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Could Topeka's Nick Chiles buildings be used for educational purposes? International singer hopes so

Topeka Capital-Journal

International opera singer and vocal coach David Lee Brewer, a relative of early Topeka newspaper publisher Nick Chiles, intends to buy the aging downtown Topeka buildings.

The historic buildings were where Chiles put out one of the most-read Black newspapers in the nation.

June is the target date for the purchase, Brewer told The Capital-Journal on Monday.

The owner of the properties — AIM Strategies LLC, a development firm led by Topekan Cody Foster — has put its plans to demolish them on hold as it gives Brewer time to obtain financing, Foster told The Capital-Journal.

David Lee Brewer will tour buildings in March

No occupants reside at the three buildings at the corner of S.E. 7th St. and S.E. Quincy, but their historical significance has created resistance to possible demolition.

Brewer, who lives in Berlin, Germany, said he plans to take part in early March in a walk-through of the properties, which are located at 112-114, 116 and 118 S.E. 7th.

He said he intends for the buildings to be used for educational purposes as part of the Nick Chiles Institute, a school he plans to develop for the arts, culinary arts, entrepreneurship and social empowerment.

Brewer and investors involved with that effort are also looking at several other potential sites in Topeka, including the Downtown Topeka Post Office at 424 S. Kansas Ave., he said.

Brewer said he's represented in Topeka by Real Estate broker Lance Royer, which Royer confirmed.

Brewer communicated with The Capital-Journal from Moscow, where he said he was finishing up an album featuring students he teaches.

More:'Every single idea we looked at wasn’t feasible': Historical buildings center debate

Nick Chiles published the Topeka Plaindealer

Plaster falls from the original stone walls on the top floor of 118 S.E. 7th St. as Kelly Foster, facility services director at The MCP Group, talks about the decay and cost to maintain the building in its current state.

Chiles edited and published the Topeka Plaindealer from 1899 until he died at age 61 in 1929. The Plaindealer had the largest circulation of any Black newspaper west of the Mississippi River.

"Chiles developed a reputation for his timely and thought-provoking editorials on subjects of concern to African Americans in Topeka, around Kansas, and beyond the state's borders," said the website of the Kansas Historical Society.

The Plaindealer was published from 1899-1958, making it the longest running Black newspaper in the United States, the site added.

It said although Chiles was believed to operate a saloon in the basement of his hotel, he felt sympathy for hatchet-wielding saloon smasher Carrie Nation, who came to Topeka in 1901.

"When she was arrested during her campaign in Topeka, Chiles provided money for her bail," the site said. "The two joined a brief partnership and published 'The Smasher's Mail,' which she edited. After three issues, the partnership ended."'

More:AIM Strategies buys former Briman's building in downtown Topeka, seeks retail tenant

AIM Strategies bought buildings hoping to restore them

Heavy water damage to the top floor of 116 S.E. 7th St. can be seen as the plaster from the roof continues to deteriorate.

AIM Strategies bought the Chiles buildings in late 2017 with hopes of restoring them, Foster said.

The purchase was made essentially "because I got tired of watching them fall into disrepair," he said.

But after concluding restoration would cost a minimum of $10 million, AIM Strategies announced plans last year to demolish the three structures and rebuild at the same site.

The proposed new building would face west toward the adjacent, outdoor Evergy Plaza, which opened in 2020 at the northeast corner of S. 7th and Kansas Avenue. It would include an open-air museum with interactive features highlighting Chiles' life.

AIM Strategies discussed its plans last year at a meeting of the Topeka Landmarks Commission, though that body hasn't considered allowing the buildings to be torn down.

Permission from Topeka's city government would be necessary for demolition because the buildings are part of the South Kansas Avenue Commercial Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Two were constructed in about 1880 and the other in about 1888, according to the application submitted to gain that distinction.

More:Nick Chiles' legacy is more than three buildings. We hope advocates, developers talk.

Facebook group points to Black business losses in Topeka

Noting the floor height changes in the building at 112-118 S.E. 7th St., Kelly Foster says each building features different heights across each building making renovations difficult.

Opponents of demolition are maintaining a "Save Nick Chiles's Buildings" Facebook page, where they are seeking signatures on a petition asking Topeka's mayor and city council to prevent the demolitions, should such a proposal come before them.

The page features a video message from Brewer, which was posted Oct. 14.

"We're asking you for your help, for your interest in joining us to save history and to do what Nick Chiles would have wanted, and that is to keep those buildings for the empowerment and uplifting of young Topekans," he said.

The Facebook site petition notes that downtown Topeka was once home to numerous thriving Black businesses, many of which were leveled and replaced as a result of urban renewal.

The petition says, "As the years have gone by, much of downtown, and Topeka in general, highlights the contributions of many white people with statues and plaques in front of buildings, but have ignored the Black entrepreneurs that built up the progress of our town."

That petition had 364 signatures as of Monday.