Historic Sternberg Mansion

The Historic Sternberg Mansion is the last surviving mansion of the fabulous Victorians from the amazing economic boom years of the 1880s when Wichita's population was doubling year over year.  During this time, per person wealth was higher in Wichita than in any other city in the country.  Wichita was promoting itself as teh "City of Beautiful Homes" and of the "Ten Most Beautiful Homes" from this period, Sternberg Mansion is the only one left.  The other nine were either torn down or burned.  Sternberg Mansion became the first locally designated historic structure the same night that the Wichita City Council passed its historic preservation laws.  The Mansion has been pictured in books, national magazines, post cards and dozens of newspaper articles for its stunning Queen Ann architecture.  The Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it's designer and builder (William Henry Sternberg) is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in at least two other states: New York and Missouri.  Sternberg Mansion was the most ornate home that Sternberg ever built from hundreds of amazing homes across the country.  The photo above is from the Mansions renovation in 1975.  For this grand opening the Governor of Kansas came down from Topeka to attend this Grand Opening. 
The Mansion has been in disrepair for several decades and today (03/2014) has structural problems that put it in jeopardy of collapsing.  Several structural engineer reports state that the issues are serious.  Three areas of the foundation (amounting to about 30 linear feet of load-bearing foundation wall) have already collapsed and one chimney column which was in the process of being taken down collapsed into the basement.  The Mansion needs immediate work simply to keep it standing and further restoration work to shore up dry dry rot, water drainage, porch repair and more.  In 2010, the Kansas Preservation Alliance declared Sternberg Mansion as "Most Endangered Historic Property" in Kansas
In 2004, the City of Wichita filed a Letter of Demolition on this last of the grand Queen Anns, but it was purchase from absentee out-of-state owners and work began to restore this home to a Historic House Museum to open it up to the public.  The goal with this property has been to open it to the public, to conduct regular tours and events at the Mansion and to get people excited about historical events and historic preservation.  The best use of this Mansion would be to use it to excite and educate people about Victorian architecture and events and to use the property to raise money for further historic preservationt and not just in Kansas but for Sternberg properties across the country.  This was Sternberg's biggest and fanciest house he ever built.  Let's turn this "diamond in the rough" into a jewel the community can be proud of.  A portion of donations will be placed into a perpetual trust so that maintenance needs of the mansion will there ever after have a source of funding for it's upkeep and we will not need to go throught his cycle of renovation-decline-renovation-decline in the future.
Sternberg Mansion was built to be the Showhouse of the 1800s in Wichita.  With your generous help, we will once again make it a Showhouse that will be a draw for tens of thousands of people in Wichita and well beyond.  It will be open for public use. 
Thank you for helping & making a difference for this property!!