows justto pay the rent,” owner Pattie Malonesaid. Even with the shows, she said it islikely she will close down by January.

“Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’sthe location. Maybe it’s both. But whenyou only get five people in a day, and twoof them might buy, it’s just really hard,”Malone said. “But at least I can say that Itried.”

And at Garden Reflections, in CliftonSquare, Terri Windsor spent the after-noon creating fliers announcing a goingout of business sale. “I got a job!,” sheincluded on the fliers in parenthesis, byway of explanation. Windsor, whoopened her shop in March, 2007, willclose by January and is discounting her

inventory in hopes of liquidating by then.Windsor, like some of the other busi-

ness owners, chalks up the store’s closureto bad luck and bad timing.

“We opened at the wrong time,” shesaid. “The first year we were open weexceeded what our projections were, andthen the following year gas went up, thestock market went down, the housing cri-sis and all that hit and people startedtightening their belts. We weren’t openlong enough before all that started hap-pening to build a customer base. So thepast year and of a half we have beenusing all of our savings to pay the bills.Now there is no money left, and I am notwilling to borrow anymore for a what if.”

At Caffe Posto, owner Kay Conklinsaid she didn’t have the answers.

“I beat myself up about it, but I can’tthink of anything that we would have

done differently,” she said.Conklin said that when she and her

husband, Cory, and business partnerJamie Stratton, opened the business theydid not expect that competing coffeeshops, Sugar Sisters and the DonutWhole, would open up nearby. And cer-tainly, she added, “we did not see theworst economic downturn in 80 yearscoming.”

They considered selling the business,but learned that charm and potential donot show up on the spread sheets—onlythe numbers do.

“We worked really hard to buildCaffe Posto as a brand, as a fixture in theneighborhood, and it has kind of its ownpersonality, but that has no value in thebusiness world,” she said. “That was nota fun lesson to learn.”

Conklin said it was a painful decision

and her final days at the shop would be“like a four day funeral,” but she wasconfident that closing shop was the rightthing to do.

“I was not going to be the kind ofbusiness that was going to stay in busi-ness by not paying my taxes, not payingmy staff and not paying my rent,”Conklin said. “We didn’t want to do any-thing to hurt the neighborhood. We livehere too. We wanted to exit honestly,gracefully.”

Windsor, who recently got a job as aregional sales representative based on herexperience in small business, said shewill walk away from her store with fewregrets.

“I have had a wonderful time, havemet great people that I will never forget,and I got a good job out of it. So I can’tbe bitter,” she said. “I’ll just be broke.”

4 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z NOVEMBER 2009

Business is Tough All Over, Even in College Hill

Top: Garden Reflections owner Terri Windsor uses her laptop to draft “going out of business” fliers for her business. Top right: Caffe Postoowner Kay Conklin works behind the counter early this month, shortly before the store was set to close. Above left: NuDu owner Patti Malonepacks up to hit the road for a trade show in Denver. Above right: A sign is draped over the Barrier’s sidewalk clock.

BY BARRY OWENS

Imagine a night on the town in theCollege Hill theater district. Patronsline the sidewalks. Shows are playingat The Crown Uptown Theatre onDouglas, or at the WichitaCommunity Theatre on Fountain, orthe Guild Hall Players are troddingthe boards at St. James EpiscopalChurch. And, just down the hill andaround the corner at Hillside andEnglish, the orchestra is warming upat the Rine Center for PerformingArts.

That is the dream of a group ofresidents who have plans to convert aformer church into a performing artsspace, and in so doing, further trans-form the neighborhood into a cultur-al destination.

“I think that this could be a greatlittle cultural center,” College Hillresident Janet Rine says of the neigh-borhood.

About a year from now, if all goesaccording to plan, Janet and her hus-band Grant will open the Rine Centerfor Performing Arts in the formerImmanuel Baptist Church at 147 S.Hillside.

The couple purchased the churchover the summer, initially with plansto use much of the square footage forstorage and perhaps relocate Grant’sarchitectural salvage business there.

But then producers Kathy Page-Hauptman and Ann-Marie Rogersapproached the Rines with the idea ofconverting the church into a theater.

It did not seem such a stretch, asJanet notes. “The church alreadylends itself to theater seating, withindividual cushioned seats in a semi-round on a slightly sloped floor.”

The school attached to the chapelwould make for great office spacesperhaps for performing art organiza-tions. And there is room for a recep-

tion hall for parties and weddings.Janet, who is owner of CaffeModerne in Old Town, has a portableliquor license so maybe there couldbe drinks and appetizers in thelounge on performance nights.

