Wednesday, May 3, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
Local developer's vision meets many obstacles
Continued from page 1A
both making and collecting for the last 25 years.
Heating the metal is expensive part and limits many artists, Elwell said. But he has a foundry at his home, 1147 E. 1400 Road.
So for 25 years, he has been trading services. Artists come to Elwell with a design, and he makes two metal pieces; one for the artist and one for himself.
Elwell estimates his collection is worth half a million dollars.
"I didn't have any place to display it," he said.
So Elwell, who said he was naturally attracted to the river, decided to see about the old Barbwire building.
"It was an extremely complicated process," he said, "because the land was owned by the city and the building was owned by the mall's owners."
Elwell said he spent two years acquiring the property — by getting all parties involved to agree on a use.
City manager Mike Wildgen began his current post in 1990, when Elwell was working on just that.
"There was no clear direction on what was going to happen," Wildgen said. "It was good timing on his part."
Bob Schumm, who was mayor at the time, said the city was enthusiastic about helping Elwell.
"The building was a total eyesore," he said. "We encouraged Mike to proceed."
But Schumm said he could also understand why the project has taken so long.
"It's a huge, huge building and it had everything wrong with it," he said. "He started from less than rock-bottom."
Elwell said that everybody knew what they didn't want to see go in the building — no food court, no office space, no apartments — and that left very few profitable uses.
Eventually, Elwell said he paid the food court, another business that has come and gone while Elwell toiled, $50,000 for the privilege to sell food in the building. They had not wanted the competition.
"Working it out with the food court was probably the single biggest obstacle," he said.
The project
Elwell obtained a temporary lease from the city in 1991 on the condition that he repaired the building's structure.
He said that three-year process included replacing the windows, reinforcing the roof's support system and tuck pointing the bricks.
Truck pointing means replacing the mortar between the bricks, which by the time he start
Lawrence resident Mike Elwell's collection of metal sculptures in the Barbwire building includes this classical baseball figure, one of his many sports sculptures. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Elwell said you couldn't understand how long tuck pointing 100,000 bricks took until you tried it yourself.
ed working, had turned mostly to sand.
But throughout the decades, the building's workers had carved their names and the year into some of the building's bricks — a practice that Elwell said broke up the tedium of tuck pointing.
"It's fun as you go along to see all the differ ent names up and down the wall," he said.
According to one brick on the loading dock wall, BIG SAM worked there in 1855.
Elwell said that replacing the windows also confused some of the building's former residents.
"You'd hear a crash and you'd know a pigeon had hit a window." Elwell said.
This metal sculpture sits on a bench on the Barbwire building's ground floor. The sculpture's metal is melted and formed in a heating facility called a foundry. Photo by Anron Lindbergh/KANSAN
With the pigeons gone, he said, the next task was to clear the building of about 100 tons of industrial machine mounts and a lot of dirt mixed with all the unpleasantness pigeons bring.
Then in 1993, the Kansas River, which originally drew Ellow to the building, flooded leaving 8 feet of water in the basement.
The cleanup cost $5,000.
The 1993 flood and one in 1995 also cut power to the building.
Elwell had an informal agreement with nearby Bowersock Mills & Power Co., the hydroelectric plant on the Kaw River, and was using their power. But when the river level is too high, the plant cannot produce electricity.
But since 1994, Elwalt has been working on what is an almost-ready commercial space—a mezzanine level with rooms built to look like an English village, a dance floor, a pond, a sculpture gallery, a stage, a bar, a deck and a restaurant.
He calls it Abe and Jakes Landing — a reference to two fishermen who once worked the river.
The decor also recycles bits and pieces of the University of Kansas. It contains a door from the fire damaged Kansas Union, a decorative iron railing from the Sigma Nu fraternity house and parts of the old roof of the Delta Upsilon fraternity house.
"We used their old slate roof to decorate the roofs on a lot of the shops." Elwell said.
Kelly Miller, assistant women's soccer coach, worked on the project from 1997 to 1999, helping to build some of the metal parts of Abe and Jakes, including the staircase and deck.
"It was a really exciting project," he said. "He would salvage things and we would have to include them somehow."
Miller said Elwell was also good to work for because he was understanding about time conflicts — allowing Miller to volunteer as a goalie coach for the women's soccer team last year.
Not only had the mall changed owners, but it had also changed content — from an exclusive outlet mall to a building that was part mall and part office space, and will soon be part hotel.
In 1999, the mall changed hands and was bought by Riverfront Limited Liability Corp.
A decade of changes
"That forced us to put in our own elevator," he said. "You don't just find an 8-by-8 space in the middle of the room."
