4 Busted! College
Hill burglars caught thanks to watchful neighbors.
5 A night and day 8 The storied College difference: Former Hill home that once coffee shop now a housed the Wichita History Museum. wine bar.
THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER Vol. 4 No. 5
COLLEGE HILL
• CROWN HEIGHTS • UPTOWN • SLEEPY HOLLOW
MAY 2010
FRESH FACE The remarkable and sudden appearance of the man with the mighty mustache. PAGE 6
BARRY OWENS
It took artist Seth Depiesse, on the ladder, all of a single afternoon to freehand the 12-foot tall face of a well-groomed, mustachioed man on the side of the College Hill Barbershop building on Douglas Avenue early this month. The sudden, striking appearance of the spray-painted mural drew double takes from passersby.
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LETTERS
THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
UP AND DOWN A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Y
Black, white & read all over.
ou buy the kids a new toy, like a trampoline, and you figure you’re buying them a little happiness and yourself a little time. “Here you go, knuckleheads. Knock yourself out,” you tell them. “Daddy will be reading in the den while you two bounce until nap time.” But it never seems to work that way. There is, of course, the nagging worry that they might actually knock themselves out. It’s distracting. But the more persistent distraction turns out to be the kids themselves. They are determined to make you join them. The back door slams, you hear the little feet marching across the floor and you peer over the top of the sports page to find a couple of curly-headed boys. They’re not bouncing. They’re not happy. They’re staring. “Come jump with us,” they say. You’re stuck now, pal. Say no and you’re Distant Dad, a nofunnick destined to be remembered poorly by your children who one day will move away and lose your telephone number. Say yes, and you’re stuck on the trampoline. Reader, I confess, I have to think this one through every time. It is impossible to look cool on a trampoline. The sunglasses go flying, your grin goes goofier the higher you rise, and all the neighbors can see your silly 40-year-old man having-fun-face bobbing over the top of the fence. But what they can’t see are those giggly children falling all over themselves at your feet. It’s a fair exchange. So you get out of your chair and your shoes and you bounce for awhile, putting your heart into it until your chest starts to ache and your huffing, puffing and laughing with those floppy-haired moppets and vowing to yourself that you will never, ever attempt to buy their happiness again. BARRY OWENS EDITOR
WRITE THE EDITOR:
We welcome your letters. No subject is out of bounds, so long as it is local. Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for clarity and length.
subscribe today: 689-8474
E-MAIL US: editor@collegehillcommoner.com WRITE US: 337 N. Holyoke, Wichita, KS, 67208 CALL US: 689-8474 ADVERTISE: jessica@collegehillcommoner.com, or 689-8474 THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5 MAY 2010
PUBLISHER
J ESSICA F REY O WENS
EDITOR
B ARRY
OWENS
CONTRIBUTORS
D AVE K NADLER
THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER
Published monthly by The College Hill Commoner 337 N. Holyoke Wichita, K.S. 67208 316-689-8474 editor@collegehillcommoner.com www.collegehillcommoner.com
THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
OP-ED
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Fighting crime from the front window
M
y first brush with crime in Crown Heights was about four years ago. I’d foolishly left my car unlocked and came out the next morning to find the glove box rifled and my cell phone gone. I decided to call the cell phone and the guy actually answered. For some reason, he refused to identify himself. The conversation was a short one. DAVE KNADLER As far as victimization goes, that was pretty mild. I didn’t even bother to report it – just assuming that WPD might not assign its best detectives to the Curious Case of the Purloined Cell Phone. Was I angry? Sure. I felt violated too. But then, I’d left my car unlocked so I figured I had it coming. That’s often the case when regular people encounter thieves – we tend to assume that it’s our fault. Somebody breaks into your car or house, you curse yourself for not having better sense, or a better alarm system, or a dog better trained to pursue intruders, seize
them by the crotch and drag them down screaming. (Good dog, Ginger!) But the worst thing about firsthand encounters with petty crime is that the criminals themselves never seem to get involved. They wander by at any hour, take what they can, and leave. It’s frustrating. These are not criminal masterminds, after all; they’d pick a Nintendo over a Picasso. But it’s like they’re untouchable, invisible. And it’s like your stuff never existed. Like my cell phone, it’s gone forever. Only reason to report it is for the insurance. The cops can’t help. In a town where gang shootings and bank robberies have long since eclipsed lesser crimes, let’s just say they have bigger fish to fry. Wichita’s a great town, but it’s like every place else in one respect: You’re mostly on your own when it comes to retaining ownership of those possessions that are not nailed down. Thankfully, there are exceptions to that rule. I’m referring to the recent case where one of my neighbors in Crown Heights decided to call 911 about a burgla-
Let’s say I was surveilling the neighborhood through through my partiallydrawn blinds (as I have been known to do) and spotted a couple of guys loading up their car halfway down the block. How would I react?