The wheels are still turning andthere is much to consider, but thetheater could fill a niche in the city,Rine says, by providing a sophisti-cated but affordable mid-sizedvenue.

Ann-Marie Rogers, who also

lives in the neighborhood, envisionsthe Center as a catalyst for “a theaterarts district in the College Hill area.”

Rogers, who is to be executiveartistic director for the Center, hopesthe theater can be a venue for an“eclectic mix of performances, includ-ing orchestra, theater, opera, and organconcerts” and can work with existingneighborhood and city performing artsgroups. She said the theater would alsoproduce its own shows, “musicals,mostly, and reviews.”

Rine says the idea is not to com-plete with area theaters, such as thenearby Crown Uptown.

“It’s not the same niche as CrownUptown,” Rine said. “In fact, wewant to support the Crown Uptown.I would be very upset if somethinghappened to that theatre. I wouldn’twant any part of that.”

But she would like to be a part offurther linking the College Hillneighborhood to the arts communityand the entertainment districts of thecity.

“I think it would be a wonderfultreat to have in the center of town, noton the outskirts,” Rine said of theneighborhood becoming a destinationfor theater patrons.

“Why not College Hill?” she said.“We already have it all. We’re onlymissing a movie theater.”

5THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z NOVEMBER 2009

The former Immanual Baptist Church at English and Hillside Streets is to become the Rine Centerfor Performing Arts, a theater space that owners say will boost College Hill’s cultural cache.

Church to Become Theater, Local Owner Says


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BY BARRY OWENS

It is hard not to envy the task beforeartist Kent Williams, whose commissionfor Parkstone is to create something newand iconic for the development whileexamining the wider neighborhood forinspiration.

So it was that earlier this year he wentthrough longs walk through the neigh-borhood with a camera and sketchbooklooking for clues to inform the design ofthe fountain installed in the courtyard infront of the townhomes on Victor Placeat Rutan. He installed nine monolithicstones in a circle around a stacked foun-tain of amber colored stones for a primi-tive, natural world look, and then popu-

lated it with bird figures. Birds, he dis-covered, are more numerous than thetrees of the old neighborhood and hefound them everywhere.

Now he is up to somethingnew. But this time he has hit onsomething more classic and manmade as inspiration for the pieceshe will install at each ofParkstone’s entrances—TheBelmont Arches.

Williams plans to install tallneo-classic columns, topped withfinials, at Douglas and Rutan,Rutan and 1st, and Hillside andVictor Place (which finallyopened to traffic early this month).

“It is a contemporary take on a neo-classic column and urn set,” Williamssaid.

The steel cores of the columns are up

and will be finished with concrete incoming months, Williams said.

While the columns and urns areinspired by the Belmont Arches, helooked elsewhere in the neighborhoodfor decorative details.

“There will be a sort of sculptural beltthat wraps around each of these urns withdetails inspired by the neighborhood,” hesaid.

He’s still looking and designing, butone he is fond of he found at a backyardbarbecue in the pattern of antique patiofurniture. And birds may return, as well.But so far, nothing is set in stone.

“We want to give them a level ofdetail and mystique,” he said.

At Parkstone, a Few More Finishing Touches

RENDERINGS: KENT WILLIAMS

A conceptual draft of artist Kent Williams column and landscaping design for the entrances of Parkstone.

Conceptual drafts of artist Kent Williams urn designs which will top thethree columns to be installed in coming months at Parkstone. The urnsare meant to echo similar finials atop the Belmont Place arches. Thedesign of the bands, each unique, are inspired, Williams says, by the pat-terns found in the neighborhood, such as on antique patio furniture.

A stone and the core of a future column installed atDouglas and Rutan at Parkstone.


BY BARRY OWENS

There was quite a clamor theother morning coming out ofthe work shop above the garagebehind a fairy tale perfect

Tudor-style home on South FountainStreet in College Hill.

The shop machinery was humming, avacuum whined as it sucked up the saw-dust from the floor, and above it all therewas the tap, tap, tapping of hammers.

Christmas is around the corner andthe rush was on to complete at least 100wooden toy trucks before Thanksgiving.Workshop owner John Belt had put outcoffee and donuts and invited overneighbors and friends to pitch in to getthe job done.

The wooden, handmade toys are tobe donated and distributed by theSalvation Army to needy families at theirChristmas Center on Dec. 15. FromBelt’s shop, the toys would go on to EastHigh School where art students wouldcomplete the toys with custom paintjobs.

