Dear Mr. Buffett: Help us save the Stafford depot

A last-minute effort to save the Stafford railroad depot has prompted a weekend response from a Sedgwick County preservation group.

Greg Kite, an attorney and president of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita and Sedgwick County Inc., has sent letters to Warren Buffett, the investor and philanthropist who owns Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate holding company that owns Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.

Kite and the alliance were successful in obtaining preservation grants to save the historic “Home on the Range cabin” in Smith County where Brewster Higley penned the words for what later became the Kansas state song. The group has also saved several artifacts from Joyland Amuseument Park and led efforts to track down the Louie the Clown display.

Now, Kite said, he wants to turn his efforts into saving the Stafford depot, which is expected to be demolished within the next few weeks. It is owned by BNSF.

“While this depot is located in Stafford … our organization has never let artificial borders, such as the Sedgwick County line, prevent us from doing what needs to be done,” Kite wrote in a letter to Andy Williams, the regional public affairs director for BNSF. “While not as notorious (as the Home on the Range cabin) the Stafford depot is no less important to the citizens of Stafford and the State of Kansas. It is a very important part of our heritage. It represents where we came from and who we are today. It is very rare and, therefore, priceless.”

In his letter to Buffett, Kite wrote: “This train depot is both historically important and architecturally significant! More importantly, it means a lot to the citizens of Stafford. I know you grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and I believe, like us, you have strong mid-western values. So, I am appealing to those strong mid-western values.”

Kite acknowledged to Buffett that sometimes “desperate situations necessitate desperate measures” and asked Buffett to put a hold on the the demolition efforts.

In the meantime, there has been an e-mail campaign to BNSF’s Williams for people encouraging the railroad to save the depot. That e-mail address is andy.williams@bnsf.com.

Clare Moore, who began efforts a few weeks ago to stop the demolition, was grateful Kite and his group are joining forces to save the depot.

“It has been fabulous; he has been a real advocate and is doing everything as quick as possible to stop and provide suggested ways to save this thing,” Moore said on Sunday.

Kite was unavailable for comment, as was Williams and Buffett.

Williams was quoted in a Wichita Eagle article last week as saying that contractors have begun preparing the building for demolition, including the removal of asbestos, which has left the building exposed to the elements.

The depot was built in 1911 and is one of fewer than 200 left within Kansas.

This story was originally published November 20, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Dear Mr. Buffett: Help us save the Stafford depot."