The Shawnee Indian Mission (SIM) - one of the most historic sites in the State of Kansas and both a State and National Historic Landmark - is honoring its past while crafting a new future. As of July 1, 2016, the City of Fairway assumed Mission operations, taking over from the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS). The KSHS maintains ownership, but the City of Fairway and the SIM Foundation, a non-profit organization, are working together to plan a vibrant new future. The Mission has a complex and diverse history as the Methodist Mission and Manual Training School, supply post on the Santa Fe/Oregon/California Trail, home to a Territorial governor, site of the Kansas 'Bogus Territorial Legislature,' and a Union troops’ encampment during the Civil War. It has been host to community events, school programs and children’s living history camps, historical skills site for adults, and a vibrant place for community volunteers.
A strategic plan was developed for the site’s future, incorporating input from the Foundation, area experts, and the community. The strategic plan served as the guide for development of a site-based plan that integrates the three historic buildings and land with other ideas for the Mission. In a June 2017 charrette, Eco Abet and the SIM Foundation partnered with the design community to develop this comprehensive site-based plan to guide the Mission’s exciting future.
TEAM ONE
Key Ideas: Recognize the History + Timeline of the place, Maintain North-South Viewshed thru site - Looked at program needs, community involvement, ecological integrity & historical significance. Create more prominent crosswalk based on traditional Native American patterns.
Land Use
Draw attention to where creek meets the road, add amphitheater within northeast grove of trees, prairie grass in the north surrounded by stonewall to celebrate viewshed through site.
Existing Building Use
West Building: Library, reading room, and coffee shop, upstairs artist in residence & exhibition room
North Building: Classrooms, crafts, and other needs
East Building: Gallery space and interactive digital display, glass wall to break up space but preserve views through
TEAM TWO
Key Ideas: Connection and Education - Looked into how site was used historically and what came before us.
Land Use
North - Life before the Johnsons: New sign to welcome visitors, native prairie and pre-settlement agriculture, beekeeping area, amphitheatre/outdoor classroom in northwest grove of trees
South - Changing times: Life on the Mission, event space, apple trees, post-Johnson agriculture, connection to Johnson cemetery. System of trails to navigate visitors throughout the site, use public area following creek to extend trail into neighborhood.
Existing Building Use
West: New addition to create indoor/outdoor event space
North: Coffee shop, classrooms, extend porch for outdoor seating and performances
Create N-S site connection with North Building and West Building
TEAM THREE
Key Ideas: History + Future, Evolution / Timeline - Create connections & bring in revenue, increase visitors & visibility.
Land Use
Perimeter & Pathways: Create visual cue by adding perimeter fencing (maintain stacked wood of existing), new crosswalks connecting all new and existing buildings, call out Santa Fe Trail
North: Event space with prairie grass - 1.7 acres, amphitheatre/beer garden north of North Building
South: Apple orchard, medicinal plant garden for education
New Structures: Use Native American architectural language. Archway at main crosswalk to celebrate connection, new event space on north end of site to serve as entrance from school and marking of site boundary, wigwam structures throughout site for outdoor classrooms.
Existing Building Use
West: Artist in residence / site caretaker
North: Mercantile & education
East: Exhibits & education
TEAM FOUR
Key Ideas: Time Trail as framework for sustainable growth - Information plaques as you move through, zones of program form around trail, use pervious paving to mitigate water runoff.
Land Use
Raised crosswalk to slow traffic & connect north and south, additional parking & bike racks, preserve stream & create more natural ecosystem - Woodland > Savanna > Prairie > Grass
North: based on natural ecology, bring back prairies
South: based on human activity, create programmatic areas & outdoor classroom space
New Structures: West Building Addition, used for visitor’s center, office spaces, and education. East of North Building to become icon for Shawnee Indian Mission. South of East building, used for storage, events, etc.