It is a charitable project, organized bythe Sunflower Woodworkers Guild, thatBelt contributes to each year. Alreadythis year, 100 locomotives and 50 air-plane toys have been assembled in his

shop. The goal of the Guild members isto build enough to serve the needy chil-dren in Wichita.

“We do 1,000 of these a year,” Beltsaid. “But I think if we could build 5,000,they would go.”

Helping out on this morning wereCollege Hill residents Bus Hartnett, BillComley, Jerry Jonas and Randy Lair.

“Like cutting out paper dolls,” Jonassaid at his station at a drill press where heworked to cut plug holes into the toy

truck’s bottom pieces, assembly linestyle. The trucks double as banks, andacross the shop Hartnett and Lair wererouting in the coin slots on pieces thatComley would later glue on to make thetrucks tops.

“I haven’t done this kind of thingsince the 9th grade at Robinson,”Comley said. “There is more to this jobthan there was at Robinson.”

Belt, who has been building the toyseach year since 2001, said that it can takedays for an individual to make a singletoy (“There are 28 pieces of wood in thislittle guy,” he said of a recently complet-ed airplane) so assembly-line style is theonly way to crank them out in mass.

“As many of them as I have helpedhim make, and I don’t even have one,”Hartnett sighed.

The toys are charming in their oldfashioned way, and Belt marvels at howpopular they are with children today.

“You would think that they wouldlove things with batteries that blink andso forth, but they love these,” he said.

Belt figures it has to do with quality,and pride.

“All their lives, these little kids haveprobably never had anything that anyoneelse wanted. And on Christmas morningthey get this heirloom-quality toy, some-thing that maybe other kids would want.That makes them feel special. And that,”Belt said, “is what keeps me going.”

THE TOY FACTORY

At a workshop at College Hill resident John Belt’shouse, neighbors pitched in last month to buildtoys for needy children, as Belt does every year.

Top center: Bill Comley glues pieces together. Topright: Bus Hartnett and Randy Lair use a router tocut grooves and coin slots into the toy truck pan-

els. Below: John Belt, at left, and Jerry Jonas.

Photos byJAMES WILSON

A College Hill wood shop where a secret Santa and his elves make gifts for needy children.

Want to see the toys? The completed toyswill be on display beginning the day afterThanksgiving through Dec. 11 at CityArts, 334 N. Mead, in Old Town.

Far left: A cabinet is filled with toy partsready for assembly. Left: Belt examines apiece of wood in his shop, built over hisgarage. He initially put the shop in to createcustom furniture “but I got sidetracked,” hesays, by the toy project, which has beeninvolved with since 2001. He’ll get back tothe furniture someday when “there are nomore poor children,” he says.

BY BARRY OWENS

Regular visitors to the formerSpringpark Gallery, tucked into a bun-galow at the back of Clifton Square,knew it to be a tranquil and homeyspace where you could often find artist,printmaker and owner George Bair atwork at his easel with the windowsopen to let in the sounds of the birdsand the children playing across thestreet.

So one had to wonder how the vibeof the gallery might change when Bairpacked up last month and moved hiswork across the street into a former drycleaning space in Happiness Plaza.

But one step inside, and it is clearthat Bair and his work have found ahome.

The two-story space, at 3555 E.Douglas, features towering 20-footwalls in what used to be the dry clean-er’s lobby. This month he installedlarge British restrike prints along one ofthe walls, large pieces which he hasbeen collecting for years but has neverhad the room to show.

He has room for two studios in thesplit level space, and he keeps his print-making press and copper plates in one,and a drafting table, paint, brushes, penand ink in the other. Works hang onevery wall, even the along the stairway.It’s spacious, bright and open—there iseven a balcony. What the gallery’s vibelost in intimacy, it more than makes upfor in transparency. It fairly glows atnight through the storefront glass.

“It is nice to get the stuff out whereyou can see it,” Bair said the other day,shortly after he opened. “I needed amuch bigger space. I needed space tospread out.”

Bair primarily produces drawingsand etchings and has a fondness forancient structures. The gallery wallsare heavy with prints depicting thebuildings of Venice and the Pueblos ofNew Mexico. But he also looks tolandscapes and botanicals for inspira-tion.

Bair is a former electrical engineerand took up art full time after retire-ment. He had been collecting etchingsfor years, he said, and since he finallyhad the time, he decided to go to artschool and learn intaglio techniques—

the art of making prints by cuttinggrooves into metal, inking them, andstamping the resulting image to paperusing a heavy press.

