COLLEGE HILL CROWN HEIGHTS UPTOWN SLEEPY HOLLOWVol. 4 No. 5 MAY 2010

5 A night and daydifference: Formercoffee shop now awine bar.

4 Busted! CollegeHill burglars caughtthanks to watchfulneighbors.

8 The storied CollegeHill home that oncehoused the WichitaHistory Museum.

• ••

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER

BARRY OWENS

It took artist Seth Depiesse, on the ladder, all of a single afternoon to freehand the 12-foot tall face of a well-groomed, mustachioed man on the side of the College Hill Barbershopbuilding on Douglas Avenue early this month. The sudden, striking appearance of the spray-painted mural drew double takes from passersby.

The remarkable and sudden appearance of the man with the

mighty mustache.PAGE 6

FRESH FACE

UP AND DOWN

You buy the kids a new toy, like a trampoline, andyou figure you’re buying them a little happinessand yourself a little time. “Here you go, knuckle-

heads. Knock yourself out,” you tell them. “Daddy willbe reading in the den while you two bounce until naptime.” But it never seems to work that way. There is, ofcourse, the nagging worry that they might actuallyknock themselves out. It’s distracting. But the more per-sistent distraction turns out to be the kids themselves. Theyare determined to make you join them. The back doorslams, you hear the little feet marching across the floor andyou peer over the top of the sports page to find a couple ofcurly-headed boys. They’re not bouncing. They’re nothappy. They’re staring.

“Come jump with us,” they say. You’re stuck now, pal. Say no and you’re Distant Dad, a nofunnick destined

to be remembered poorly by your children who one daywill move away and lose your telephone number. Sayyes, and you’re stuck on the trampoline. Reader, I con-fess, I have to think this one through every time.

It is impossible to look cool on a trampoline. The sun-glasses go flying, your grin goes goofier the higher yourise, and all the neighbors can see your silly 40-year-oldman having-fun-face bobbing over the top of the fence.But what they can’t see are those giggly children fallingall over themselves at your feet. It’s a fair exchange.

So you get out of your chair and your shoes and youbounce for awhile, putting your heart into it until yourchest starts to ache and your huffing, puffing and laugh-ing with those floppy-haired moppets and vowing toyourself that you will never, ever attempt to buy theirhappiness again.

BARRY OWENSEDITOR

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 20102

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: editor@collegehillcommoner.com

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

CALL US: 689-8474

ADVERTISE: jessica@collegehillcommoner.com, or 689-8474

LETTERS

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONERVOLUME 4 ISSUE 5 MAY 2010

PUBLISHERJESSICA FREY OWENS

EDITORBARRY OWENS

CONTRIBUTORSDAVE KNADLER

THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONERPublished monthly by

The College Hill Commoner337 N. Holyoke

Wichita, K.S. 67208316-689-8474

editor@collegehillcommoner.comwww.collegehillcommoner.com

Black, white & read all over.

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3THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010 OP-ED

My first brush with crime inCrown Heights was aboutfour years ago. I’d foolish-

ly left my car unlocked and cameout the next morning to find theglove box rifled and my cell phone

gone. I decidedto call the cellphone and theguy actuallyanswered. Forsome reason, herefused to identi-fy himself. Theconversation wasa short one.

As far as vic-timization goes,

that was pretty mild. I didn’t evenbother to report it – just assumingthat WPD might not assign its bestdetectives to the Curious Case ofthe Purloined Cell Phone. Was Iangry? Sure. I felt violated too.But then, I’d left my car unlockedso I figured I had it coming.That’s often the case when regularpeople encounter thieves – wetend to assume that it’s our fault.Somebody breaks into your car orhouse, you curse yourself for nothaving better sense, or a betteralarm system, or a dog bettertrained to pursue intruders, seize

them by the crotch and dragthem down screaming. (Gooddog, Ginger!)

But the worst thing aboutfirsthand encounters with pettycrime is that the criminals them-selves never seem to getinvolved. They wander by at anyhour, take what they can, andleave. It’s frustrating. These arenot criminal masterminds, afterall; they’d pick a Nintendo overa Picasso. But it’s like they’reuntouchable, invisible. And it’slike your stuff never existed.Like my cell phone, it’s goneforever. Only reason to report itis for the insurance.

The cops can’t help. In a townwhere gang shootings and bankrobberies have long since eclipsedlesser crimes, let’s just say theyhave bigger fish to fry. Wichita’s agreat town, but it’s like everyplace else in one respect: You’remostly on your own when itcomes to retaining ownership ofthose possessions that are notnailed down.

