TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Thousands of items ranging from brass hinges and doorknobs to circular staircases that used to adorn the Kansas Statehouse will be up for auction in May.
The items were salvaged during the 13-year, $325 million renovation of the statehouse that was completed last year. The online auction, scheduled for May 2-9, is being run by Dave Webb, a former state representative and senator who now owns Webb & Associates auction house in Stillwell, The Kansas City Star reported.
“They had a warehouse four blocks from the capitol where they would take stuff to fix it or repair it,” Webb said. “This was everything that was leftover.”
Except for a few items sent to the state historical society and another museum, the auction will include a lengthy list, such as thousands of feet of trim, hardwood flooring, archways, library ladders and bookcases. The most compelling item is a copper door that protected the staircase leading to the dome, Webb said.
“There’s only one of those ever made, so that is a true, rare item,” Webb said. “I don’t know what they replaced it with. I’m assuming it had to have better security because this just had an old lock on it.”
Webb said he expects people to find new uses from many of the items, such as making old doors into tables or using hinges and doorknobs as decorative tchotchkes.
Some large items also will be auctioned, including a set of cast-iron circular stairs that led from behind the capitol’s cage elevator to the basement. Also included will be curved desks used by Senate clerks, which are 20 feet wide and will “need a large area to display,” Webb said.
The auction proceeds go to the state. Webb hasn’t set a goal for how much money to bring in.
“I think I can safely assure you it will not balance the state budget,” he said, alluding to the state’s multimillion dollar debt.
The renovation included updating the building’s infrastructure and adding a visitor center and underground parking garage.
Elizabeth Watson, a Maryland-based consultant hired to assess Topeka’s historic preservation plan, said the renovated statehouse is worthy of consideration for National Historic Landmark status. It is already on the National Register of Historic Places.
___
Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
Copyright 2016 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-04-17-16 1532GMT