So Elwell decided to take out his freight elevator, which was equipped with 18,000 pounds of counterweights.
So much for the original plan of connecting with the Riverfront Plaza.
"He made requests from time to time about having a common opening between the two structures," he said. "I don't know what purpose that would serve."
Bill Newsome, one of the partners of Riverfront LLL.C., said the idea of connecting the two no longer made sense because of the mall's nature.
One purpose it would have served was that Elwell had been planning on using the mall's handicap elevator.
But to simply remove the elevator in the base
ment would have caused the weights to fall and take half the building with them.
Instead, a crew from Bowersock left the weights on the floor and disassembled the elevator, lowering it piece by piece down the nearly 40-foot shaft.
"The big weights are still in the basement. We couldn't move them." Elwell said. "That's a prime example of just the amount of work it takes to do one relatively simple thing. You multiply that times a couple hundred and that begins to explain why it's taken so long."
Elwell said that removing the elevator cost about $4,000 and that putting in the handicap elevator cost $45,000.
"There's no money in this thing other than my own," he said.
Elwell said that he had paid for the project with all his personal savings and income from local real-estate holdings — including the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St, which he renovated in 1955 and now partly owns.
Miller said that he and Elwell also raised money by creating metal sculptures for clients.
after re-negotiating the lease with the city last year. Elwell almost lost his power from Bowersock again — not because of a flood this time, but because of Kansas Power and Light.
KPL said that Bowersock was a wholesaler of electrical power and because Elwell was a retailer, he should buy power through KPL like everybody else.
So Elwell worked out an agreement with the city. He has rights to a strip of land on city hall property, on which he is laying electrical wire to connect Abe and Jakes to a transformer behind city hall.
"It was not an easy question to resolve," he said.
Elwell said that it would be strange to see the public coming in after 10 years of working on the Barbwire building but that it had been a fun project. He said he would play host to charity events and Sunday brunches in the building, whose specialty item would be Philly steak sandwiches.
"I think the building is incredible," he said. "I think they've done a really, really good job. It's come a long way."
Isaac Hilpman, Lawrence resident, has worked two catering jobs at Abe and Jakes with Liz Karr Catering.
Hilman said that he liked the river view.
DETAILS OF THE DEAL
Starting in Jan. 2005, Elwell's rent is $4,800 per year (he pays about $1 per year now)
Lease goes to April 2007. Elwell has option to renew until 2087.
Elwell was required to build a walkway from the parking structure.
Ewell is responsible for the building's conditions. except those existing before April 1991
- Deadline is June 2000. Elwell will be
  billed $1,000 per day after that.
1.00 per day after that
City commission can change deadline
City commission can change deadline
City is not responsible for parking
City is not responsible for parking.
Aha and labor landlady is commercially
Abe and Jakes Landing is commercially zoned, therefore it cannot have sexually oriented businesses.
Elwell can sell alcohol.
INSURANCE
Elwell must provide $1 million in liquor liability to cover injuries or incidents resulting from patrons drinking at Abe and Jakes.
$500,000 general liability.
$250,000 fire and extended coverage for 90 percent of the building's actual value. If the damage to the building is more than that, Elwell is not required to repair it.
provided by the deck and large windows, and the unique interior.
opening of the public by his June deadline, Elwell said he was optimistic
"The inside looks beautiful," he said. "It's something new to Lawrence."
As for obtaining an occupancy permit and opening to the
but not sure.
More information
He said that deadline was set
More information
For more pictures from the newly remodeled Barb Wire
See www.kansan.com
before the KPL issue came up.
"We're just waiting, really, on power." Elwell said. "It's a realistic deadline."
— Edited by Shawn Linenberger
— Designed by Chris Hopkins
Wastin' away in Larryville?
Learn to Sail
Take a break from classes and sign up now for our summer program.
Informational meeting tonight
7pm, Kansas Union, Regionalist Room or contact Rick Frederick @ 864-9343
www.ukans.edu/~kusail
KANSAS SAILING
The Office of Multicultural Affairs presents the 24th Annual Multicultural Graduation Banquet Saturday, May 20, 2000
RECEPTION:5:00 - 6:00 p.m. in the Kansas Union Malott Room BANQUET: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Kansas Union Ballroom Featuring keynote speaker: Angela Cervantes '93 graduate & previous HALO President
GRADUATING STUDENTS FREE $12.50 per adult guest - &7.50 per child under 12
Tickets are on sale through Wednesday, May 17 In the Office of Multicultural Affairs 145 Strong Hall