The Fort Hays State Historic Site is getting a major facelift, beginning in July after it was awarded state and local grants totaling $238,000.

The blocks and mortar in the guardhouse, built in 1872, will be refurbished and in places replaced. It will get new lighting and air conditioning systems, and its original window frames will be restored.

The site has between 15,000 and 18,000 visitors yearly.

A federal grant will pay for most the renovations, said Bob Wilhelm, the site’s director.

The Kansas State Historical Society is also helping, and the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Travel and Tourism Development Division awarded a $37,600 grant to cover the rest.

Len Schamber of Schamber Construction, a firm that specializes in historical restoration, said the project should take four to six months.