The old Methodist church is officially the 10th Eudora building listed on either the State or National Register of Historic Places.
The building, at 703 Church St., was added to the State Register of Historic Places earlier this month.
Building owner GW Weld began the application process shortly after purchasing the building at the beginning of the year.
Weld said he is pleased the building made it onto the register, but he isn’t surprised.
“It is a very historic building so I knew it would qualify. It was just a matter of time,” Weld said. “It’s 100 years old and has seen a lot of things in its life. It has a lot of beautiful architecture.”
Weld predicts the building will also be listed in the national register in the next couple of months.
Ben Terwilliger, executive director of the Eudora Area Historical Society, said the city of Eudora and Douglas County are strong advocates for historic preservation.
“Eudora is home to a huge number of important historical buildings. It confirms that, in general, we do a pretty good job in Eudora of maintaining and looking after our historic buildings,” Terwilliger said.
Weld said he planson turning the building into a wedding and event venue, estimating the project will be finished toward the end of 2025.
“It’s going to be an expensive project so we’re working on putting the financing together for it,” Weld said. “It’s going to be a lot of restoration work.”
The building has been relatively unused since the Methodist church congregation moved in 2006, Terwilliger said.
“[GW Weld] has given the building a new lease on life, which we’re very excited about,” Terwilliger said.
Weld has a passion for historic preservation and hopes to continue his projects in Eudora and surrounding communities. He’s working on building affordable housing in both Eudora and Atchison.
Reach reporter Ryn Drummond at [email protected].
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