Westboro home designated residence of WU president

By the 1920s, Topeka’s affluent and influential residents began moving away from the city's center and building their homes in the up-and-coming Westboro neighborhood, a housing development west of downtown.

Richard N. Hall was a lifelong resident of Topeka, attending Topeka High School and then Yale University, graduating with honors in 1910. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1917-1919, Hall returned to Topeka to learn the family printing business.

His father, William Nash Hall, was founder of the Hall Lithographing Co. in town. When William died in 1920, Richard took over as president. He married Marguerite Koontz, who owned a local dance studio, a few years later.

A building permit issued in April 1928 for a frame and shingle dwelling at 3130 S.W. Shadow Lane in Westboro that would become their home. Built at an estimated cost of $20,000, the amount didn't include wiring, plumbing or finishing expenses.

Some sources list Clarence Shepherd of Kansas City, Mo., as the architect, although Westboro developer W.E. Glover reportedly had final approval over all Westboro plans at that time. Hall was heavily involved in the planning and building as well.

It was common in the 1920s for houses to share characteristics from several different architectural periods, and the house at 3130 S.W. Shadow Lane is often described as an example of Colonial Revival architecture, which blended several American styles.

The full-width double porch is a feature associated with Southern plantation houses of the Greek Revival period. Other details, including the exterior door surround and roofline balustrades, are more in keeping with the early Federal style.

During their years in the house, Richard and Marguerite were active members of Topeka society. Richard was a leader in the business community and local civic organizations, and Marguerite was a founder and president of the Junior League and a member of the Topeka Symphony Society and the Junior Art Guild.

An avid outdoorsman, Hall enjoyed fishing and hunting and was a gun enthusiast and collector. He had a room built at the rear of the house for his collection.

One of his three sons, Richard N. Hall Jr., visited the house in later years and reminisced about the historical moment the family gathered around the radio in the “gun room” when Admiral Richard Byrd, who was a well-known naval officer and polar explorer during the period, landed at the South Pole.

Hall also installed a turntable in the garage, which allowed a vehicle driven into the garage to be rotated manually toward the exit, eliminating the need to back out of the driveway. The Hall brothers remembered using the turntable as their own personal merry-go-round when they were children. It has since been welded to prevent accidental turning of the much longer and heavier vehicles that are housed in the garage today.

The Hall family lived in Westboro until 1935, when the house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Wolf. Mr. Wolf operated a successful jewelry business in downtown Topeka, and his wife, Grace, served as president of the Topeka Women’s Club and the YWCA.

Along with the Wolfs, Hazel Butterfield moved into the house. Butterfield, from humble beginnings in Iowa, came to Topeka to serve as a secretary at the YWCA. Social mores being what they were, single women were discouraged from living alone, so she boarded with the Wolfs.

When Mr. Wolf was killed in an automobile accident, Butterfield took over running the jewelry business and stayed on at the house as Grace’s companion. They occupied the house for almost 35 years.

Following World War II, Grace’s nephew, Keith Butterfield, also lived at 3130 while he attended Washburn University. In later years, Keith would recall that he never knew whom he could expect to see when he returned home in the evenings, including a famous pianist who had come to town to play for the symphony practicing on the Steinway piano. Grace and Hazel’s guests were a Who’s Who of Topeka society.

Keith shared a photo of Thanksgiving Day 1952 showing Orville Clark, a prominent Topeka physician, and Hugo Wedell, a Kansas Supreme Court justice, sitting at the table.

When Grace died in the late 1960s, the house, property and furniture were willed to Hazel Butterfield for her use as long as she was living. Instead, Butterfield moved into an apartment and donated the property to Washburn College, now known as the Washburn Endowment Association.

Washburn College sold the house to Washburn University for $60,000, and the revenue from its sale was used to fund the Grace W. Wolf Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was earmarked to be used to support needy and academically worthy students.

The Washburn University Board of Regents approved the transaction, and the home was designated as the Washburn President’s Residence.

“Hazel didn’t get any credit, and she’s the one who gave the house to the university,” said Susan Farley, wife of current Washburn University President Jerry Farley.

President Farley recalls hearing that before 1970, there were a number of houses located on campus or in the College Hill neighborhood near the university that were used to house past Washburn University presidents and their families.

The Farleys have lived in the house for the last 22 years. Today, its shutters are painted Washburn blue, and its walls routinely host guests of the university. In addition to being the president’s residence, the university uses the house for administrative purposes, conferences, business meetings, and social and cultural events.

