Hoke and dreams [The Hutchinson News, Kan.]

Dec. 27--It was one of the tallest buildings to grace Hutchinson's downtown skyscape back in 1910 -- a four-story structure permeated with the smell of new wood and fresh concrete.

Back then, those looking out the upper story of the new Hoke building could see a young, growing city.

"This is where a four-story building is to be erected soon and which will be modern in every way," The Hutchinson News touted in January 1910. "There will be an elevator and there will be no convenience lacking at all.

"It means progress," the editor exclaimed.

However, 101 years later, the Hoke building isn't the showcase it once was. The dusty, worn-down building sits empty at the corner of First Avenue and Walnut Street. Some windows are broken out on the upper levels. Plaster has fallen off the ceilings in some rooms, exposing the decades-old lathe above.

"If you just look the other way, you could just knock these old buildings down and have more parking lots," said Realty Executives Realtor Jim Davis.

As the building's owner, however, Davis sees promise in the structure as he points out remnants of Hutchinson's architectural history on a recent tour.

Solid wood doors and woodwork grace the rooms. Some light fixtures hang from the ceilings. A few bathrooms have gold lettering affixed to the outside. Checkerboard tile is visible through a thick layer of dust.

There are also 60 large windows, roughly 4 by 6 feet, which let in natural light on the three upper levels. An old safe remains, as well, part of it turned into a bathroom.

It's just a few of the pieces of the past that still grace the brick building commissioned in 1910 by James S. Hoke, a Hutchinson real estate speculator who also was involved in agribusiness. An article from that year had Hoke estimating the cost of the building at $20,000.

Now Davis is working to get investors to help him restore the building, which was put on the National Register of Historic Places this summer. He has had several inquiries, including one from Minnesota.

Other historic Hutchinson buildings like the Wolcott and the Bisonte Hotel have been torn down, he said.

"At the time, (those buildings) didn't make economic sense and no one stepped in to try to figure out a way to do it," Davis said, adding that he is looking at all his options for the Hoke building in an effort to restore it and still make it a profitable venture.

Grain trade center

The building's history isn't as well known as that of others near it, such as the Fox Theatre and the landmark eight-story Wiley building at First and Main, but the Hoke building actually preceded both.

The Wiley was constructed in 1913 and the Fox in 1931.

There are snippets, however, in past issues of The News, as well as the historic nomination application, which tell the Hoke building's story.

Its construction corresponded with the city's transition from farm town to agricultural and industrial powerhouse, according to the historical nomination documents. As Kansas farmers turned to wheat as a cash crop, Hutchinson found itself in the center of Kansas wheat country. The Hoke building provided office space for a growing list of wheat-related businesses and organizations.

Occupants began to fill the building as early as July 1910.

Among the building's original tenants was the Hutchinson Board of Trade, a grain exchange founded in 1910 that later moved into the Wiley. The state's wheat inspector also was housed in the building, and, in addition to the Hoke's real estate office, the building housed eight grain company offices in 1912, according to The News.

Also, the historic application shows, the building was associated with Gano Grain Corp. and the "empire" of George Gano. In 1928, Gano had 15,000 acres of wheat under cultivation and owned and operated a chain of 45 elevators in southwest Kansas. By the time of his company's merger in 1947, the corporation had 70 grain elevators.

The first floor was originally divided into seven spaces, according to the historic designation application. Tenants included a wholesale jewelry shop, a tailor, a retail store and two clothing stores.

Other businesses, not necessarily agriculture-related, also called the Hoke home. Lettering on the doors along the third story denotes the Dupray-Peterson Laboratories, which did a number of studies, including testing for allergies like hay fever. A notebook on a window ledge of the third story, hidden by the dust, has handwritten notes on the topic, including a notation made in the 1940s that suggests "allergy" was a new term.

Bacteriologists also did tests on animals for various diseases for the human medical industry. For instance, according to a 1942 story in The News, lab officials were concerned about a shortage of guinea pigs. The story said the lab used the pigs "to provide blood for Wasserman tests for Cessna aircraft workers."

In other words, the lab was testing for syphilis. Davis said earlier this fall that he had found syphilis records in the building, which he destroyed.

The company also developed animal inoculations and tested water and feed. The firm outgrew its space in the Hoke building and moved in 1961 or 1962.

Other businesses to house offices in the building included the old Wichita Northwestern Railroad, as well as the Great American Life Insurance Co., whose eagle once graced the outside of the building, according to an article in The News.

In 1952, the Hoke building underwent a major remodel, including the installation of a false metal façade, or slip cover, which covered the front of the top three floors and tied the Hoke to the adjacent building to the west, according to the historic designation application.

At that time, the owners also modified the storefront and the first floor was accessed via an entrance into the adjacent building. The slip cover was removed a few years go, once more exposing the historic upper levels.

Most of the offices in the upper stories were abandoned in the 1960s, according to the application.

A barber rented a lower-story room until last spring, when Davis indicated he was going to try to find investors to renovate the building.

Today, the Hoke building is empty.

One effort to revitalize downtown

About 30 years ago, Davis said he watched as a mall came to town, which caused downtown Hutchinson to struggle. Now, he is excited to see a reawakening along Main Street, where several new businesses line the district.

Davis hopes the Hoke building can be added to the list of success stories. His realty company, 4Results Inc., has owned the building for nearly a decade.

Downtown Development Director Jim Seitnater said the location near the Fox Theatre is prime.

"It's exciting," he said. "It is the adaptive reuse of spaces like this that are key to the downtown revitalization."

Davis said he is considering several options for the building. One idea is to turn the upper stories into apartments, with the main level serving as offices. Alternatively, he noted, the entire building could be office space.

Meanwhile, he envisions a nearby parking lot becoming a closed, covered parking area for tenants.

"Nothing is set in stone," Davis said. "As far as what is going to happen next, just exploring a lot of options."

Investors also have to be cognizant that it is a historic landmark, he said. For instance, he doesn't know if he will be able to shorten the 5-foot-wide upstairs hallways or where he will need to add fire stairs.

He does know of a few changes that will have to be made. For instance, to make the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ground floor, which is raised about two or three feet from the sidewalk, will need to be lowered back down. Moreover, for that to happen, the old safe will need to be taken out.

"We'll do whatever makes the most economic sense," he said.

Hutchinson's historic buildings like the Hoke have meaning to Davis, who grew up in Hutchinson. His father and grandfather started a lumberyard in town in 1936.

"If we have a chance to save an old building, we should do it," he said.

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(c)2011 The Hutchinson News (Hutchinson, Kan.)

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