What a difference a year makes.

In early 2002, two groups charged with preserving the historical integrity of Lawrence were at odds on whether Kansas University could demolish houses in the 1300 block of Ohio Street and replace them with a scholarship hall.

This month, those groups — the Campus Historic Preservation Board and the city’s Historic Resources Commission — again will discuss KU’s plans. But this time, no one is expecting a division between the two boards.

“It’s a very different road than last time,” said John Gaunt, dean of the KU School of Architecture and member of the Campus Historic Preservation Board. “I don’t expect any problems with this. It’s a nice place to be at after the last year or so.”

The two boards deadlocked on KU’s demolition plans in October 2001, with the city group opposing demolition and the campus group supporting it. At issue was whether the scholarship hall would affect the historical value of two nearby buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Usher House at 1425 Tenn. and Spooner Hall at KU.

The state historic preservation officer ruled KU could not demolish the houses. That decision was appealed to Gov. Bill Graves, who allowed the demolition. The houses were razed in October.

When KU first approached the historic preservation groups, the issue was simply whether the university could demolish the houses. Officials didn’t have designs prepared for the hall.

During a meeting at 3 p.m. Friday in the provost’s conference room in Strong Hall, KU will ask the Campus Historic Preservation Board to approve a design for the scholarship hall, which would house 50 women beginning in fall 2005. The Historic Resources Commission will conduct a similar meeting at 7 p.m. June 19 in the City Commission chamber at City Hall.

“I don’t anticipate any concerns,” said Ken Stoner, KU’s director of student housing.

In part, that’s because KU included representatives from both groups in a community advisory board that helped oversee the design process. And many of the objections to the original process from both the city and neighbors were that KU was proposing to demolish the existing houses and didn’t have plans for the replacement buildings.

“What we were looking at the first time was removal of the houses,” said Jeff Messick, a local architect and member of the Historic Resources Commission. “That issue is now moot. Now what we’re looking at is what’s going back in. I’d be surprised if there’s any particular problems with it.”

KU is proposing a 17,500-square-foot hall made of limestone and brick, with a porch leading to the main entrance. It has two wings with suites to accommodate four to eight people and a living space that includes a courtyard, dining area, living room, kitchen and recreation room.

The $3 million building is paid for by KU alumnus Roger Rieger and his wife, Annette, who donated the money in memory of Roger’s brother, Dennis Rieger.

¢ Alumni pledge $3M for hall (4-23-03)¢ About KU scholarship halls¢ KU razes Ohio St. houses (10-15-2002)¢ 6News video: Students react to demolition of Oread homes (9-05-2002)

KU plans to build another scholarship hall in the block when it raises enough money.

Candice Davis, the Oread Neighborhood Assn. representative to the community advisory board, said she was pleased with the end design.

“It blends into the neighborhood even though it’s an institutional-sized structure,” Davis said. “It has a turn-of-the-century feel to it, with the stone and brick. It turned out better than I thought it would.”

Messick said he thought the design-by-committee process should be an example for future KU projects that border neighborhoods.

“This process has worked well,” he said. “This has not been a confrontational, knock-down, drag-out sort of thing. When something of this nature comes up again, I think people have learned the process that works instead of the ones where people draw battle lines.”