The old gray castle is about to be revived.

For the past few years the three-story, 112-year-old limestone structure at 13th and Massachusetts streets has been empty and quiet.

That will change during the next year.

“We’re working on plans for restoring, renovating and updating the home,” said Jim Meadows, who sits on the board of directors of the Libuse Kriz-Fiorito Historical Foundation that owns the property.

The home, formerly known as the Castle Tea Room, was a popular place for club meetings and special occasions such as wedding receptions and anniversary parties.

Meadows said the foundation plans to continue its use as a place for special events.

Its last owner, the late Libuse “Libby” Kriz-Fiorito, used to prepare food for events inside the home, Meadows said. Future events will probably need to be catered.

The house was built in 1893-1894 by John N. Roberts, a Civil War veteran who later became the adjutant general of the Kansas National Guard. He moved to Lawrence from Ohio and went into business.

As old as the building is, most of the restoration work only involves updating the heating and cooling system, removing some false ceilings and other basic mechanical work, Meadows said.

“If Gen. Roberts were to walk into the house today he would see very few changes,” Meadows said. “That’s rather unique for a house this age not to have been changed around. Our goal is to not make a great deal of changes.”

Elegant design

The Victorian-style house was designed for Roberts by architect John Haskell, also known for designing many other Lawrence buildings including the Douglas County Courthouse. There are several fireplaces in the house with ornate wooden mantels and trim. Six different types of wood were used. The woodwork was carved by English artist Sidney Endacott.

The house also features some stained glass windows, a third-floor ballroom and two stairways, one for the family and one at the back of the house for the servants. The main floor once contained a library, front parlor, family room, dining room and kitchen.

The basement is divided into several rooms where supplies and tools were kept. A room for storing coal and the furnace is at the back of the house. In the backyard, there are manholes that lead to the coal room. The manholes made it easier to pour coal into the room.

“There is so much basement that I’m not sure they ever filled it up,” Meadows said. “You could spend a lot of time poking around in here.”

The driveway and disconnected stone garage on the property were built by the second owner, J.J. Simmonds, who purchased the house from Roberts in 1919. Simmonds lost the house when it was repossessed during the Great Depression.

In 1947 Libby Kriz, a Chicago native and a dietitian at Kansas University, purchased the house. She started a restaurant business in the house: the Castle Tea Room. She later married Dr. Louis Fiorito, a physician at the Leavenworth Veterans Affairs Hospital. He died in 1982.

Great cook, businesswoman

The Castle Tea Room became a popular place for wedding receptions and other celebrations. Kriz-Fiorito, who was inducted into the Kansas Restaurant Hall of Fame in 1989, would cater the events.

She was known around town as a great cook and businesswoman.

In the years before she died in February 2004, Kriz-Fiorito took steps to see that the castle was preserved and used in a way that it would be open to the public. She formed the historical foundation to carry out her wishes. Serving on its board of directors are James Dillon, former Lawrence accountant now living in Massachusetts; Craig Patterson, a Lawrence architect; Trip Anderson, a Lawrence attorney; Dennis Domer, a professor of architecture at the University of Kentucky who previously taught at KU; and Meadows, a retired Lawrence landscape architect.

“We worked with her for a while before she died, so we know what she wants,” Meadows said.

The foundation’s three main goals are:

¢ to maintain the structure of the castle;

¢ to preserve and promote its history;

¢ to maintain access for the public’s use and enjoyment.

Meadows wouldn’t reveal how much money the foundation has, but he said it was sufficient to pay for the restoration work. Estimates on the cost were not available.

The foundation also is considering establishing an “electronic museum,” where people can view the house through an Internet site and see artifacts that would go with it, Meadows said. It would depict a sense of what life was like in Lawrence at the turn of the 20th century.

Since Kriz-Fiorito’s death the foundation has been taking inventory of her assets and investments. She owned other properties as well.

“Once the house is up and running, it will pretty much take care of itself, but the whole investment portfolio will have to be monitored,” Meadows said.

At best, the house might be renovated and ready to open to the public at the end of 2007, Meadows said.

The Lawrence Preservation Alliance will have its annual meeting at the castle on Sept. 24, when it will play host to a tea and tour for the public.

The preservation alliance is not involved in the house’s renovation, although its mission does include preserving historically significant buildings and natural environments.

“The preservation alliance is to be a resource to the community and to people who are looking to do a project like this,” Jodie English, an alliance member, said. “We see the Castle Tea Room as very much in keeping with that vision. We like to choose a location for our annual meeting that would have some type of historic value where the community would be interested in coming in.”