OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — On Wednesday evening, a group of city council members in Overland Park, Kansas, will review plans to use $500,000 to help preserve the city’s first building.
The Overland Park Historical Society is asking for a $500,000 grant spread out over five years. It will use the grant and other donations to restore the Strang Depot.
Built in 1906, the depot was the first building in Overland Park.
The city’s founder William Strang built the depot along his Strang Line trolley rail which went from Kansas City, Missouri, to Olathe, Kansas.
Since it closed in 1940, a series of property owners have added on to the depot.
Each addition basically encapsulated the depot, so the entire building is now inside a larger brick building at 8001 Santa Fe Drive in downtown Overland Park.
“Front, back, sides, even over the top. But it’s all still here,” explained Brad Moore, the historical society’s executive director.
His organization plans to restore the western facade of the depot to its 1906 glory.
It will remain inside the larger brick building, which will become the historical society’s headquarters, a museum, a gift shop, an event and conference space, as well as a research station.
“The history of Overland Park is one that deserves to be told and retold through the generations because it really is fascinating,” Moore pointed out.
The city’s community development committee will review the grant proposal Wednesday during its meeting at 7 p.m. at city hall. The full city council will need to approve the grant.
It’s expected to hear the proposal later this summer. If the city approves the grant, Moore expects to open the museum in the summer of 2023.
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