The first new brick building in over 100 years in downtown Edgerton will open Saturday, Feb. 22.
Located at 404 E. Nelson St., The Greenspace is an approximately 13,000-square-foot community center that will open a year and a half after the city first broke ground in August 2023.
Mayor Don Roberts said he was excited to see the building open and wanted to thank past and present city councilmembers for their support on the project.
“This location for decades has been the gathering place for all the major events, so to be able to have a beautiful new building where people can make memories and continue to come together,” he said. “I just can’t wait.”
Edgerton will celebrate the community center’s grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on Feb. 22. More event details can be found here.
Roberts said the location has always been referred to as “The Greenspace” by local residents.
“So we just named it (the community center) what people have called that area for decades,” he said.
House, old fire station used to stand there
City Administrator Beth Linn said she was grateful for the city’s partnerships on the project.
“Edgerton has always gathered downtown, and The Greenspace will continue that tradition,” she said. “We’re looking forward to the new recreation programs that we will be able to host too.”
A yellow house and fire station were located at the original site before being demolished in June 2023, according to historical records from the Edgerton Museum.
The fire station had been located on Nelson Street since the early 1900s, until 1976 when the town’s new fire station was built 100 yards away at the southwest corner of Third and Nelson.
The old fire station was staffed by the Edgerton Volunteer Fire Department until Johnson County Fire District #1 took over fire services in 1993.
Charlie Troutner, Edgerton Community Museum curator, said the old fire station was used as storage for the city and the Edgerton Frontier Days Association.
Photos, artifacts and more information on the old fire station are currently on display at the museum next to Edgerton City Hall.
Last brick structure in downtown went up in 1906
The city purchased the yellow house in 2010 after the owner put it on the market. The house was used for additional city offices until its demolition.
The Edgerton State Bank at the corner of Second and Nelson streets was the last brick building erected downtown in 1906, according to historical records from the Edgerton Museum.
The building is currently known as The Bank of Knowledge and houses the Edgerton branch of the Johnson County Library. Edgerton City Hall was built in 1904.
Center includes a gym, splash pad and more
Incite Design Studio, SMH Consultants and Combes Construction were hired in 2021 and the $7.5 million multi-functional facility is funded through Logistics Park Kansas City.
The $7.5 million funding covered demolition, site preparation and equipping the building.
Residents are invited to the ribbon cutting for a building tour. The city declined a request from the Johnson County Post for a sneak peek inside the building, but a video from November on the city’s Facebook page shows the multi-purpose gym.
Both indoor and outdoor features of the new Greenspace center include:
- a multi-purpose gym for basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts,
- meeting rooms,
- walking track,
- catering kitchen,
- a fitness room that doubles as a safe room,
- an outdoor splash pad,
- an outdoor gathering place,
- and an outdoor community stage.
