EarlystART Rector Mansion Rehabilitation

As part of a multi-disciplined team, SFS developed a Rehabilitation Master Plan for the Rector Mansion located at 2000 East 12th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The building is owned by EarlystART, a prolific early childhood education program in Kansas City, and is part of the overall EarlystART campus. The Rector Mansion is historically significant for its association with Sarah Rector, Kansas City’s first female Black millionaire who occupied the house in the 1920s, and as a Black mortuary between 1929 and 1960. EarlystART required a campus planning study with a focus on determining an appropriate community use for the Rector Mansion with an emphasis on preserving its historic architectural integrity and promoting its cultural significance. The Rector Mansion is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. SFS participated in community meetings, which included participants from the Rector family, reviewed existing historical information and drawings, prepared a code analysis, visually surveyed, and documented the existing architectural condition of the building, provided recommendations for its rehabilitation, developed a program, and generated multiple design options. The final design option restores Sarah Rector’s mansion to revive the social hub that was a point of pride for the surrounding community and to continue her legacy by providing spaces for social gathering and enrichment.