TOPEKA (KSNT) – A historic Topeka landmark is set to receive thousands of dollars in state funding for senior housing at the Menninger Clock Tower Apartments.
Governor Laura Kelly announced on April 25 that nearly $10 million is set to go to nine recipients across the Sunflower State. One project listed was the Menninger Clock Tower Apartments in Topeka at $637,500.
“Safe and accessible residential communities for elderly and disabled Kansans are necessary for living independently,” Kelly said. “These awards will increase housing options that meet the needs of these communities.”
KSNT 27 News was able to get an inside look of Menninger’s in 2021 with the help of former Topekan and founder of abandonedks.com Emily Cowan. Earlier proposals from 2021 asked the Topeka City Council to consider transforming the location into a home for veterans.
The clock tower was built in 1929 in the style of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, according to the Kansas Historical Society (KSHS). The building originally provided medical care for the Security Benefit Association. The building later housed offices and a library for the Menninger Foundation. The hall is the former home of the Menninger Clinic which relocated to Houston in 2003.
The funds for this project come from the ARPA Building Opportunities for the Disabled and Elderly (ABODE) program launched early in 2023, according to the Office of the Governor. Other projects receiving funding from ABODE this year include:
- Cottonwood Falls Housing Authority, Cottonwood Falls, $1,000,000
- Derby Senior Living, Derby, $1,500,000
- Maple Gardens Village, Wichita, $1,190,000
- John’s Place Apartments, Victoria, $850,000
- Sunflower Flats, Manhattan, $1,500,000
- Villas at Pinnacle Pointe, Ottawa, $1,080,000
- Wiswell Farms Senior Villas, Spring Hill, $1,468,800
- WK Housing, Meade, $548,250
The Sunflower Development Group reported on April 25 that it was among the recipients of the grants from ABODE and would be supporting senior housing for the Menninger Clock Tower Apartments.
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