Thankfully, there are excep-tions to that rule. I’m referring tothe recent case where one of myneighbors in Crown Heightsdecided to call 911 about a burgla-

ry in progress instead of shrug-ging it off. Net result: Two bot-tom-feeders temporarily off thestreet and an alarming string ofCollege Hill burglaries solved.That made me happy. I’m particu-larly pleased because the two bot-tom-feeders in question wereworking my particular block thatafternoon. I figure I missed themby about an hour. Maybe I’mlucky I still have a computer totype this on.

But for me, the happy outcomeis also a cause for reflection.Reading the details, I had to askmyself: Let’s say I was surveilling

the neighborhood through my par-tially-drawn blinds (as I have beenknown to do) and spotted a coupleof guys loading up their carhalfway down the block. Howwould I react?

Depends on the house, I sup-pose. But unless the guys in ques-tion had pantyhose pulled overtheir heads and seemed kind ofjumpy, I might well take thenaive, optimistic view: “Oh look,”I might think. “Mr. Smith’s indus-trious nephews are helping himmove.” And then later I’d read inthe paper about the phantom bur-glars who entered Mr. Smith’shome in broad daylight and leftwith a substantial portion of hishome electronics. I’d feel prettysilly. And I damned sure wouldn’tmention it to Mr. Smith. (That’s amade-up name, by the way.)

Good thing I’m not Mr.Smith’s only neighbor. Becausehis better neighbor proved againwhat we all should know by now:Cops don’t stop crime. Neighborsdo. But the only way they can is ifthey know each other. And careenough to call.

Writer Dave Knadler lives inCrown Heights.

Fighting crime from the front window

DAVE KNADLER

Let’s say I was surveillingthe neighborhood throughthrough my partially-drawn blinds (as I havebeen known to do) andspotted a couple of guysloading up their carhalfway down the block.How would I react?

4 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

BY BARRY OWENS

Wichita Police made the collar,but you can thank a fuzzy surveil-lance photo from Kwik Shop, asharp-eyed mom in Crown Heightsand the vigilance of College Hillneighbors for catching a couple ofthieves in the act last month.

The alleged thieves, whom policesay could be connected with morethan a half-dozen residential burgla-ries in College Hill and CrownHeights last month, are now behindbars thanks to tips from watchfulneighbors.

The two men were arrested fol-lowing a tip from a Crown Height’sresident who spied their car in frontof a neighbor’s house on North OldManor and jotted down the tag num-ber. The car, a gold Saturn, wasfamiliar to her from a recent e-mailshe’d received from a friend inCollege Hill.

The email was a forward fromWichita Police which detailed a listof recent break-ins and included aphoto of a suspect car, snapped at

Kwik Shop. “I came home and pulled into my

driveway and saw a car in front ofmy neighbor’s house with a gentle-men in the driver’s seat,” the CrownHeights resident said (she asked notto be identified). “By the time I gotmy son out of the car and got to thefront door, I saw another gentlemenrunning out of the neighbor’s housewith a box in his hand.”

She got the tag number as the cardrove away, dashed inside to verify

the description from the email,called her friend in College Hill forfurther confirmation, tried callingthe neighbor at work, then called 9-1-1.

Within an hour, police hadtracked the vehicle to a house in the400 block of South Laura, wherethey arrested a 28-year old man andfound a large amount of stolen prop-erty.

Soon after, a second suspect wasarrested at a South Broadway hotel.

The 48-year-old was discovered hid-ing beneath a bed.

The pair are suspected of break-ing-in and stealing from as many aseight homes in the College Hill areain April. Burglaries were reported inthe 400 block of North Crestway,200 block of North Brookside, 100block of North Parkwood, 200 blockof North Belmont, 100 Block ofSouth Brookside, 4300 block of EastDouglas, the 200 block of NorthBleckley and the 300 block of NorthOld Manor.

Jewelry, computers, televisions,and other electronics were stolenfrom the homes. All of the homeswere on the market with FOR SALEsigns posted out front.

The Crown Heights resident whotipped police said she is thankful thatthe latest burglars are off the street.

“I feel better because I know thatthey are behind bars” she said. “Butat the same time, it seems like everycouple of years there is a string ofburglaries in the neighborhood.”

At least two other break-ins werereported last month, one near Firstand Quentin and another on Olivernear Waterman.

Police say that neither of thosebreak-ins seemed connected with theeight others.

Busted! Watchful Neighbors Finger ThievesBurglars struck

during day, targetinghomes on the market.

WICHITA POLICE DEPARTMENT

A fuzzy surveillance photo from Kwik Shop on Douglas of a car suspected to be used during arash of burglaries in College Hill last month helped lead neighbors and police to the suspects.

5THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

BY BARRY OWENS

The other day at Mike’s WineDive, a new wine bar and restaurantthat opened last month in AspenBoutique in the space that formerlyhoused Caffe Posto and HairConnection, owner Bradley Stevenwas explaining the lengthy wine list.

“It’s a novel,” he said.No kidding. It features a list of

250-plus wines, bios on vintners, afew character sketches on grapes. Butit’s an easy, entertaining read—anddeliberately so. It even includes ahelpful pronunciation key

“Let’s say you’re on a date. Youwant to impress,” Steven said of thephonetic spelling included on the list.“You see an interesting wine that youwould like to order, but you don’tknow how to say the name. What’sgoing to happen? You don’t want tolook stupid, so you’re just going toorder the Cabernet instead.”

Welcome to the neighborhoodwine bar, where the atmosphere aimsfor classy and comfortable at the sametime.

There are oysters on the menu, butalso hot dogs. The macaroni andcheese is mixed in a creamy whitewine sauce and tossed with lobster andshrimp.

There is a jukebox in the corner,next to a wine rack where the bottlesrange from $30 to $700.

“There’s a little weirdness in thegrapes, there’s a little weirdness in thefood as well,” Steven said of theeccentricities of the menu and thewine list.

Steven, along with brother Brent

(the pair are also own-ers of Club Indigo andBackstage Bar andGrill) opened the barand restaurant lastmonth in partnershipwith Jimmy’s Eggfranchisee Whitney VinZant.

“We bring our nightclub and liquorexperience and Whitney brings thefood,” Steven said of the partnership.

Steven said the hope is to provide apolished but low key place where bothconnoisseurs and those only casually

acquainted with wine can feel com-fortable.

That is why it is called Mike’s.“It just sounds comfortable,”

Steven said. “It doesn’t sound preten-tious or French. It’s easy to pronounce.Everyone has heard the name before.”

Where Everybody Knows the NameAt Mike’s Wine Dive,the wine list is long

but easy to read.

Bradley Steven, ownerof Mike’s Wine Dive, arestaurant and wine barthat opened last monthin Aspen Boutique.Steven opened the barin partnership with hisbrother, Brent, andWhitney VinZant.

BY BARRY OWENS

One after another cars slowed sotheir drivers could gawk. Barbershopcustomers (it was closed at the time)lingered in the lot before setting backout in search of a trim. And passersbygave shout outs from the sidewalk.

“Looks nice, man!” a young dude,looking dapper himself in a pair of dia-mond earrings, said of the dandy gent

taking shape on the side of the CollegeHill Barbershop building on Douglas.

Not that the artist, Seth Depiesse,32, even seemed to notice.

His headphones were blasting (“ Athrash mix. I’m trying to work quick-ly. It helps.”) and his eyes remained afixed squint, presumably to keep outthe overspray.

Depiesse, who lives in the neigh-

borhood, had been commissioned bybarbershop owner Mike Cocking topaint the mural on the side of hisbuilding, which sits on Douglas nextto Margarita’s Cantina.

The artist arrived on a Saturdaymorning early this month with hissupplies: a ladder, several cans ofRust-Oleum, a bag of Cheetos, apack of smokes, a few select CDs anda photograph he had found at thelibrary for inspiration.

The photo was taken from a bookshowing men’s hairstyles from theturn of the last century. The modelwears no sideburns, his hair is partedat the left and his mustache curls at

both ends.“It reads kind of conservative, but

kind of eccentric at the same time,”said Depiesse. “Kind of like CollegeHill.”

But who is he?Depiesse doesn’t care to know.“I try to keep it really anony-

mous,” he said. “I’m trying to buildhim as his own character.”

The artist made no sketch, tookno measurements. From time to time,he considered the photograph whichhe otherwise kept clamped in histeeth, shook the can, sprayed it at thewall, and the face revealed itself as ifit had been there all along.

6 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

FRESH FACEThe man behind the mural (and mustache)

Photos byBARRY OWENS

Artist Seth Depiesse pants a mural early thismonth on the side of the College HillBarbershop building on Douglas.

7THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

Garden Tour Date SetMark your calendars for June 12

for the College Hill Architectural andGarden Tour. (Rain date: June 13).

The tour will feature the homes ofMarc & Charisse Bachrodt at 300 S.Clifton, Sharon O’Neill and WilliamMcKeighan at 400 S. Roosevelt, Pauland Maxine Miller at 335 S. Crestway,Ed and Linda Wilson at 328 N.Pershing and Daniel and MaryWheeler at 237 N. Crestway.

