Brick by brick, century-old ‘skinniest skyscraper’ being razed for development

For 106 years, the Michigan Building stood sentinel downtown, surveying the crowds and trolleys, surviving urban renewal while dozens of buildings were destroyed and others built back up.

Built in 1909, it was just 25 feet wide and six stories tall and was billed as Wichita’s “skinniest skyscraper.”

It was also considered the city’s first fire-proof building, constructed of brick, steel framing and concrete.

Last week, demolition began in earnest on the tiny skyscraper to make room for a new retail and downtown housing project.

“It was constructed with that beautiful glazed, white mat brick,” said Greg Kite, president of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita and Sedgwick County. “If you were evaluating Wichita’s progress from cowtown to the city it is today, what was one of those initial stepping stones was the Michigan Building.”

Although many attempts have been made over the past three decades to save the steel-and-concrete structure, in the end it was deemed structurally unsafe.

It was originally built for $60,000 by Wichita’s first druggist, Oscar D. Barnes, and his son, Maurice P. Barnes. The Barnes family owned the building until 1972.

Oscar Barnes was a pioneer druggist and music dealer who came to Wichita in 1879 from Kalamazoo, Mich.

The building’s architect was Charles W. Terry, whose company built several Wichita landmarks including the L.W. Clapp House, the Cyrus M. Beachy House and the north addition to the Scottish Rite Temple.

Through the decades, the Michigan Building housed stores selling men’s clothing, music, shoes and books.

When the building opened, The Wichita Eagle reported on April 1, 1910: “There are no hideous and unsightly cases and boxes. There are separate compartments for everything, the hosiery, shirts, neckware, collars and general furnishings being in handsome mahogany cabinets or glass cases.”

In its heyday as a music store, it sold more Victrolas and pianos than any other business in Kansas or Oklahoma, according to its nomination form on the Register of Historic Kansas Places. Its second floor served as a recital hall.

There are efforts underway to safe some of the architectural features of the Michigan Building, including its front frieze and cornice tiles, according to Darren Bradburn of Bradburn Wrecking Co.

“I feel very sad to see it go,” said Bill Ellington, who retired in 1995 as city historian at the Wichita Public Library. “My memory goes back to the time when it was the Adams-Bennet Music Company. It symbolized a very unique building.”

This story was originally published June 28, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Brick by brick, century-old ‘skinniest skyscraper’ being razed for development."