Man who protects the Riverside pagoda attacked Monday during burglary incident

A homeless man who likes to protect the 1911 pagoda in Riverside Park was attacked Monday evening, as was the pagoda.

Former Lt. Gov. and Kansas Treasurer Lynn Rogers, who is spearheading the $200,000 effort to restore the pagoda, said the attack on the homeless man bothers him the most.

“He’s actually been taking care of the pagoda,” Rogers said.

The man parks his cart behind the pagoda and sleeps there overnight, he said.

“And then during the day, he kind of watches it as well.”

Rogers said the man picks up trash and visits with people who come to the park.

“He was attacked and hurt,” Rogers said.

He said the man was treated at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and released.

According to police, there were two separate incidents between the two men, both of whom are homeless.

At 7:45 a.m. Monday, the man who guards the pagoda reported that he was attacked with a 2-foot stick. He refused treatment, and he did not identify who attacked him or cooperate further on the investigation.

However, police then found the suspect and arrested him, booking him for resisting and obstructing.

The second incident happened at 6:12 pm. when the same suspect who had been arrested then was involved with what police called a burglary at the pagoda. The man was arrested again and this time booked on suspected burglary and destruction to property.

Rogers and fellow fundraising organizer Zadi Owens, who is programming director for the Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit whose exhibit is next to the pagoda, already planned to meet Tuesday morning to pick out new shingles for the pagoda as part of its restoration.

They ended up inspecting damage and helping to clean it up along with some other volunteers. The city’s parks department already had boarded up about a dozen windows that were knocked out along with a door, which was taken off of its hinges and destroyed.

“Things that we were hoping that we didn’t have to replace now are going to have to be replaced,” Rogers said.

He said estimates are there’s about $7,500 in damage.

He said the man who guards the pagoda previously had seen in the park the man whom he said attacked him, and that the man appeared angry but not drunk during the incident.

“Fortunately, he didn’t have paint,” Rogers said. “The windows and the doors can ultimately be repaired.”

So far, fundraising groups have raised about $150,000 of the $200,000 needed for the restoration.

Anyone who wants to donate can check out ways to do it at www.kwefriends.org/pagoda-project/.

Rogers said they’ll likely have to raise additional money to pay for increased security at the pagoda along with repairs, including fixing new holes in the stucco from the vandalism incident.

“It’s extremely disappointing.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 12:18 PM.