Decorated by Porterfield’s Flowers & Gifts in preparation for the holiday season, the house exudes a welcoming warmth. The central staircase in the foyer is framed by an arched entryway and adorned in greenery and pinecones, with red accents. A crackling fire entices guests to gather in the living room off of the main entrance.

The focal point of the living room is Grace Wolf’s Steinway piano, which was donated from her estate along with the house. It was built in Hamburg, Germany, in the 1900s. A portrait above the fireplace painted by Washburn alumna Barbara Waterman Peters portrays Ichabod Washburn, for whom the university is named.

“This is a really beautiful room that’s fun to entertain in,” Susan said. “It’s just a privilege to get to live here. I’m grateful that it’s been well taken care of for 91 years.”

Hardwood floors, crown molding and pocket doors lend a museum-like quality. Many of the works of art throughout are on loan from the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University, and Kansas artists are featured prominently.

The house has been repaired and redecorated a number of times since it became the president’s home. An air conditioner and brick sidewalk were installed before President John Henderson moved into the house in the early 1970s, and additional landscaping and remodeling took place a decade later, including the conversion of a porch on the east side of the house that was enclosed to create an interior room leading out onto a terraced brick patio. The sleeping porch above was also completely enclosed.

During John and Joan Duggan’s tenure, the kitchen was completely renovated, including removing walls to open space for a larger serving area. The first-floor furniture was also purchased at that time.

To make it inclusive for everyone in the community, the house required additional work when the Farleys moved into it in 1997.

“One thing we had to do was make this house handicap accessible. Something most of the houses in the neighborhood have are really tiny bathrooms under the staircase, and it wasn’t handicap accessible,” Susan said.

To remedy the issue, a larger bathroom was added. Wherever possible, original fixtures from the house were preserved, including four pedestal sinks in various locations throughout.

A boiler and chiller still provided heat and cool air to the house at that time, so central heating and air were installed as well. Rather than having duct work throughout the house, President Farley describes a process by which forced heat and air were delivered through registers to all three floors, preventing any structural changes.

“We tried to keep the architectural integrity of the house,” said Susan.

In 2015, it was the Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas Designers' Showhouse. As part of that process, the house was completely redecorated and the kitchen was renovated for a second time. Painted in soft shades of cream, a large center island features woodwork that has been carved to depict the Walking Ichabod, the mascot of Washburn University.

“I was glad we were able to share it with the public during the Designers’ Showhouse,” said Susan.

Upstairs, the third floor was converted into a guest suite, which includes a bedroom, bathroom and sitting room. Dormer windows look out over Westboro, and a framed bell in the bedroom serves as a conversation piece.

Once the maid’s quarters, the bell rang in the third-floor bedroom when someone below summoned the help.

“There was a dumb bell in the dining room. It’s fun to ring it sometimes, but no one ever comes,” said Susan.

Decorated in Washburn blue and gold, the dining room is a centerpiece of the Farleys' lives here, representative of their role as stewards of Washburn University.

“My favorite thing is the dining room because of the round table,” Susan said. “It’s so warm and conducive to good conversation all around the table, not just two people on your left and right.”

Students and faculty from the university are routinely invited to join the Farleys on Shadow Lane, particularly those who may be far from family. President Farley especially makes a point to include international students.

“We have roundtable dinner discussions facilitated by a faculty member that address current topics and have a diverse group of students attending,” Susan said. “We really enjoy doing that. It gives the students a chance to get to know us and the faculty member, engage in civil discourse, and to think about and exchange new ideas. We think that’s an important thing that we can do with our home.”

A place of hospitality and open dialogue, gatherings at 3130 continue to contribute to the reputation of Washburn University as a place accessible to anyone who wants to sit at the table of academia.

The Shawnee County Historical Society named the house an Architectural Preservation Award winner in 2016, and a dollhouse replica is available for public viewing in the Mulvane Children’s Art Museum on campus. Built by the son-in-law of a former employee of Grace Wolf, the replica was measured to exact scale from the house.

“I’m happy to share it with students, faculty, donors and friends of the university,” Susan said. “It’s a beautiful home that’s been well taken care of, and it reflects the stateliness of the university.”

Shanna Sloyer is a freelance writer from Topeka. She can be reached at ssloyer@yahoo.com.