Here’s your chance to walk through some of Wichita’s oldest, grandest homes
It’s been three years since the Historic Midtown Citizens Association put on one of its popular walking tours, where people are invited to meander through a few of Wichita’s oldest and grandest homes
But the tour returns this weekend and will allow visitors inside six turn-of-the-century homes, all on Topeka south of 13th Street. Though the advertisements for the tour list four addresses, one of the homes is a duplex that features two distinct sides. And — at the last minute — organizers were able to add a sixth “bonus” home to the tour.
The hours for the tour are noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, which are $20 for adults, free for children 12 and under, allow access to all of the homes.
Makayla Welch, the president of the association, said that in the past, the tours have attracted between 800 and 1,000 people eager to see inside some of the big Midtown beauties — many of which are so historic, they have names. Past tour stops have included the Wey Mansion at 1751 N. Park Place, the Aley House at 1505 N. Fairview, the Sternberg Mansion at 1064 N. Waco, and the Pratt-Campbell House at 1313 N. Emporia
This year’s tour also has a couple of named houses, and they’re all on the 1200 and 1100 blocks of North Topeka.
One, at 1204 N. Topeka, is known as the Vermilion House. It’s an 1887 Queen Anne built by R.R. Vermilion. It once operated as a bed and breakfast called Vermilion Rose but is now a single-family home. Next door at 1212 N. Topeka, the J. Arch Butts house — a classic revival foursquare built in the early 1900s by an early Wichita businessman — also is open.
The tour also includes a 1902 house at 1240 N. Topeka built by lumberman AC Houston that features two stories and cross-gable roofs as well as a tidy brick Italian Renaissance-style duplex at 1237/1230 N. Topeka that dates back to 1923.
The “bonus house” is at 1109 N. Topeka and is known as the Anawalt House. Built in 1891, its original residents were Elias H. Anawalt, the manager of Rock Island Lumber Co., and his wife, Sarah. It’s a Queen Anne Revival that is being turned into an event venue.
Welch said that the purpose of the tour is to raise money that will be used to support the restoration of homes in the area. It also goes toward a scholarship for a student from Midtown who attends Wichita State University.
“Midtown is a neighborhood that has a lot of misconceptions about what it is and what it could be,” said Welch, who lives on North Emporia. “We want to show where Wichita started and what it would be if we didn’t tear everything down and rebuild.
“We’re not trying to save everything. We’re trying to save what’s left.”
The tour will feature volunteers dressed in period clothing sharing details about each home. There will also be a concession stand.
People can get tickets for the tour at the ticket booth at 11th and Topeka. Parking will be available at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1356 N. Broadway, and at GraceMed, 1150 N. Broadway.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 5:03 AM.
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