Also on June 12, City of WichitaArborist Justin Combs will lead tourgroups on a stroll through College HillPark, noting the varieties of trees thatbeautify the park. A commemorativeTrident Maple will be planted in thepark to mark the neighborhood’s longtradition of planting trees, which start-ed back in the late 1880s.

Tickets are $5 and can be pur-chased at any of the locations on theday of the tour or at WatermarkBooks, 4701 E. Douglas, beginningJune 1. The tour is a fundraiser in sup-port of the College Hill NeighborhoodAssociation.

The Association is seeking volun-teers to sell tickets and pass outbrochures during the event. To volun-teer or for more information, emailKathleen Snyder: ksny@cox.net.

College Hill History TalkJeff Roth, amateur historian and

College Hill Commoner contributor, willgive an illustrated lecture on the historyof the old neighborhood on May 15 atthe Wichita-Sedgwick County HistoricalMuseum, 204 S. Main.

The hour-long presentation, “OnCollege Hill: Views of Early Wichita,” isset for 2p.m. Museum admission is freefrom 1-3pm.

“The emphasis will be on the transi-tion of the eastern hill from prairie toneighborhood, but the anecdotes andexperiences to be covered – land deals,fortunes made and lost, street cars caus-ing suburbs, etc.— will have applicabili-ty to all of Wichita,” Roth says.

Wright on ArchitectureEric Lloyd Wright, architect and the

grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright, famedarchitect and designer of the Allen-Lambe House in College Hill, will speakMay 8 at 1 p.m. at Wichita State Uni-versity CAC Theatre. The event is free.

Wright will speak about the Allen-Lambe house, prairie architecture, andhis own work on architectural projectswith his grandfather and father, bothhighly original architects.

The presentation is a collaborationbetween the Ulrich Museum of Art andThe Allen-Lambe House Museum.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

HISTORY HOUSEThe Beachy home’s second life as a museum

It is possible to be fully grown, withchildren even, live in College Hill,and never have known the home at

3751 E. Douglas to house anyone butKirstie Alley, the guests that passedthrough Inn at the Park before then, orthe real estate agents that once set upshop there. But for more than 20 years,the house was home to the city’s his-torical artifacts.

The former Beachy house, origi-nally home to Cyrus M. Beachy,banker and first president of Steffen’s

Dairy Foods Co., enjoyed a long sec-ond act as the Wichita HistoricalMuseum from 1957-79.

It was built in 1909, one of the fourearly and splendid homes on the block,including the H. W. Darling house justto the east that went up a few yearsearlier.

Designed by architect C. W. Terry,the Beachy home was finished in redbrick and carthage stone and featuredtiled porches, five bathrooms, a grandstaircase, a carved mantlepiece andoak trim throughout.

It remained a private residence

until 1955 when it was bequeathed bythe late Anna Olinger Beachy, widowof Cyrus, to the city to house a histor-ical museum.

Anna Beachy was an avid collectorof antiques and dolls, which as themuseum notes, constituted an exhibit initself.

Prior to moving to the Beachyhouse, the city’s historical artifacts werehoused at the Sedgwick CountyCourthouse, beginning in 1919, andthen moved to a hallway at the Forum in1939.

The Beachy house would be the

Wichita Historical Museum’s first prop-er home.

Exhibits on opening day in 1957included an early dentist’s office, com-plete with drilling equipment chair andbrass cuspidor, a stage coach once usedfor runs to Dodge City and “of specialinterest to youngsters,” the Eagle noted,“a desk once owned by Buffalo BillMathewson.”

Hanging in the foyer was a largemirror in a gold leaf frame, which oncebelonged to restaurateur Fred Harvey.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

8 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010HISTORY

WICHITA -SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

BY BARRY OWENS

The Beachy house, 3751 E. Douglas, was built in 1909 and later became home to the city’s first historical museum.

HISTORY 9THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

WICHITA -SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

HISTORY HOUSECONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

From guns to needlework, earlychina to an old steam fire engine thehouse was full of antiques, includingthe furnishings and dolls left by Anna.

Today the museum — now housedin the former City Building, 204 S.Main, built by familiar architectsWillis Proudfoot and George Bird —houses nearly 70,000 artifacts.

The museum reopened there as theWichita-Sedgwick County HistoricalMuseum in 1981 after moving out ofthe Beachy house in 1979.

The last public event at the CollegeHill location was, appropriately

enough for a home originally built forthe president of a dairy, an ice creamsocial.

