Teague Nelson Building

Salina, Kansas
2022-2024
Structural Engineer - VMT Engineering
MEP Engineer - PKMR Engineers
Photographer - Harold Gaston
Historic State Tax Credits
Awards - 2025 - Medallion Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation

The Teague Nelson Building, located in downtown Salina, was constructed in 1886 by business partners John A Nelson and Milton D. Teague. Designed by H.G. Johnston and L.D. Burford of Salina architecture firm Johnston & Burford, the building is composed of a symmetrical façade of cut stone, red brick, and glazed tile.
​
While the overall character of the façade was intact prior to commencement of construction, including the glazed tile tympanum of the second floor windows, several character defining features had been removed. At the first floor the south storefront had been replaced in 1959 with a midcentury design of plate glass and polished granite for jewelry company Helzberg. The north storefront, in an undefined style, had been replaced in the 1980s after the adjacent bank had purchased this space. Around the same time the second floor windows were replaced with aluminum framed fixed glass units, and the cornice replaced with a simplified design.

The project scope for the exterior included the removal of the existing storefronts, replacing them with a design based on historic photographs. This incorporated custom white oak pilasters and doors in a period style, as well as a custom mosaic floor at each entrance featuring the building address. Retractable awnings were selected to provide shading for the storefronts while maintaining a minimal profile when retracted. At the second floor the existing aluminum windows were replaced with wood units in a historic style and configuration. The original stained-glass transoms which had luckily been stored on site since the 1980s remodel were restored and reinstalled. A pressed tin cornice was installed at the parapet approximating the original nineteenth century design.

The subdivided layout of the first floor created by previous tenants was reconfigured to create a large tenant space on each side of the building in keeping with the historic layout of the building. Service spaces where required were located at the rear of the building. Pressed tin ceilings were restored, oak hardwood floors installed, and detailed moldings applied to the interior storefronts to add character. In the south tenant space built in bookcases were designed and installed to accommodate a bookstore.

The second floor featured a floor plan unchanged from 1900 when a remodel occurred to house an athletic club and social hall. Based on detritus this floor had likely been abandoned by the latter half of the twentieth century. The extant floor plan was kept largely intact with modern amenities such as ADA compliant restrooms, a break room, and mechanical systems added in a non-invasive manner. Three skylights which had been partially removed were restored to emit light into the expansive interior spaces, which in the early twentieth century housed a gymnasium and billiards hall. Intact features such as beadboard wainscoting, door and window casings with bulls-eye corners, transom windows, and tall baseboards were restored or replaced with historic approximations where damaged.

The design of the building was approved by the National Park Service as meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. In addition to the numerous benefits of restoration, the building’s primary tenant, Red Fern Booksellers, has become an integral part of downtown Salina creating not only a place to buy books, but a space for community building.