Liberty Hall facade restored after months of downtown construction

The scaffolding came down Friday at Liberty Hall, uncovering the historic facade at 644 Massachusetts St. after four to five months of work. For downtown Lawrence, the change was more than cosmetic: one of Massachusetts Street’s most recognizable landmarks was back in full view just as World Cup watch parties and weekend events were set to bring more people into the city center.

Co-owner Joshua Millstein said the project had been a long process from start to finish, stretching to about two years once earlier demolition, grant work and planning were included. The repair centered on the triangular breaking cornice at the top of the building, where iron underneath had been exposed to moisture, rusted and expanded, then pushed stone loose. In some places, pieces were falling onto the ledge above the entrance, turning a preservation project into a safety concern. The major exterior work was finished, with only smaller tasks left on windows and a downspout.

The visible return of the facade matters because Liberty Hall is more than a theater. It houses La Prima Tazza and Squishington’s Candy Shop, and it hosts concerts, movies, speakers, fundraising events, weddings and funerals. Millstein said the timing was especially good because the building was back in shape for World Cup watch parties and even a couple’s wedding scheduled for the weekend. Kansas City is hosting six World Cup matches between June 16 and July 11, and Liberty Hall already hosted a June 16 viewing party for Algeria’s match against Argentina.

Liberty Hall’s restoration also restored a piece of Lawrence history that has always been tied to the corner. The site once held the Herald of Freedom, Kansas’ first abolitionist newspaper, before the original building was destroyed in the Sack of Lawrence in 1856. The site was later christened Liberty Hall in 1870, J.D. Bowersock bought and renovated it in 1882 as the Bowersock Opera House, and the current Beaux-Arts building was reconstructed in 1912 after a fire. Hernly Architects describes it as the only Beaux-Arts building in Lawrence’s Downtown Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2004.

Millstein thanked the local preservation community and named Charlie Oldfather, Josh Davis, Tracy Green, Mike Myers, Stan Hernly and Ben Graham among those who helped carry the project through. Graham, who has done preservation plaster work at Liberty Hall since the late 1980s, has said roughly 20 tons of plaster have gone into the building over the years, a reminder that this downtown landmark has long required steady care to keep its face on the street and its doors open.