7 minute read
Destination: Downtown
Gardner's business district is on track for redevelopment in a big way.
Article by Bob Luder
Photograph by Sarah Reeves
A small bronze plate discreetly attached to the front of the old Bruce Furniture building on Main Street in downtown Gardner is easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. It reads, “Site of the first Furniture Store and Undertaker, Est. 1885” an odd but charming vestige of the times and part of the town’s historic ambiance.
That building at 139 E. Main, along with many other structures and spaces along the four-block strip that makes up Downtown Gardner, is undergoing—or soon will be undergoing—a major facelift. After delays caused by the pandemic and some push and pull on the city’s budget priorities, it appears all systems are go for significant redevelopment and renovations along Gardner’s central core, both from a municipal standpoint and with a lot of private investment in the area.
It’s a process that some consider a long time coming, but the city, despite the obstacles, never lost focus.
“Gardner just got named the fastest-growing city in the (Kansas City) metro and 60th fastest in the entire country,” says Jim Pruetting, city administrator. “We’re surrounded by employment centers like Logistics Park KC, the New Century Commerce Center, and the new Panasonic development. We want to make Gardner a place where you not only buy your first starter home, but a place people can stay for a second or third home.”
Gardner Destination Downtown
The Gardner Destination Downtown project has been on the city’s agenda for some time, but the project—which builds on the recommendations of the Gardner Main Street Corridor Plan, aided by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation—is finally moving forward. The city acquired two properties at the northern edge of the Downtown district—the Security 1st Title building and an adjacent home to the north—and plans to create public open spaces, including but not limited to public parking lots.
“That’s the first action toward implementing the Destination Downtown Plan,” Pruetting says, “and the purchases were key to doing that because we need more parking and open space in that area to support the plan.”
The vision includes building a multipurpose building with first-floor retail and second-floor office space.
In addition, the city intends to build a covered space adjacent to city hall that can be used for a variety of events, including a large farmers market.
There are discussions of beautifying Main Street’s sidewalks and adding curb appeal, such as planters and signage and addressing ADA issues. Since the street doubles as U.S. Highway 56, there are obstacles, especially when creating medians or bike/ pedestrian lanes.
“A challenge is our Main Street also is a U.S. highway,” says Jason Leib, president and CEO of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce. “There are some things we just can’t do ....”
An important part of the process, Pruetting and Leib say, is forming a Downtown Council to help brainstorm and organize more downtown redevelopment. Pruetting says the intent is to have that council in place soon.
Private Investment Ongoing
Though Downtown Gardner’s redevelopment has picked up recently, especially from a city standpoint, the area has seen investment and new development over the last decade. For example, after Groundhouse Coffee & Bakery opened 10 years ago at the corner of Main and Elm, it firmly established itself as a meeting and gathering hub.
In July 2023, Transport Brewery opened a second location (the original is in Shawnee) at 131 E. Main, selling craft beer in an updated, roomy space with an outdoor patio. Around the corner on Elm is the Ash & Anvil Cigar Lounge in a renovated building that includes a speakeasy, The Forge, and an outdoor space called The Bellows.
“I grew up here,” says Derrick Stockton, owner of both businesses. “I always thought we had such a cool downtown, but there wasn’t anything for anybody to do. It was important to me to stay in Gardner, and to create this family business here has been great.”
Perhaps a major focus of downtown redevelopment occurred in 2017 when the grounds and buildings of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church were purchased and converted to Warren Place, a venue that can be rented for weddings, business retreats, reunions, and other gatherings. Warren Place hosted its first event in the fall of 2020 and, despite the interruptions and chaos from COVID-19, has thrived and established itself as a premier event space in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The original chapel, built in 1905, is a popular venue. The rectory, constructed in the 1950s, has been remodeled into three suites that can be used for staging areas or overnight stays. And the Warren Place building, built in the ’80s, can host up to 200 for receptions or large meetings/gatherings.
More recent redevelopment plans received an economic stimulus in the form of an approved historical district designation that allows property owners to receive tax credits at both state and federal levels for up to 80% of renovation costs.
That includes the redevelopment of the Bruce Furniture building, which was acquired by Carrie Brandon, a local artist, in 2023. Preserving as much of its historical character as possible, Brandon wants to create the Main Street Market Place, a deli/diner/full-scale bakery and seller of community-sourced food products. She wants to celebrate local agriculture in the area and form a synergy with Groundhouse Coffee, Transport and Ash & Anvil. She also plans to take the section of the building facing Elm Street to form a space where local artists can sell pottery, jewelry and wellness products.
“I want to bring something productive and community related to Downtown Gardner,” she says. “It’s a historic property with unique features. We want to preserve everything we can.”
Brandon says she also bought the building at 208 Main and plans to create the Main Street Media Group, a space where local media can work and create content.
Another resident, Manual Oregel, owner of Union Tile & Marble, recently opened El Luchador, a restaurant that serves authentic Mexican food, and has acquired other buildings for redevelopment.
Jeff Cordray, owner of Cordray Roofing at Main and Sycamore, purchased a 1920s building at 231 Main and fully renovated it to house a chiropractic office. Two doors down, next to El Luchador, he’s acquired another building he plans to tear down to create additional parking.
While it’s taken more time than some would like, it’s clear that Downtown Gardner is in for some real changes over the next few years.
“I’ve lived in Gardner since 1992, and I love what’s happening in Downtown Gardner right now,” Cordray says. “I like that they’re doing it slowly and organically. I like that we’re getting family-oriented businesses that the community can patronize.
“Once downtown development is done, it’s done forever. We’re doing it the right way.”
For more information on the Gardner Destination Downtown Project: www.gardnerkansas.gov/government/departments-and-divisions/planning-and-zoning/gardner-main-street-corridor-plan/gardner-destination-downtown-plan
