History
The Kansas Ave Lofts building sits on the site of the first log cabin built in Topeka and where the town charter was written. The cabin burned to the ground a few days later.
Parkhurst-Davis Mercantile Builds New Warehouse
In 1901, the Parkhurst-Davis Mercantile Company constructs a building at 101 N Kansas Avenue. Utilizing nearby railroads, they ship a wide variety of goods from food and mattresses to chemicals and ammunition.
Fire Ravages Building
Occasionally storage of the warehouse materials proves dangerous. On Feb 13, 1904 and again on Feb 12, 1909, devastating fires destroy the building. Both times the cornerstone dedicated to the Topeka founders is able to be salvaged.
Parkhurt-Davis Building Rebuilt
In 1910, the Parkhurst-Davis Building was rebuilt for a third time - this time out of concrete. The building name changes over the decades but it remains a dry good warehouse until 1959.
Seymour Foods Inc. Buys Warehouse
From 1959 to 1989, Seymour Foods operates an egg processing and office at the location. To facilitate the industrial use, most windows are blocked in. To seal the porous brick it is covered with stucco. From 1989 - 2015 the building continued to be used by Seymours for general storage.
Kansas Ave Lofts
In 2015, Mike and Maria Wilson purchase the building with the intent to create loft apartments. By late 2017, the Wilsons are joined by partners Patti Mellard, Mike Tindell, Nathan Tindell, and Keith Sowards to execute the task of turning the historic building into 33 loft apartments, with indoor parking, and obtaining National Park Service designation as a historic building. The first Loft tenants moved in January 1, 2019.