Existing Building Use
West: space for artists & craftsmen, live above and display work on first floor (fiber arts, woodworkers, other artists whose work align with things learned at the mission)
East & North: maintain historic integrity and museum space, create rotating exhibits using found artifacts on site
The Longfellow Community Association (LCA) exists to empower the residents of Longfellow Neighborhood (bound by 25th to 31st Streets and Gillham to Troost) to accomplish their collective goal of improving the neighborhood's future. The LCA owns four adjacent lots between Campbell and Harrison on 31 st street. Half of this land is currently occupied by Longfellow Farm, a thriving vegetable garden and community space with a patio, tables, and a (shipping container) storage shed. The other half is vacant and unused with the exception of occasional recreation and a “short cut” from the west to east side of the block. There is growing pressure from some neighbors to sell the lots while development is booming. This is not an outcome the LCA vacant lots committee finds desirable.
The LCA's vacant lots committee and Eco Abet has been leading the Longfellow neighborhood through a guided visioning process to help plan how this unique community asset can be better utilized. This visioning process is aiding residents and board members to think long term about how a usable community space can attract residents and community partners. The goal is that once built, this community space will be a point of pride for Longfellow as well as a resource to neighboring social service agencies.
Wildwood’s mission is to bring kids outside to learn and grow together, transforming summer into a season of learning, youth development, and outdoor adventure for low-income Kansas City area youth.
Target Market: Greater Kansas City and surrounding areas
Target Customer: School-aged boys and girls in high poverty schools/neighborhoods
Target Programs & Services:
- Summer residential camping experiences designed to increase summer learning opportunities and diminish the opportunity gap for low-income children—an impact multiplied through year-to-year retention of participants and progressive opportunities to learn, grow and lead
- A diverse set of programs and activities that optimize the unique benefits of immersion in the natural world and building relationships in a camp setting to achieve measurable outcomes leading to lifelong personal and economic success
- Year-round opportunities for group/school outdoor education and other experiences structured to promote, fund, or support the summer camp program.
One of Wildwood’s current priorities is to improve physical property and assets to provide an environment conducive to transformational learning. In addition to current maintenance needs, Wildwood is looking for design volunteers to help prioritize, envision, and create marketable concepts that include but are not limited to the items below. Imagery and concepts will be presented as part of Wildwood’s 2017 capital campaign.
The Troost Coalition project is a neighborhood initiated and led planning effort to control development that has contributed to the stagnation of Troost between 24th Street on the North to Volker Boulevard on the South for the last 60 years. The first phase, a Zoning Use Overlay, was passed by KCMO City Council in December 2014. The second and current phase is creating design standards to be used as a guideline for new developments and major rehabilitation projects. This is an unprecedented consensus based project driven by a collaborative effort six neighborhood associations; the city of Kansas City, Missouri; and professionals from the local design community.
The Design Guidelines are the culmination of over three years of work by neighborhood leaders to build consensus around a set of zoning reforms that lead to a positive regeneration of Troost Avenue. After a tumultuous and unsuccessful history of attracting developers, these residents are working together on an implementation strategy for the environment they want to live in. This effort is strengthening ties between neighborhoods on both sides of Troost, helping develop young community leaders, making residents feel that their voices are being heard, and in turn, forging a positive relationship with the city.
The mission of Amethyst Place is to support women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, and their children, by providing safe, drug-free housing and individualized services to promote healthy families. Amethyst Place recently purchased an adjacent building that they will transform into a community center for their 38 families and staff. Designing a flexible space will be key as programs and support services grow and change.
To learn more about the efforts and programs of Amethyst Place, please visit: www.amethystplace.org.
The Healthy Rivers Partnership (HRP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people to their rivers and rivers to their communities. Formed from a shared commitment to water resources, the organization conducts river clean-ups, river education, riparian restoration, and on-the-water field trips. HRP project goals for their current building include opening their space to other like-minded nonprofit tenants and transforming their offices to accommodate spaces conducive to education.