Banjo players picked on the frontporch, a calliope played on the side,and out back the kids competed in acake walk to tunes from a hand-cranked victrola.

And there was one more nod to thepast, in the personage of OwenMcEwen, grandson of Cyrus. He grewup in the house, not the museum.

“It was just a nice, big home,” hetold the Eagle, with an “awful big ban-ister to slide down.”

Hundreds turned out in 1979 for a final hurrah for the Wichita Historical Museum.

10 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

11THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER z MAY 2010

presentssummer art camp

Enroll early for weeklong sesson where students willlearn the basics of clay construction and spray art on can-vas. During these processes your child will learn how tocreatively express themselves through the elements andprinciples of design, which will promote cognitive devel-opment and build probelm solving skills.

The first part of the week will be devoted to 3-D design.Students will create a unique

lidded vessel out of clay which will be fired in the kiln andthen painted.The second part of the week will be devot-ed to 2-D design where students will learn the process ofspray painting on stretched canvas.

sessions1. May 31-June 3

2. June 7 - June 113. June 14-June 184. June 21-June 255. Juned 28-July 26. July 12-July 167. July 19-July 238. July 26-July 309. Aug. 2-Aug. 5

Sessions: 4-7pm Mon-FriLocation: 1141 Jefferson(in Riverside area)Ages: 7 and upCost: $150 per session perstudent. (Drinks andsnacks provided.)

Call now!258-4043

meet the teachersTINA THOMAS is a certified art teacher who holds aBFA with an emphasis on ceramics and art education.She volunteers her time with the Ulrich Museum.JOHN Q is a well known local artist who specializes inspray painting. He has held numerous shows aroundWichita. You can view his work in Old Town.

Biking advocates say Douglas isprime for pedaling and they are out toprove it with a day geared toward bicyclefun and safety along the avenue.

“I Bike Douglas,” set for May 22,aims to promote biking while increasingawareness and respect for riders.

The event is organized by theDouglas Design District, WichitaDowntown Development Corporationand the Delano District.

“We want the day to serve as a visiblereminder to motorists that they are shar-ing the road, but probably the best way toeducate motorists on bicyclists’ rights tothe road is to ride respectfully. So bikesafety and maintenance clinics will be amajor part of the day,” said organizerAnn Keefer.

The day includes safety and mainte-nance clinics, tours, an exhibit and a pubride. Rain date is May 29.

Here’s a look at the day’s events:

MINOR BIKE EMERGENCY CLINICThis informative session will teach allthose essential on-the-go-fixes that willhave you back up and riding again in notime. The first 100 participants will receivea free gift. 9am @ Heartland Bicycles(Mosley & Douglas)

MAINTENANCE CLINICThis clinic will delve into how to keep your

bike in tip-top shape. The first 100 partici-pants at this clinic will receive a T-shirtdesigned with safety in mind. 10am @ American Red Cross, 1900 E. Douglas

BIKE SAFETY CLINIC (KIDS)Safety tips and rules for beginning riders.10am @ American Red Cross.

BIKE SAFETY CLINIC Safety rules and tips for experienced riders.11am @ American Red Cross

ARCHITECTURAL RIDE Guided look at some of the architec-tural treasures along Douglas. Fromsleek modern designs to art decoinfluences to elaborate and ornatelycarved limestone, the avenue offersnumerous examples of the city’sarchitectural heritage. Led by localartist and architect ElizabethStevenson. 1pm @ Wichita Dow-ntown Development Corporation, 507E Douglas

ART RIDELed by local well-known artist, AnnResnick, this art gallery on wheels will fea-ture stops at various sculptures and muralsthroughout the core area. Learn the storybehind the medallions embedded in thesidewalk along Broadway or discoverwhere a Jester takes a bow. 2:30pm @ Wichita Downtown Develop-ment Corporation

PHOTOGRAPHER RIDEWhether you are an experienced shutter-bug or an aspiring one in search of inspira-tion, this tour provides ample opportunityto capture unique and memorable shots.Led by Wichita Coasters member and avidphotographer Ty Nighswonger, this ridewill showcase several of Nighswonger’sfavorite photo locations and subjects. 4pm @ Wichita Downtown DevelopmentCorporation

VINTAGE BICYCLESCoasters Bicycle Club’s exhibit of vintagebikes. 1-4pm in Delano (West Douglas)

PUB PEDALBike and bar hop along with the CoastersBicycle Club, hitting stops from TheShamrock in Delano to Lucky's in theDouglas Design District and points inbetween. 6pm @ The Shamrock, 1724 W.Douglas

Bicycle Day Geared Toward Family Fun, Safety

FILE PHOTO