It’s painstaking work that requiresrigorous attention to detail.

“There is a lot of objective stuffthat has to be done, as opposed to sub-jective,” Bair said of the process. “It’shard to write a rule about how to do anoil painting. But when you are doingetching, there are some pretty refinedrules. I guess that appeals to the engi-neer in me a little bit.”

But now that he has the room, Bairsaid he is looking forward to stretch-ing his artistic wings.

“I’d really like to do some big, Imean massive, oil paintings,” he said.

10 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z NOVEMBER 2009ARTS

HELLO WALLSGallery owner and artist finds fresh walls, and plenty of them, at former dry cleaners.

"The Visitor Tree" by George Bair."Sky City" by George Bair. "Reaching For The Sun" by George Bair.

Left: George Bair, owner of Springpark Gallery, moved intohis new digs at Happiness Plaza, 3555 E. Douglas, this month.He was formerly in Clifton Square. “I needed a much biggerspace,” he says. “I needed room to spread out.” Below: Bairdemonstrates the printmaking process. “It hasn’t changed in500 years,” he says, “though Rembrandt’s press was proba-bly made of wood.”

Photos byBARRY OWENS


Bundtlettes Available at Dillons Bakery.

In Wichita’s late 1880’s economicrecession, brought on by the col-lapse of the real estate market, thetown’s suffering was not limited

to landowners. It swept over the lessfortunate little ones of the city—theneglected, abused and abandoned chil-dren. Their plight was not ignored bythe city, but the existing benevolentassociations were struggling to handlethe adult misery of the times. In theopening days of the economic crisis, aselfless group of Wichita womenanswered the call. A singular heartrending case served as the impetus.

In the spring of 1888 a hard-workinghusband and father of six was laid off andstruggled to provide for his family. Tocomplicate matters, his wife was preg-nant. He was convinced to go west foremployment. While away the seventhchild was born but the mother took illand died. A group of local women, num-bering about 20, rallied and rented amodest home on Lincoln Street in orderto care for the youngest of the motherlesswaifs: Minnie, 5, Stella, 4, Josie, 2, andthe newborn babe named Elvira. These

four children were provided shelter onMay 14, 1888, the first day of operationat the house. The charity was officiallychartered on June 19, 1888 as theWichita Children’s Home. The otherthree siblings, Milner, 11, Lottie, 8, andEffie, 7, were also brought to the Homeand cared for. Their father sent in finan-

cial support when possible. Two yearslater he remarried and was rejoined withhis young brood. The Home heard fromthem many years later from New York,Los Angeles, Dearborn, Mich., SanDiego, and El Monte, California.

Other children were admitted in theensuing months. Many came from

homes broken by fatal illness or accident.Other families disintegrated when a dis-heartened spouse gave up in despair andabandoned the family. These childrenwere sent to the Home on a temporarybasis while the remaining parent gotback on his or her feet, typically paying$1 a week for the child’s room and board.The Lincoln Street house was quicklyoutgrown and the charity’s Board ofDirectors, all women, rented a largerhouse at 119 N. Pennsylvania. It had 16rooms and was able to house greaternumbers of children.

In 1890, a local chapter of theHumane Society was organized, “for theprevention of cruelty to animals and chil-dren and the enforcement of law.” TheHumane Society would intervene onbehalf of children found to be in thedirest of circumstances. Some had beenabandoned to “a loveless world” by“many a wretched woman, many a hardhearted man” and others were simplyswept over by “poverty and misfortune.”Some were rescued from the “houses ofill fame” southwest of the town’s railwaydepots (today’s south St. Francis). Otherswere taken from homes “where drunken-

12 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z NOVEMBER 2009HISTORY

BY JEFF A. ROTH

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE



THE BIG HOUSE ON THE HILL

Children at the Home had been rescued from families broken by illness, fatalities, or separatedin search of employment during the economic recession of the late 1880s.

The Wichita Children’s Home was located in College Hill at the corner of Quentin and 1st streets from 1891 until 1912. The house, now gone, had formerly been a rental and was hauled tothe location by teamsters and horses. Though large (it was known as The Big House on the Hill) it would not be large enough over the years to hold all of the city’s needy children.


ness has caused cruel neglect and abuse,”as the Eagle noted in 1890. Six year old“Rose” was found begging “from placeto place” on the streets of Wichita, forcedto do so by her medicant father. She wasgive shelter at the Home. Eleven year old“Jack,” whose limbs “bear the marks ofill treatment & bruises,” was protectedfrom an unkind stepfather, according tothe Matron’s Book kept by the home.

