Upstairs Downtown: Living 'outside the box'
Staff reporter
(Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of stories about former, current, and future uses of the second stories of buildings in the downtown district.)
When Bruce Skiles first saw the upstairs of the building at 422 E. Main, Marion, he saw an exciting possibility.
With 3,000 square feet to play with, Skiles is a man with a vision of how this space could be converted into a contemporary home.
He and wife Belinda of Marion purchased the 1892 building with high hopes.
Many residents can remember when the upstairs of the downtown building was the upstairs was Marion's first hospital, opening in 1907.
According to "Marion County Kansas: Past and Present," the hospital had six private rooms, a dining room, three nurses' rooms, an operating and sterilizing room, two offices, and an X-ray machine.
Doctors R.C. Smith and G.J. Goodsheller cared for an average of 73 patients per year with room rates from $15 to $25 per week.
Around 1942, the Marion Kiwanis Club was asked to assist in exploring the possibility of building a new, larger facility. In 1952, St. Luke Hospital was completed and opened.
Today the ground floor contains three offices — Shelter Insurance, Caleb Abbott Optometry, and the former Atmos Energy office.
"I can appreciate the efforts that former owners Bill and Feebie Holdeman put into the upkeep of this building," said Bruce Skiles, particularly a new roof.
The Skiles purchased the building specifically with the hope of converting the second floor into a contemporary living space.
"This would make an awesome apartment," he said, noting the location near Central Park and local businesses.
The former hospital area is in good condition. Water damage has caused some wallpaper and ceilings to deteriorate but Skiles isn't discouraged.
"This building is in great shape," he said.
In the 1980s, part of the area was used by Martha Boyle and Jane Pippin who operated the Decorator Shoppe, Inc.
A large "great room," formerly the dining room of the hospital and production room of the Decorator Shoppe, is located on the south side of the building.
"This would make an ideal family room," Skiles explained.
Original wood trim and transits add a historic and comfortable charm to the century-old building.
The individual patient rooms and offices still remain with transits above each door, previously used for ventilation.
Old tile floors remain throughout most of the building. Areas where the tile has pulled up reveals a wooden floor.
An open staircase in the rear of the building is the only entrance to the upper story. The street-entrance staircase was covered when office space was developed. Skiles said when the second floor is converted to living space, a street-entrance will be re-established.
Currently there are several second story apartments above ground floor store fronts but Skiles hopes these plans will spur other owners of downtown buildings to make similar improvements.
He added that the business district could become more vital if there were more loft apartments.
"Downtown would be a great place to live," Skiles said, particularly for an older person who doesn't want to be responsible for yard work.
Loft apartments are nothing new. Downtown districts of some communities are filled with second-story apartments. In some larger communities, there are waiting lists of people wanting to purchase or lease these unique living spaces.
If more people lived downtown, he said, stores would have a better chance for survival and might encourage new businesses to open.
"You know, sometimes you just have to go outside the box," Skiles said.
