The Overland Park Historical Society is one step closer to completing its renovation project on the former Strang Line Depot at 80th Street and Santa Fe Drive.
To speed up the renovation process, the historical society is seeking a private construction loan.
Last week, the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee voted 5-0 to recommend approving an amendment to an existing funding agreement with the historical society, paving the way for the organization to get the loan.
The project has been underway at 8001 Santa Fe Drive for a number of years and is getting close to completion. When the work is all wrapped up, the historical society intends to move its headquarters into the space and use it as a community museum.
Strang Line Depot was built in 1906
The building was a depot for the Strang Interurban Railway, which served as a connector between Johnson County and Kansas City, Missouri. After the Strang Line stopped operating, the building was added onto and renovated, but the original depot structure — including stone wainscoting from 1906 — remains intact underneath all of that.
In 2019, Brad Moore, executive director of the historical society, said acquiring the building was “a lifelong goal” for the organization. That year, they closed on the purchase after Suburban Flooring and Paint which had operated out of the space for decades closed.
Two years later, the historical society unveiled plans to remake the former 4,200-square-foot Strang Line Depot into a museum and archival space. In 2022, the Overland Park City Council approved an agreement with the society to distribute $100,000 a year for five years to help with some of the renovation costs, and private dollars have also been raised to fund the work as well.
Historical society previously sold Strang Car Barn
The historical society used the former nearly 120-year-old Strang Car Barn at 79th Street and Santa Fe as collateral for the purchase of the historic depot building. At the time, a furniture store was operating in the car barn, which allowed the historical society to collect rent that helped pay down the debt on the depot.
However, the furniture store shuttered early last year, and the money stopped coming in because attempts to lease the space were unsuccessful. Eventually, the historical society sold the car barn building to new owners who plan to convert the space into a new wedding and events venue called Stone Manor on 79th.
At the time of the sale, historical society leaders said they expected the proceeds to help them pay off the last of the debt on the depot.
Where do things stand?
- Moore said most of the exterior improvements are completed, short of the signage the historical society plans to install.
- The historical society has a contractor lined up for interior improvements beginning in October, and that slate of the work is likely to wrap up in February 2025.
- Moore said he expects the organization to move out of their temporary office at 7319 W. 79th St. shortly after that.
- Additionally, under the new agreement, the historical society must have its displays and exhibits installed by August 2026.
Next steps:
- The amended agreement goes to the Overland Park City Council for consideration next.
- It’s listed as part of the consent agenda for Monday’s meeting, which means it likely won’t be individually discussed.
Looking back: Here’s the Overland Park Historical Society’s plan to remake old Strang Line Depot into museum
