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hilltopics
monday
4.19.99
ten.a
Mike Elwell has spent his life working as a Douglas County district attorney and judge, using his free time as a patron of the arts and a self-taught sculptor. For the past decade, he has been carving his dreams into the Barbwire building, 8 E. Sixth St., next to the Riverfront Mall.
The Barbwire building is an archive of Lawrence tradition. Many of the decorations throughout the building are antiques from the days when Lawrence was a fishing town. Old reels, nets, boats and hooks help to bring the fishing tradition back to life.
standing in the center of the structure allows an open view of the entire building. Elwell said he left the ceilings open to make the building more spacious. There are only a few rooms in the building not visible from the main floor.
"So many people cut corners and spend less money, but this building deserves to be restored in a way that everyone can appreciate," Elwell said. "The building grows on you. You see things you want to do and they take time and money."
The building will contain two bars, a stage and dance floor, an ice cream shop and many sporadic pieces of art work on the main floor. On the second level, Elwell plans to have a coffee shop, a personal art gallery and some small shops reminiscent of an old English village.
Set off from the main floor are the rooms that will become Abe and Jake's Tavern. The tavern memorializes two famous Lawrence fishermen. It is decorated with fishing gear and a 100 year-old row boat.
"We've been blessed by going slow because we can see what really looks good." Elwell said.
A cluster of royal-blue aluminum arches reaches for the ceiling from the center of the main floor. Elwell acquired the arches from an artist in Grand Junction, Colo. He plans to plant grass below the arches as setting for some of his sculptures, including sheep and a giant frog.
Deeper into the building is a wood dance floor accompanied by a large stage. Elwell
"It's great to find something beautiful that we can have in the past and today."
Mike Elwell Lawrence resident
said he hoped to hire folk bands, string quartets and other light entertainment groups to perform weekly. Swing and tea dancing may also become a part of the lineup.
Elwell said one of the frustrating things about a younger crowd was that they often damaged property. He explained that he would hate to have some drunk kids walk up and carve their initials into the expensive artwork around the place.
"The bulk of the place will be open to everyone." Elwell said. "The bars will be open to people 25 and older. We want to have a nice peaceful crowd."
"I'm hoping to attract an older crowd," Elwell said. "A lot of young people have no respect for property."
Elwell has shelled out almost $1.5 million to design and construct the interior of the diverse Barbwire building. But he also has cut expenses by being resourceful.
He acquired an old fence from a cemetery outside of Coffeyville and old church pews from a Mormon Church in Dennison, Iowa. He said he liked searching for items to add to the character of the building.
"It's great to find something beautiful that we can have in the past and today," Elwell said.
two doors that are now a part of the building came from the old KU union and other parts of the building came from KU fraternities including Delta Upsilon and Sigma Nu.
Signal This is not the only building that Elwell has restored in Lawrence; he also bought and renovated the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. But the Barbwire building is proving to be his favorite and most time-
consuming renovation.
"I like old buildings," Elwell said. "The Granada was in pretty sad shape when I bought it. I like taking these old buildings and bringing them back to life."
This project, however, has had its share of problems. Elwell originally acquired a lease for the building in 1989, at which time he was given a building lease until 1994
he was given a bonus. In 1993, the Kansas River flooded into the basement of the building, which sits right on the shore of the river. Floods halted production again in 1995, making it difficult to stay on schedule.
"It took us longer to do it right," Elwell said. "It's been a much bigger project than I thought."
Elwell hit another snag when the ownership of the neighboring Riverfront Mall changed. Chelsea, a New Jersey-based company, originally owned the mall. Elwell had an agreement with the company to allow access to the Barbwire building through the mall. Elwell said he thought it would improve business for both places to have people wandering though the buildings.
Now the mall is owned by Riverfront L.L.C., and the management has told Elwell it will not allow an entrance to the building through the mall. This has left the old factory with no formal entrance. The change in plans also has hindered the possibility of a natural handicapped entrance needed to meet code.
"I thought it would attract people and be mutually advantageous," Elwell said. "I still wish somehow to manage to save the handicapped entrance."
An elevator system seems to be an answer to the that problem, but it is also an expensive solution. Currently, the only way to reach the building is to walk down the railroad tracks.
Elwell said he was hoping to restore a
Given these setbacks and the fact that only five or six people are working on the building at a time, Elwell now needs to meet with city officials to negotiate a new lease.
bridge that would connect the building to the Riverfront parking lot to make getting inside the building a bit easier.
"In 1991, we felt it was appropriate to remodel and restore that building." Wilden said. "It has taken Mike some time to get to that point and to meet all of the necessary codes. Clearly it's a challenging building."
"The restaurant and bar next to the river provides a more scenic place for those inclined to sit and have a longer dinner, a few drinks over good conversation," Sage Elwell said. "Some of the other places cater to a quicker, younger crowd, but we are an older, more relaxed crowd."
City Manager Mike Wilden said the lease would include restrictions on how late the building could stay open, the length of time the lease would last, an agreement to pay taxes and more. Wilden said the new lease was hard to spell out completely or grant immediately.
The building may open as early as this September. Elwell said he anticipated that the bars would close at midnight during the week and around 1:30 a.m. on the weekends.
Elwell's son, Sage, Raytown graduate student, said he thought the building would offer a relaxing place for older students and Lawrence residents.
Heather Woodward contributed to this story
Top: A worker gazes at the Kansas river that runs by the Barbwire building.
Editor's note: Natalie Honig, KUJH reporter, teamed up with Heather Woodward, Kansan reporter to complete the project. Watch for today's KUJH broadcast of this feature story.
Insets: Elwell has acquired several pieces of art while working on the project.
Far left: This bar will become Abe and Jack's Tavern, which memorizes two famous Lawrence fishermen.
Left: The indoor pond is still in construction.