Although the support and care of thearea’s needy children was normallyintended to be a temporary measure,returning a child to his or her home wasoften neither feasible nor advisable andadoptions took time. As such the Homebecame more and more crowded.Solicitations were made to the communi-ty for donations to build a permanentplace for the children. A donation of landfor a building site was also sought.Mention was made of College Hill as adesirable place for the relocation of theChildren’s Home.

In the “Boom” days of the mid 1880sland values in Wichita escalated too fastfor most charities to own any real estateoutright. For instance, a five acre tract onCollege Hill, today’s Quentin to Bluff,1st Street to Douglas, was purchased byreal estate investor A.A. Hyde inNovember of 1885 for $750. He sold thesame tract 6 months later for $2,000. Inthe ensuing recession, however,Wichita’s land values plummeted sodrastically that by 1891 the Children’sHome was able to buy the very sametract from its “land poor” owners for$135. The paper announced the charity’sgood fortune: “The new location is a verydesirable one, elevated as it is in the pureair of College Hill and having a beautifulview of the city and surrounding valley,”The Eagle reported on Sept. 29, 1891.

Fundraising efforts had originallyplanned for the construction of a newbuilding. However, a recession-era prac-tice had come into vogue, that of movingan existing house with teamsters andhorses to a one’s lot rather than buildinga new house there from scratch. At a timewhen homes were being hauled downfrom the hill for placement closer intotown, the charity purchased their rental

house on Pennsylvania Street and hauledit up the hill. It was “removed” to thesoutheast corner of 1st & Margaret (laterto be renamed Bort Street and finallynamed Quentin Street). Placement of thehouse was delayed until additional con-tributions were received.

Donations other than cash were need-ed as well. Blue calico, gingham, andunbleached muslin were on the wish list.Coal for the furnace was requested inanticipation of the coming winter. Even amilk cow was asked for and received.The basement masonry was completedand provided a “split level” first floorwhich would contain the store room,pantry, furnace and kitchen. The housewas soon jacked up and tugged atop itsfoundation. Its “second” floor containedthe reception parlor, Matron Mrs. Craig’sroom, the dining hall, bath and nursery.Upstairs provided the dormitories for theboys and girls. Their windows looked out“on green fields and pretty flowers”below. After final repairs and adjust-ments were made the charity’s belong-ings were moved “to their commodiousnew home” on Saturday, November 21,1891.

Thanksgiving was celebrated at thenew Home a few days later. In additionto the traditional roast turkey dinner, theinmates (not a pejorative term in thosedays) were favored with treats from gen-erous contemporaries. The school chil-

dren throughout town were encouragedto fill paper sacks with donations for theHome’s children. The results includedbushels of meal, sacks of flour, driedfruit, crackers, beans, potatoes, onions,apples and candy, the latter being thechildren’s favorite. Also popular was thefresh milk afforded by their “excellent”cow, plus eggs from the hens kept on thepremises. Christmas also included a fes-tive dinner, gifts of books for the olderchildren, blocks and toys for the playroom, and a visit from the jolly one.

Deaths were not uncommon at theHome in the early years. The Matron’sBook poignantly mentions the workingsof the “Death Angel” or the “GreatReaper.” Foundlings were particularlyvulnerable. Some were left on theHome’s doorstep, some were found bythe police in Wichita’s alleys or hotels,one was found in Mr. Calhoun’s buggyfollowing his attendance at church serv-ice and another determined to have beenleft at the Home by its 14 year old moth-er’s…mother. Some foundlings survivedbut there was great sadness when“Pocahontas,” an Indian baby who hadbeen found in Delano’s Riverside Hotel“was called home” only a few monthsafter being born. A 26 plot section waspurchased in Wichita’s Maple GroveCemetery for the Home’s early departed.The last child to be interred there wasduring the Great Depression in 1933

The Big House on the Hill, as it wasknown, received improvements in 1893.Shade trees and an assortment of fruittrees were planted, along with berriesand grape vines. A cinder walk was laidout in front of the home and an arbor wasbuilt to provide shade.

The mission of the home evolvedaround the turn of the century to includenot only homeless children but to chil-dren of working mothers who “have notthe time to take care of them.” The trans-planted 16 room house was provinginadequate to accommodate the largerdaytime numbers. Although it was begin-ning to show its age, a two story additionwas added to it as an interim measure.