ry in progress instead of shrugging it off. Net result: Two bottom-feeders temporarily off the street and an alarming string of College Hill burglaries solved. That made me happy. I’m particularly pleased because the two bottom-feeders in question were working my particular block that afternoon. I figure I missed them by about an hour. Maybe I’m lucky I still have a computer to type this on. But for me, the happy outcome is also a cause for reflection. Reading the details, I had to ask myself: Let’s say I was surveilling
the neighborhood through my partially-drawn blinds (as I have been known to do) and spotted a couple of guys loading up their car halfway down the block. How would I react? Depends on the house, I suppose. But unless the guys in question had pantyhose pulled over their heads and seemed kind of jumpy, I might well take the naive, optimistic view: “Oh look,” I might think. “Mr. Smith’s industrious nephews are helping him move.” And then later I’d read in the paper about the phantom burglars who entered Mr. Smith’s home in broad daylight and left with a substantial portion of his home electronics. I’d feel pretty silly. And I damned sure wouldn’t mention it to Mr. Smith. (That’s a made-up name, by the way.) Good thing I’m not Mr. Smith’s only neighbor. Because his better neighbor proved again what we all should know by now: Cops don’t stop crime. Neighbors do. But the only way they can is if they know each other. And care enough to call. Writer Dave Knadler lives in Crown Heights.
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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
Busted! Watchful Neighbors Finger Thieves Burglars struck during day, targeting homes on the market. BY BARRY OWENS Wichita Police made the collar, but you can thank a fuzzy surveillance photo from Kwik Shop, a sharp-eyed mom in Crown Heights and the vigilance of College Hill neighbors for catching a couple of thieves in the act last month. The alleged thieves, whom police say could be connected with more than a half-dozen residential burglaries in College Hill and Crown Heights last month, are now behind bars thanks to tips from watchful neighbors. The two men were arrested following a tip from a Crown Height’s resident who spied their car in front of a neighbor’s house on North Old Manor and jotted down the tag number. The car, a gold Saturn, was familiar to her from a recent e-mail she’d received from a friend in College Hill. The email was a forward from Wichita Police which detailed a list of recent break-ins and included a photo of a suspect car, snapped at
WICHITA POLICE DEPARTMENT
A fuzzy surveillance photo from Kwik Shop on Douglas of a car suspected to be used during a rash of burglaries in College Hill last month helped lead neighbors and police to the suspects.
Kwik Shop. “I came home and pulled into my driveway and saw a car in front of my neighbor’s house with a gentlemen in the driver’s seat,” the Crown Heights resident said (she asked not to be identified). “By the time I got my son out of the car and got to the front door, I saw another gentlemen running out of the neighbor’s house with a box in his hand.” She got the tag number as the car drove away, dashed inside to verify
the description from the email, called her friend in College Hill for further confirmation, tried calling the neighbor at work, then called 91-1. Within an hour, police had tracked the vehicle to a house in the 400 block of South Laura, where they arrested a 28-year old man and found a large amount of stolen property. Soon after, a second suspect was arrested at a South Broadway hotel.
The 48-year-old was discovered hiding beneath a bed. The pair are suspected of breaking-in and stealing from as many as eight homes in the College Hill area in April. Burglaries were reported in the 400 block of North Crestway, 200 block of North Brookside, 100 block of North Parkwood, 200 block of North Belmont, 100 Block of South Brookside, 4300 block of East Douglas, the 200 block of North Bleckley and the 300 block of North Old Manor. Jewelry, computers, televisions, and other electronics were stolen from the homes. All of the homes were on the market with FOR SALE signs posted out front. The Crown Heights resident who tipped police said she is thankful that the latest burglars are off the street. “I feel better because I know that they are behind bars” she said. “But at the same time, it seems like every couple of years there is a string of burglaries in the neighborhood.” At least two other break-ins were reported last month, one near First and Quentin and another on Oliver near Waterman. Police say that neither of those break-ins seemed connected with the eight others.
