Spaghetti Works Apartments

Completed in 1894, the Wichita Wholesale Grocery Company Building is a four-story brick warehouse in the East Douglas Avenue Historic District. The district contains late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century commercial and industrial buildings that represent Wichita’s regional status as a commerce center. In addition to its status as a contributing resource in the district, the building is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Prior to rehabilitation into residential apartments, the building housed a Spaghetti Works restaurant on the ground floor and office space above.
The rehabilitation incorporated historic features into the new apartment spaces to retain the building’s historic character. Historic window casings, exposed brick perimeter walls, pressed tin ceilings, and decorative iron columns are prominent elements in first floor units. Original wood windows on primary elevations were restored, rather than replaced. The exposed heavy timber structure of columns, beams, and deck at ceiling level are visible on upper floors. Interior walls are partial height in individual units to retain the historic volume of high ceilings. The new residential use retained the building’s industrial character while bringing residential units to Wichita’s revived urban core.