By the end of the next decade seriousdiscussions were underway concerningthe building of a new, 20th century homefor Wichita’s children in need. A closeexamination of the big house on the hillshowed it to be old, cramped and beyondrepair. An April 30, 1907 Beacon head-lines read, “Many Children and FewRooms” and “No Place for the Tots toPlay.”

In 1909 a meeting was held in theoffice of C.W. Carey of the NationalBank of Commerce. Carey was aCollege Hill resident, having built thehome at 155 N. Roosevelt. It was hisview that, the property underlying theChildren’s Home should be sold and theproceeds used to build a new home. Theplan was put into effect a few years laterand Sam Wallingford of WallingfordBros., grain dealers, bought the Quentinto Bluff tract, plus a portion of the blockon the west side of Quentin for $15,000.Today the homes in that area are in the“Wallingford Addition.”

In 1912 the Wichita Children’s Homemoved to a large four story brick build-ing that they built at 810 N. Holyoke. Indoing so they ended their 20 year stay inCollege Hill and began their long termresidency in Sleepy Hollow. That largebrick home served their needs for morethan 50 years but eventually the City’sbuilding and fire codes began to disfavorthe Holyoke home. Its replacement, thecurrent Holyoke facility, was built in1964 and stands today as the oldest con-tinuously operating charity in the city.

THE BIG HOUSE ON THE HILLCONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

HISTORY

The Wichita Children’s Home, circa 1900, shows additions made to expand the crowding house.The addition was not enough. A decade later the Home built a larger building in Sleepy Hollow.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WICHITA CHILDREN’S HOME


HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSES & EVENTSDean’s Designs3555 E. DouglasSaturday November 7, 8:30 to3pmSunday November 8, 12-5pm.

Carolyn Sayre’s Fine Jewelry,3555 E. DouglasHoliday Open HouseSat., Nov. 14, 9:30am to 8pm

Cero’s Candies1108 E. DouglasSweets & treats, holiday offerings.Sat., Nov., 14, 10-4.

Spice Merchant 1308 E. DouglasOpen Sundays after Thanksgiving1-5.

Eighth Day Books2838 E. Douglas“Presents of Mind” Mentionthis ad to receive 10% off allchildren’s books through Nov.and Dec.

Clifton Wine and JazzClifton SquareNov. 6,13,14 Johnny Neal8pm-Midnight,Nov.12 Jeb Beck 8pm-Midnight

Juliana Daniel Antiques3224 E. DouglasNov. 8 Holiday Open House 12-5pm

ABODE Home 1330 E. Douglas Get $100 off every $500 pur-chase throughout November. FinalFriday Nov. 27, Holiday WindowUnveiling Party and Benefit for theWichita Children’s Home. Go toabodehome.com for WichitaChildren’s Home donation “wishlist.”

Aspen Boutique 4724 E. DouglasCustomer Appreciation SaleNovember 18-25.

Monica’s Bundt Cakes1328 E. Douglas Your Holiday Headquarters fordelectable delights! We are nowin 18 Dillon Stores! We have justadded Newton and will start withHutchinson on November 6.

Lincoln Heights VillageDouglas & Oliver

ArtifactsFinal Friday Art Crawl featuring various artists Nov. 27 5-8pm

Angela Snow PhotographyHalf price Senior PortraitSession through the end ofthe year.

Susan’s FloralsHoliday Open House: 8:30am-5pm Nov. 6,7, 12-5pm, Nov. 8

Watermark BooksNov. 9 Mike Huckabee 10:30am;Nov. 27 Jaden Hirr — cookingdemo and signing, 4-6pm; Final Friday, Nov. 27,Jo Quillin-Tomson, 6-8pm

Heads ShoesInterfaith Ministries BlanketDrive. $10 off a new pair ofadult shoes for every new orgently used blanket donated.Offer expires 12/31/09.

SHOP THE DISTRICT IN NOVEMBER!

S U B S C R I B EBecause we don’t have a web site.

Call 689-8474 for details.

THE DOWNTOWNERDELANO DOWNTOWN WICHITA OLD TOWN••

15THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z NOVEMBER 2009 ETC.

Halloween in the old neighborhood, and we didn’tsee lions, tigers and bears but did spy the tin manand a wicked witch among the thousands of trick-or-treaters on the dark and spooky streets ofCollege Hill. And at Clifton Square, we even saw ahorse appropriately named Boo.

Photos byGUS FREY

andBARRY OWENS

Boo! GUS FREYBARRY OWENS

BARRY OWENSGUS FREY

the college hill commoner, nov. 09

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leaves probablyblown

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