This is the 17th post of a blog by Matt Porubsky called “satisfactual,” which will be updated whenever he damn well pleases, discussing odds and ends about Topeka history and culture, with a little opinion thrown in for good measure.
About a month and a half ago, the beginning stages of deconstruction to the Center
Building at the former Topeka State Hospital Grounds got my mind rolling. Today, the head of the Center Building was rolling, brick by brick, to the ground for all to see. It caved into itself like so many who found it home years and years ago. Living down the street, I was able to watch it crumble, visiting almost every hour, until its face was shattered to piles and sifted to dust. In my final encounter with the building as a whole, or, rather, as it fell from a whole to pieces, I saw the places between over a century-year-old bricks split and shatter. I was humbled by the ideas and emotions that had been trapped in those walls and plaster now sent as clouds into the wind.
A place like the Center Building is also an example of the ease of commenting and criticizing after the fact. Why wasn’t something done? Why couldn’t we save it? Why do they have to tear a beautiful piece of architecture like that down? I guess I ask, What did we do to save it? I saw dozens of folks there taking pictures of the building splintered to ruins. Are they going to make sure this doesn’t happen again, to our existing historical structures? Am I?
These questions lead me to think about our city as a whole…that leads me to downtown…and that leads me to seveneightfive magazine. Four years ago, when the magazine began, there were no other organizations routinely on peoples’ radars showing them what was going on in the City of Topeka and especially downtown. When seveneightfive magazine started with the tagline, “Proving Topeka’s nightlife is more than a vicious rumor” no one else had the guts to say that, then. There are many groups now that are painted with the colors of a vibrant Topeka, the now and the future. I have to say, you could check your backlog of stories in seveneightfive magazine and on our site and you’ll find information on the building I saw being destroyed today, the early stages of ReThink and Think Big Topeka, Chords and Oil and all other arts and entertainment happenings in the city from four years ago to the present. We were and are the alternative source for information in Topeka.
Over the years since, Topeka’s pride has swelled and we are certainly proud of that pride. My understanding is, a lot of folks don’t recognize what needs to be done until they have some kind of investment in it. Back in the day, the Center Building was a symbol of one of the great things about our city. Now it is gone.
I must be a little grumpy. Maybe it’s the dust from a recent demolition settling on my sidewalk, a defeat coming a little close to home. Maybe it is the weird taste in my mouth from the dust clouds themselves, softly floating through the neighborhoods. Maybe I am thinking about the way that we are always building on something that has come before us. There are instances in this city that have made it great and some that have made it much less than that. seveneightfive magazine has always been a publication to express and share the views of the evolution for our town. There is a need to work together to make things happen. If we ever let you down, realize we are trying to cover everything for everyone. If we don’t let you down, let everyone know what we are up to. If you think we might be dropping the ball, take a look at where the ball was before it was in our court and how we let you know it was there.
It is strange to think that this whole line of thought started from watching the building fall. It is an ugly thing. I have seen worse, though. I just don’t want to see it again. Let’s all make that not happen.
Matt Porubsky is not a licensed therapist, statistician, historian or medical professional. But he is the 2009 Distinguished Kansan of the Year in arts and entertainment. Take that! Most of the time he just makes stuff up. But all of these stories are based on actual events.
[ July 2010 | Matt Porubsky | photos by Matt Porubsky ]
Chris Schultz
1 year ago
Well spoken Matt!
Karl
1 year ago
Thanks, Matt, for the photos and the story. We’ve got to do better than this in the future.
Heather Hicks
1 year ago
I was actually part of a group in the early 2000′s, that tried to get this building on the registry. It was in fact denied several times. I think there were a lot of people in our community to whom this building and it’s history were special and important, mental health professionals, former hospital clients, architecture enthusiasts, and historians. It was unfortunate, but after being turned down for the registry, I think we started to feel a bit helpless. The building was purchased by a privat owner – not owned by the city – so we hoped we might see some movement. But alone and empty she sat. So very sad. Topeka feels a bit like a disposable town to me. Old, great landmarks coming down or sitting empty, while we build new over and over again – only to have things go out of business or move – then the NEW buildings are standing empty. Vicious cycle.
Chris Grandmontagne
1 year ago
Thanks Matt. I agree. Oh dear! Where do we begin???
kath
1 year ago
As always you seem to have a way with words! Your reference to the people it touched caving into themselves was striking and helped me to deal with this whole process. Thank you. I don’t know how these decisions are made and then we hear about them after they are a done deal. I remember reading that 501 defended the decision by saying that they are going to use the land to build a learning opportunity for school students. It seems to me that it would have served as a much stronger learning opportunity for all of us if they had left it be and taught it’s history and the history of so many institutions that were created out of societies’ fellings of discomfort, fear, “good intentions” and all of the other reasons so often used to address the needs of individuals of those same societies who may experience disabilities or differences. Oh, the things that were done “for our own good”.
Kris H.
1 year ago
I was there too. I’ve been “standing witness” since the end of May when I first noticed it surrounded by construction fence. Maybe it’s a good thing, all the pictures, since that’s all that’s going to be left now. I had never watched a building brought down like that before; it was hard to do.
I think by the time anyone realized this building might not be there forever it was already too late to save her. I remember when the hospital closed in 1997 (I was working there) Center Building already was in pretty bad shape. And, of course, nothing got better in the intervening years.
My Facebook albums (End of Center Building, Color Series, and likewise, B&W series) are open for anyone to see, and on my Picture Topeka blog is a link to a Picasa album chock-full of pictures. I’m Kris Holmes on FB. I’m still processing and selecting the pictures from 07-07-10.
Tempus Fugit, Sic Transit Gloria, and dammitall anyway.