Community gathering space was the operative phrase earlier this week as Leawood City Council members reviewed five potential ideas for what to do with the city’s original city hall and fire station.
Councilmembers heard the presentations during a special work session that included:
- park green space,
- an event space,
- gallery space for local artists,
- a splash pad
- and ademonstration garden and museum space.
All of the ideas had some aspect of community gathering elements at their hearts because, the presenters said, that type of space is virtually nonexistent in Leawood.
The original city hall and fire station were both built in the early 1950s and sit amid parking next to each other at property off Lee Boulevard near 96th Street. Old City Hall has been unused since 1994. The old fire station had extensions built on and has only been vacant since the new fire station opened up on the south part of the same property.
Councilmembers have been mulling over uses for the property for at least the past 16 years. Mold, asbestos and lead paint were discovered at the city hall building. The fire station houses a 1949 pumper truck that was a model for a Hallmark ornament.
Behind the old fire station is a community garden.
Some of the presenters Monday spoke of a loss of gathering space at the former Leawood Country Club, which was redeveloped into a senior living center. Other spaces, like the backroom of Foos Fabulous Cafe, are also no longer available for get-togethers.
Though the ideas held community gathering space in common, they differed on whether the old buildings should be kept, moved or demolished, and whether the community garden should stay.
The city council took no action and will discuss the proposals again Dec. 2.
Here are the presenters and their proposals:
‘Do it all’ with venue, splash pad and demo garden
Leawood councilmember Debra Filla presented several schematics that she said were inspired by Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village and Thompson Park in Overland Park. which has that city’s history as its theme.
The proposals were aimed at incorporating the variety of uses Leawood residents have asked for the property, Filla said.
She suggested meeting space or a wedding venue at the former city hall, for instance, and an element of history at the old fire station. The space could also have a splash pad for kids and a demonstration garden, she said.
“I really still think we have a chance to do it all,” she said.
Filla’s architectural drawings took different routes to get there. The wings added to the fire station could be removed, for instance, and parking reconfigured to allow outdoor event patio space.
‘Third space’ for gatherings and green space
Andy and Jaclyn Penn stressed the need for “third space” meeting places other than work and home. Theirs was a plan that called for a variety of uses at the city hall building, perhaps including a coffee shop or ice cream parlor.
The firehouse could be a spot for gathering spaces and events, Andy Penn said, and the space to the east of the buildings could be parkland. “I would like to see as much green space as possible,” he said. That would involve taking much of the existing parking lot.
Penn said he’d like to see the city take a “holistic” view and master plan the area, with the possibility of public-private partnership to help with the costs of renovation.
Museum and venue for arts and culture
April Bishop, Leawood Historic Commission chair, pitched the area as museum space that would also include some public gathering.
“We don’t see museum space as just a museum,” she said. “It’s always been a cultural gathering space,” for meetings, events and art exhibitions. Preserving the buildings would be a way to tell the story of the community as well as have a social spot for gathering. “Our primary purpose is to keep those as part of the fabric of the community,” she added.
“Once you tear down spaces like this, you don’t get them back,” she said.
Bishop said she expected the costs would be covered by private fundraising.
Mayor Marc Elkins asked whether art commission members had long-range plans to expand from one building to a campus of museum uses in both.
She answered, “Having both buildings to tell the story would be excellent but I understand the rest of the community has needs also.”
Tear it down and maximize park space
During summer meetings, advisory board members decided the best use would be to remove the community gardens and old city hall building and keep part of the fire station for a shelter house if possible, said Karen Ward Reimer, parks and recreation advisory board chair.
The city hall building has sat so long in disrepair that it would be economically unfeasible to restore it to acceptable levels, she said, adding that there’s already some meeting space within the new fire station next door and at The Wave event space two miles away near the Leawood Aquatic Center.
“Our first priority is green space,” she said. “This is the last piece of green space in old Leawood, and we would like to see a place for play,” possibly including a playground, restrooms, drop-in shelter house and a modest amount of parking.
Botanical garden and multipurpose space
Anne Blessing with the Leawood Arts Council, said she and her fellow members support relocating the community garden and removing the city hall building, which is out of compliance with handicap accessibility laws and would be expensive to rehabilitate.
The arts council proposed a botanic garden with artistic elements to create a “contemplative space” on the site, she said, explaining that the garden could have interactive installations that children could perhaps climb on.
For the original bay of the fire station, Blessing suggested a multipurpose community gathering space that would include a gallery to display art by Leawood students and residents.
Prairie Village and Lenexa each have art space for their residents’ work, she added, and Leawood has a lot of artists.
The old pumper truck could also become an element for the outdoor shelter, if it is not being displayed indoors, Blessing said.
Keep reading: Leawood’s first city hall closed 30 years ago. Will the city finally do something with it?