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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
Where Everybody Knows the Name Bradley Steven, owner of Mike’s Wine Dive, a restaurant and wine bar that opened last month in Aspen Boutique. Steven opened the bar in partnership with his brother, Brent, and Whitney VinZant.
At Mike’s Wine Dive, the wine list is long but easy to read. BY BARRY OWENS The other day at Mike’s Wine Dive, a new wine bar and restaurant that opened last month in Aspen Boutique in the space that formerly housed Caffe Posto and Hair Connection, owner Bradley Steven was explaining the lengthy wine list. “It’s a novel,” he said. No kidding. It features a list of 250-plus wines, bios on vintners, a few character sketches on grapes. But it’s an easy, entertaining read—and deliberately so. It even includes a helpful pronunciation key “Let’s say you’re on a date. You want to impress,” Steven said of the phonetic spelling included on the list. “You see an interesting wine that you would like to order, but you don’t know how to say the name. What’s going to happen? You don’t want to look stupid, so you’re just going to order the Cabernet instead.” Welcome to the neighborhood wine bar, where the atmosphere aims for classy and comfortable at the same time.
There are oysters on the menu, but also hot dogs. The macaroni and cheese is mixed in a creamy white wine sauce and tossed with lobster and shrimp. There is a jukebox in the corner, next to a wine rack where the bottles range from $30 to $700. “There’s a little weirdness in the grapes, there’s a little weirdness in the food as well,” Steven said of the eccentricities of the menu and the wine list. Steven, along with brother Brent
(the pair are also owners of Club Indigo and Backstage Bar and Grill) opened the bar and restaurant last month in partnership with Jimmy’s Egg franchisee Whitney VinZant. “We bring our nightclub and liquor experience and Whitney brings the food,” Steven said of the partnership. Steven said the hope is to provide a polished but low key place where both connoisseurs and those only casually
acquainted with wine can feel comfortable. That is why it is called Mike’s. “It just sounds comfortable,” Steven said. “It doesn’t sound pretentious or French. It’s easy to pronounce. Everyone has heard the name before.”
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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010 Photos by BARRY OWENS
Artist Seth Depiesse pants a mural early this month on the side of the College Hill Barbershop building on Douglas.
FRESH FACE
The man behind the mural (and mustache) BY BARRY OWENS One after another cars slowed so their drivers could gawk. Barbershop customers (it was closed at the time) lingered in the lot before setting back out in search of a trim. And passersby gave shout outs from the sidewalk. “Looks nice, man!” a young dude, looking dapper himself in a pair of diamond earrings, said of the dandy gent
taking shape on the side of the College Hill Barbershop building on Douglas. Not that the artist, Seth Depiesse, 32, even seemed to notice. His headphones were blasting (“ A thrash mix. I’m trying to work quickly. It helps.”) and his eyes remained a fixed squint, presumably to keep out the overspray. Depiesse, who lives in the neigh-
borhood, had been commissioned by barbershop owner Mike Cocking to paint the mural on the side of his building, which sits on Douglas next to Margarita’s Cantina. The artist arrived on a Saturday morning early this month with his supplies: a ladder, several cans of Rust-Oleum, a bag of Cheetos, a pack of smokes, a few select CDs and a photograph he had found at the library for inspiration. The photo was taken from a book showing men’s hairstyles from the turn of the last century. The model wears no sideburns, his hair is parted at the left and his mustache curls at
both ends. “It reads kind of conservative, but kind of eccentric at the same time,” said Depiesse. “Kind of like College Hill.” But who is he? Depiesse doesn’t care to know. “I try to keep it really anonymous,” he said. “I’m trying to build him as his own character.” The artist made no sketch, took no measurements. From time to time, he considered the photograph which he otherwise kept clamped in his teeth, shook the can, sprayed it at the wall, and the face revealed itself as if it had been there all along.
THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
COMMUNITY CALENDAR Garden Tour Date Set
College Hill History Talk
Mark your calendars for June 12 for the College Hill Architectural and Garden Tour. (Rain date: June 13). The tour will feature the homes of Marc & Charisse Bachrodt at 300 S. Clifton, Sharon O’Neill and William McKeighan at 400 S. Roosevelt, Paul and Maxine Miller at 335 S. Crestway, Ed and Linda Wilson at 328 N. Pershing and Daniel and Mary Wheeler at 237 N. Crestway. Also on June 12, City of Wichita Arborist Justin Combs will lead tour groups on a stroll through College Hill Park, noting the varieties of trees that beautify the park. A commemorative Trident Maple will be planted in the park to mark the neighborhood’s long tradition of planting trees, which started back in the late 1880s. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at any of the locations on the day of the tour or at Watermark Books, 4701 E. Douglas, beginning June 1. The tour is a fundraiser in support of the College Hill Neighborhood Association. The Association is seeking volunteers to sell tickets and pass out brochures during the event. To volunteer or for more information, email Kathleen Snyder: ksny@cox.net.
Jeff Roth, amateur historian and College Hill Commoner contributor, will give an illustrated lecture on the history of the old neighborhood on May 15 at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main. The hour-long presentation, “On College Hill: Views of Early Wichita,” is set for 2p.m. Museum admission is free from 1-3pm. “The emphasis will be on the transition of the eastern hill from prairie to neighborhood, but the anecdotes and experiences to be covered – land deals, fortunes made and lost, street cars causing suburbs, etc.— will have applicability to all of Wichita,” Roth says.
Wright on Architecture Eric Lloyd Wright, architect and the grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright, famed architect and designer of the AllenLambe House in College Hill, will speak May 8 at 1 p.m. at Wichita State University CAC Theatre. The event is free. Wright will speak about the AllenLambe house, prairie architecture, and his own work on architectural projects with his grandfather and father, both highly original architects. The presentation is a collaboration between the Ulrich Museum of Art and The Allen-Lambe House Museum.
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HISTORY
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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER â?š MAY 2010
The Beachy house, 3751 E. Douglas, was built in 1909 and later became home to the city’s first historical museum.
WICHITA -SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM
HISTORY HOUSE The Beachy home’s second life as a museum BY BARRY OWENS
I
t is possible to be fully grown, with children even, live in College Hill, and never have known the home at 3751 E. Douglas to house anyone but Kirstie Alley, the guests that passed through Inn at the Park before then, or the real estate agents that once set up shop there. But for more than 20 years, the house was home to the city’s historical artifacts. The former Beachy house, originally home to Cyrus M. Beachy, banker and first president of Steffen’s
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Dairy Foods Co., enjoyed a long second act as the Wichita Historical Museum from 1957-79. It was built in 1909, one of the four early and splendid homes on the block, including the H. W. Darling house just to the east that went up a few years earlier. Designed by architect C. W. Terry, the Beachy home was finished in red brick and carthage stone and featured tiled porches, five bathrooms, a grand staircase, a carved mantlepiece and oak trim throughout. It remained a private residence
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until 1955 when it was bequeathed by the late Anna Olinger Beachy, widow of Cyrus, to the city to house a historical museum. Anna Beachy was an avid collector of antiques and dolls, which as the museum notes, constituted an exhibit in itself. Prior to moving to the Beachy house, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historical artifacts were housed at the Sedgwick County Courthouse, beginning in 1919, and then moved to a hallway at the Forum in 1939. The Beachy house would be the
Wichita Historical Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first proper home. Exhibits on opening day in 1957 included an early dentistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, complete with drilling equipment chair and brass cuspidor, a stage coach once used for runs to Dodge City and â&#x20AC;&#x153;of special interest to youngsters,â&#x20AC;? the Eagle noted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a desk once owned by Buffalo Bill Mathewson.â&#x20AC;? Hanging in the foyer was a large mirror in a gold leaf frame, which once belonged to restaurateur Fred Harvey. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
HISTORY
WICHITA -SEDGWICK COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Hundreds turned out in 1979 for a final hurrah for the Wichita Historical Museum.
HISTORY HOUSE CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
From guns to needlework, early china to an old steam fire engine the house was full of antiques, including the furnishings and dolls left by Anna. Today the museum — now housed in the former City Building, 204 S. Main, built by familiar architects Willis Proudfoot and George Bird — houses nearly 70,000 artifacts. The museum reopened there as the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum in 1981 after moving out of the Beachy house in 1979. The last public event at the College Hill location was, appropriately
enough for a home originally built for the president of a dairy, an ice cream social. Banjo players picked on the front porch, a calliope played on the side, and out back the kids competed in a cake walk to tunes from a handcranked victrola. And there was one more nod to the past, in the personage of Owen McEwen, grandson of Cyrus. He grew up in the house, not the museum. “It was just a nice, big home,” he told the Eagle, with an “awful big banister to slide down.”