To learn more about the efforts and programs of Healthy Rivers Partnership, please visit: www.healthyriverspartnership.com
The Urban Farming Guys have created their home on the corner of Myrtle Ave and 12th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. They recently purchased a 20,000 square foot building to be converted into a “MakerSpace,” or a community- innovation-DIY space. The new MakerSpace building will be located two blocks west of their headquarters at 12th and Monroe.
The MakerSpace will be self-sufficient and serve as host to financially viable programming. The building is owned debt-free and any donations will support the purchase of program materials, equipment, and resources. The MakerSpace will operate on a membership plan similar to a gym membership, in which students and community members will pay a monthly fee to gain access to the space and tools. This financial structure will also make it possible for MakerSpace to offer scholarships to children and students from the Lykins neighborhood. The building program will include space for a recording studio, cafe and community kitchen, robotics building, training and classrooms, offices, artist studios, and aquaponics.
To learn more about the efforts and programs of the Urban Farming Guys: theurbanfarmingguys.com
For full results from the 2014 Eco Abet Summer Charrette: issuu.com/ecoabet
The design concepts and imagery were a result of the collective talent of Sam Loring, Katie Crowley, Carissa Loehr, Danielle Vevea, Bryan Gross, Mary Beth Rojas, Kurt Youngstrom, Thanh Nguyen, John Reeves, Nick Bock, Patrick Frankle, Emily Harrold, Jason Ragan, Dave Macaulay, Culin Thompson, Aimee Gray, Shelby Franklin, and Linda Cain.
Thanks to team sponsors McCown Gordon and Burns and McDonnell.
Under the direction of a neighborhood based board of directors, Westside Housing Organization has had substantial success in reversing decades of disinvestment in residential neighborhoods and helping to strengthen related economic conditions in these communities.
The "South End" of the Westside neighborhood (bound by State Line Road on the west, Southwest Trafficway on the east, 26th street on the north, and by 31st Street on the south) was separated from the rest of the neighborhood in the construction of I-35 in the 1970s. Participants of Eco Abet's 2014 Summer Design Charrette were asked to brainstorm development opportunities for a concentration of empty lots within the South End neighborhood and to consider improving traffic and providing pedestrian and cycling amenities along 31st Street.
To learn more about the efforts and programs of the Westside Housing Association: westsidehousing.org
For full results from the 2014 Eco Abet Summer Charrette: issuu.com/ecoabet
The design concepts and imagery were a result of the collective talent of Joshua Boehm, Daniel Brown, Lauren Garrot, Beth Dawson, Samuel DeJong, Arpit Balhara, Branden Vissat, Emily Thompson, Gunnar Hand, Joshua Hemberger, Zach Flanders, Eric Vaughan, Eric Bunch, Josh Best, Brittany Hodges, Charles Gorugantula, Chloe Lockman, Brandi Purchas, Ashley Sadowski, Jesse Crupper, Daniel Dermitzel, and Jacob Wagner.
Thanks to team sponsors Boulevard Brewing Co. and BNIM.
Over the last two years, St. Mark Hope & Peace has engaged the surrounding community regarding the need to serve the area youth, particularly the students of DeLaSalle High School, a tuition-free Charter School for students between the ages of 14 and 20 in need of a non-traditional high school setting. While DeLaSalle does offer some afterschool activities for its students, the offerings are limited and do not currently fulfill the needs of the student body, many members of which have no one at home until later in the day, as their parents or guardians are still at work.
St. Mark’s Hope & Peace has offered their undercroft (basement) for H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People Engage), a youth afterschool drop-in center in hopes of fulfilling the needs of DeLaSalle students and other members of the surrounding youth community.
Participants of Eco Abet's 2013 Summer Design Charrette were asked to provide design options for a new youth center entry and a revised floor plan that will serve a program the students are currently creating.
