Ben Moore Studio - MCSB Lofts

Morris County State Bank Lofts

Council Grove, Kansas
Remodel / Adaptive Reuse in Historic District
2018-2019
MEP Engineer - Malicoat-Winslow Engineers
Structural Engineer - VMT Engineering
Developer & Preservation Consultant - Christy Davis
Contractor - The Larkin Company
Photographer - Harold Gaston
Awards - 2019 Honor Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
- Kansas Preservation Alliance

After a 1970’s fire threatened the existence of the 1887 Morris County State Bank, the building stood vacant for nearly forty years. Weathering and the elements did further damage to the structure over the years until a new owner took possession of the building in 2017. Ben Moore Studio was hired to complete the design work for the rehabilitation project, which envisioned a new retail space at the first floor, guesthouse at the rear, two market-rate apartments at the basement level and a luxury loft on the second floor. In addition to space planning for these new building uses, there were a number of technical aspects of the project that needed to be addressed. Structural design was required to modify the existing roof trusses to hold new rooftop mechanical equipment. Multiple ADA and Code compliance issues needed to be resolved, including a lack of an accessible building entry and restroom for building visitors. In order to retain the historic character of the building, new HVAC and plumbing needed to be creatively designed to be out of sight. The final product continues the trend of revitalization in the city by contributing a mixed-use building to the Council Grove Downtown Historic District.