International Harvester Building (Wichita, Kansas)
International Harvester Building | |
Northeast corner of building | |
| Location | 355 North Rock Island Street (803-811 East Third Street) Wichita, Kansas 67202 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°41′29″N 97°19′42″W / 37.69139°N 97.32833°W |
| Area | Old Town, Wichita |
| Built | 1910 |
| Built by | A.S. Parks |
| Architectural style | Early Commercial |
| Restored | 2004 |
| Restored by | Gary Hassenflu[2] |
| Website | rentathistoric1910lofts |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001702[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 15, 2003 |
The International Harvester Building, now the Historic 1910 Lofts, is a building in Wichita, Kansas listed on the National Register of Historic Places. International Harvester built the Old Town structure in 1910 which now contains loft apartments.
History
Prior to the 1902 merger that created International Harvester, agricultural equipment companies spent 30-40% of their budgets on sales costs to reach remote farming customers.[3] In the following years, the company began building retail showrooms across the Midwest in order to display their full line of products under one roof.[4]
The company purchased the prime lot just to the east of the Rock Island Railroad for US$15,000 (equivalent to about $500,000 in 2025) and constructed the building in 1910 for US$75,000 (equivalent to about $2,600,000 in 2025). International Harvester continued to occupy the building until 1959.[5]
In 1963 the Graham Glass Company moved in, and, in 1978, the Case Supply Flooring Company began occupying the building. After they left in 2000, the building sat vacant.[5] As part of a revitalization effort, the National Register of Historic Places and Register of Historic Kansas Places both listed the property in 2003.[6]
A residential conversion in 2004, called the "Harvester Lofts", turned the building into apartments.[2] The complex later changed names to the "Historic 1910 Lofts".[7]
Architecture
The four-story building uses two colors of brick and follows an Early Commercial style. The exterior is formal on the north side facing Third Street and the east side facing Rock Island Avenue. Both have metal courses below the first and second stories[5] and a stone cornice along the roof. But, even here, the ornamentation is limited because vibrations expected from the machinery discouraged any decorative elements that protruded from the facades.[6] The less formal west and south sides faced the railroad and loading dock, respectively, and still have ghost signs advertising International Harvester.[5]
The interior originally consisted of open spaces with wood piers which held sales and display rooms on the lower floors and merchandise storage in the upper stories. The reinforced concrete floors were strong enough to hold 250 pounds per square foot (1,221 kilograms per square meter) for all the vehicles and machinery.[5]
The 2004 renovations created 48 apartments and moved the main entrance to the south side next to a new elevator.[6] The south side also has a gated parking lot[7] with additional parking in the basement.[6]
See also
- International Harvester Building (Aurora, Illinois)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Sedgwick County, Kansas
References
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Weekly Lists 2003" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 26, 2003. p. 14. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ^ a b Behlmann, Emily (March 21, 2012). "Developer: Commodore renovation project to build on momentum created by YMCA, cathedral". Wichita Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ^ Kramer, Helen M. (Autumn 1964). "Harvesters and High Finance: Formation of the International Harvester Company". Business History Review. 38 (3). Boston: Cambridge University Press for Harvard Business Publishing: 284. ISSN 0007-6805. JSTOR 3112159. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ^ "International Harvester Building". Discover Historic Wichita!. City of Wichita Historic Preservation Office. 2024. p. 52. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Ford, Susan Jezak (July 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: International Harvester Building" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2026 – via Kansas Historical Society.
- ^ a b c d Spencer, Brenda R. (August 3, 2006). "International Harvester Building". Kansas Historic Resources Inventory. Reviewed by Loughlin, Amanda. Topeka, Kansas: Kansas Historical Society. 173-5880-05208. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
- ^ a b Swaim, Chance (August 21, 2023). "Wichita closes large downtown parking garage. Does it spell trouble for Old Town?". The Wichita Eagle. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 19, 2026.