To learn more about the efforts of St. Mark Hope and Peace: http://www.stmarkhopeandpeace.org/
The design concepts and imagery were a result of the collective talent of Trudy Faulkner, Mark Neibling, Matt Kleinmann, Danielle Vevea, Patrick Bayer, Michael Luczak, Shannon Criss, Chris Richards, Charles Vega, Kelsie Kremer, Bill Mullins, Jennifer Lehmkuhl, Razia Molina, Zolfar Hassib, and Juan Trejo. Thanks to team sponsors J.E. Dunn and Price Chopper.
To create a permanent neighborhood sense of community, the Upper Room has purchased a former Kansas City Public School building which is being transformed into the Mary L. Kelly Center. The Kelly Center will be a symbol of neighborhood identity, where neighbors will congregate to use its café, computer lab, health club, dance studio, and gymnasium. To foster neighborhood buy-in and promote the Center’s use, all programming will be free to neighborhood residents who volunteer monthly. The Center will also serve as the home of the Charlie Parker Foundation, which will host the archives of local jazz legends and reignite appreciation for the area’s legacy of jazz music. Finally, the Center will house tenants with a stake in the neighborhood, including Church of the Resurrection and the Town Fork Creek Neighborhood Association.
Participants of Eco Abet's 2013 Summer Design Charrette were asked to provide design options for the renovated corridors on all three floors of the building and to convey the sense that the building is a unique place, one that combines elements of a community center, a cultural institution, and a point of neighborhood organization and pride.
To learn more about the efforts of the Upper Room: http://www.upperroomprogram.org/
The design concepts and imagery were a result of the collective talent of Joy Coleman, Vance Kelley, Dana Gould, Todd Renyer, Julia Manghitz, Grant Thome, Ian Pitts, and Emily McVey. Thanks to team sponsors Treanor Architects and Park University.
Cultivate Kansas City is a non-profit organization that helps address the need for more locally grown, healthy fruits and vegetables, provides support for small farm business development, and supports the community in creating a healthy food system and a new vision for Kansas City neighborhoods. At their Juniper Gardens Training Farm, low-income and refugee families enroll in a four-year program to grow their own farm business. In order for these refugee farmers to rely solely on their farm income, there is a need for a seasonal greenhouse in which transplants and container-grown food crops can be grown outside of the summer season.
Participants of Eco Abet's 2012 Winter Design Charrette were asked to integrate existing technologies to design a greenhouse that will be energy efficient, water conserving, attractive and secure, building code compliant, replicable, modular and extendible; and affordable.
To learn more about the efforts of Cultivate KC: http://www.cultivatekc.org/
The design concepts and imagery were a result of the collective talent of Chris Richards, Brad Reynolds, Douglas Dietrich, Dominique Davison, Jennifer Lehmkuhl, Jesse Crupper, Karie Kneller, Larry Kinney, Sarah Murphy, Charlie Vega, Steve Mann, and Katherine Kelly.
The 816 Bicycle Collective is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit community bicycle shop. Since 2008, they have served their community by making bicycles and bicycle maintenance accessible to those who cannot afford to pay for these services. The organization is structured around an educational platform that encourages collaboration and cooperation between volunteers and guests.
The space the 816 Bicycle Collective currently occupies is in a state of disrepair and is becoming a liability to their volunteers and guests. As a result, they purchased three buildings at the corner of 31st and Cherry that they will call home once major renovations are complete. In addition to space for The 816, these buildings will provide leasable offices for other like-minded nonprofits and businesses.
Participants of Eco Abet's 2011 Summer Design Charrette were asked to provide design options and code studies for the renovations of the three buildings
To learn more about the efforts of The 816: http://816bike.org/
The design concepts and imagery were a result of the collective talent of Eric Bosch, Dale Duncan, Trudy Faulkner, Carly Pumphrey, Katie Vossman, Mark Neibling, Bryan Gross, Leandra Burnette, Joy Coleman, Krissy Buck, Julie Cawby, Daniel Cooper, Tim Cummins, Dana Gould, John Krudwig, Winifred Wright, and Dan Edleson. Thanks to team sponsors Zahner and Treanor Architects.