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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
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THE COLLEGE HILL COMMONER ❚ MAY 2010
Bicycle Day Geared Toward Family Fun, Safety Biking advocates say Douglas is prime for pedaling and they are out to prove it with a day geared toward bicycle fun and safety along the avenue. “I Bike Douglas,” set for May 22, aims to promote biking while increasing awareness and respect for riders. The event is organized by the Douglas Design District, Wichita Downtown Development Corporation and the Delano District. “We want the day to serve as a visible reminder to motorists that they are sharing the road, but probably the best way to educate motorists on bicyclists’ rights to the road is to ride respectfully. So bike safety and maintenance clinics will be a major part of the day,” said organizer Ann Keefer. The day includes safety and maintenance clinics, tours, an exhibit and a pub ride. Rain date is May 29. Here’s a look at the day’s events: MINOR BIKE EMERGENCY CLINIC This informative session will teach all those essential on-the-go-fixes that will have you back up and riding again in no time. The first 100 participants will receive a free gift. 9am @ Heartland Bicycles (Mosley & Douglas)
ART RIDE Led by local well-known artist, Ann Resnick, this art gallery on wheels will feature stops at various sculptures and murals throughout the core area. Learn the story behind the medallions embedded in the sidewalk along Broadway or discover where a Jester takes a bow. 2:30pm @ Wichita Downtown Development Corporation
PHOTOGRAPHER RIDE Whether you are an experienced shutterbug or an aspiring one in search of inspiration, this tour provides ample opportunity to capture unique and memorable shots. Led by Wichita Coasters member and avid photographer Ty Nighswonger, this ride will showcase several of Nighswonger’s favorite photo locations and subjects. FILE PHOTO
bike in tip-top shape. The first 100 participants at this clinic will receive a T-shirt designed with safety in mind. 10am @ American Red Cross, 1900 E. Douglas
BIKE SAFETY CLINIC (KIDS) Safety tips and rules for beginning riders. 10am @ American Red Cross. BIKE SAFETY CLINIC
MAINTENANCE CLINIC This clinic will delve into how to keep your
Safety rules and tips for experienced riders. 11am @ American Red Cross
ARCHITECTURAL RIDE Guided look at some of the architectural treasures along Douglas. From sleek modern designs to art deco influences to elaborate and ornately carved limestone, the avenue offers numerous examples of the city’s architectural heritage. Led by local artist and architect Elizabeth Stevenson. 1pm @ Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, 507 E Douglas
4pm @ Wichita Downtown Development Corporation VINTAGE BICYCLES Coasters Bicycle Club’s exhibit of vintage bikes. 1-4pm in Delano (West Douglas)
PUB PEDAL Bike and bar hop along with the Coasters Bicycle Club, hitting stops from The Shamrock in Delano to Lucky's in the Douglas Design District and points in between. 6pm @ The Shamrock, 1724 W. Douglas
presents summer art camp Enroll early for weeklong sesson where students will Sessions: 4-7pm Mon-Fri learn the basics of clay construction and spray art on can- Location: 1141 Jefferson vas. During these processes your child will learn how to (in Riverside area) creatively express themselves through the elements and Ages: 7 and up principles of design, which will promote cognitive devel- Cost: $150 per session per student. (Drinks and opment and build probelm solving skills. The first part of the week will be devoted to 3-D design. snacks provided.) Students will create a unique lidded vessel out of clay which will be fired in the kiln and then painted. The second part of the week will be devotsessions ed to 2-D design where students will learn the process of 1. May 31-June 3 2. June 7 - June 11 spray painting on stretched canvas. 3. June 14-June 18 4. June 21-June 25 5. Juned 28-July 2 6. July 12-July 16 7. July 19-July 23 8. July 26-July 30 9. Aug. 2-Aug. 5
Call now! 258-4043
meet the teachers TINA THOMAS is a certified art teacher who holds a BFA with an emphasis on ceramics and art education. She volunteers her time with the Ulrich Museum. JOHN Q is a well known local artist who specializes in spray painting. He has held numerous shows around Wichita. You can view his work in Old Town.