Musings

Constitution Hall State Historic Site, Kansas Historical Society, 319 Elmore
Lecompton KS 66050; Tim Rues, Site Administrator; www.kshs.org/p/constitution-hall

Constitution Hall in Lecompton, Kansas, is one of the oldest frame buildings west of the Mississippi River.  Built in 1856 it became historically significant for hosting several territorial governance meetings on the second floor and as a federal land claims office on the first floor. Most famously in 1857 a proslavery fraudulent assembly gathered in the building to draft a constitution for Kansas to gain statehood with slavery legally enshrined.  That constitution was defeated at the national level but its creation along with the activities surrounding meetings at this building were factors that contributed to the Bleeding Kansas era and eventually the Civil War.

The simple two-story vernacular balloon-frame building with temple-front is wood clad on an exposed stone foundation.  The wood shingled roof is penetrated by brick chimneys on the mid-west peak and on the mid-east south wall.  The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, a National Historic Landmark in 1974, and a State Historic Site in 1986.  The building underwent Historic Preservation under the direction of Rockhill Architects from 1990 thru 1995 by lifting the entire structure to excavate and form a new basement, relay every foundation stone in its original location, and restored the interior leaving original building elements exposed in some areas as part of the display system.

Preservation is the treatment approach used on this property.  As the building was in continuous occupation with minimal alterations and decent maintenance this approach was feasible. The native stone foundation grouting was deteriorated which necessitated raising the building to relay the foundation.  It was decided to excavate more than the original crawlspace to create an accessible basement area to facilitate mechanical/electrical/plumbing and create storage space for the intended museum.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties provided the guidelines for this Preservation project.  The following analyses discusses the treatment of Building Materials, Building Features and Systems, Interior Spaces/Features/Finishes, Building Site, Setting, Code Requirements, Resilience, and Sustainability.

Building Materials:  The foundation required the most significant preservation effort. Detailed photos and sketches allowed craftsmen to relay the foundation walls, albeit on modern concrete footing.  Solid cottonwood and oak beams, similar locally sourced materials original to the building, were used to reinforce the structure as the basement area was excavated deeper than the original crawlspace.  Windows replaced in the early 1900s were reused and restored.  The front porch material was replaced with similar wood, but no rails were added to maintain the original appearance of the front of the building.  The chimney brick appears to be a modern replacement and metal flashing added to improve sealing.  The siding appears original or similar and shows significant wear. Well-maintained painting and sealing appear to be the approach to preserving the exterior siding and trim.  The roof is wood shingled and appears appropriate to the period of relevance.  Guttering and downspouts are not modern but give the appearance of an earlier use of heavier, more stylistic metal. 

Building Features and Systems:  Remarkably few changes to the building are noted.  Access to the second-floor lodge room was from an exterior south stairway until the early 1900’s when an interior stairway immediately inside the building in the same location replaced it.  Around that time an iron exterior stair was added on the north side.  The city street immediately in front of the building was lowered several times over the years and drove modifications to the front porch.

Interior Spaces/Features/Finishes:  A most impressive feature of the preservation effort and conversion of this space to a museum is the frequent use of exposing interior structural elements to expose the character of the building.  Rough cottonwood plank flooring is exposed next to areas covered by finished smooth wood flooring.  Ceiling and wall structures are left exposed as are chimneys. One section of exposed ceiling tells the story of how the building was once used as a dormitory and an additional stairway was added…then removed.  Door, window, and floor trim appear to be original.  Modern plumbing and heating were added but are discreetly hidden from the main galleries.  Interestingly, modern air conditioning and insulation were not added – making the building authentically drafty in winter and muggy in summer.

Building Site and Setting:  Unfortunately for Lecompton, very few changes to the site or neighborhood occurred after the period of significance early in the life of this building.  As the city did not become the capital of a slave state, the immediate site and general area are not cluttered with modern buildings.  The building is isolated and only has some nearby signage and a modest war memorial to compete with it for attention.

Code Requirements, Resilience and Sustainability:   I did not see any evidence of a wet or dry fire protection system. The exterior stairs on the north side of the building meet the requirement for a second exit from the upper floor.  However, the primary upper floor access interior stairs do not comply with current rise/run standards. The elevated front porch does not have the required railing or provide egress – it is assumed access to that area is limited to special occasions.  The building is susceptible to tornado damage as it has no special features to prevent high wind damage (other than the inherent wind-load strength of the balloon-framing).  No special sustainability features were observed…other than it is admirable they don’t waste energy trying to cool it in summer.

Constitution Hall is an excellent example of historic preservation.  Although the period of relevance was relatively short, the state historical society is lucky that the building was in almost constant use for its first 130 years and most of the building’s original integrity was intact when the decision was made to preserve it.  Most interestingly, the building preservation work is an integral part of the story being told by the museum.  A visit to this site informs the visitor about a key period in our national history, and it inspires one to appreciate how saving a building is integral to telling that story.

References

CONSTITUTION HALL HOME

Click to access Douglas_LecomptonConstitutionHallNR.pdf

https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=045-3060-00002

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/204936

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/228994