The Hiram P. Dillon House was built in 1911 to house the Dillon family and their collection of art gathered from all over the world. Hiram, a wealthy railroad lawyer in Topeka, traded his existing house (too small for the burgeoning collection) for a plot of land adjacent to the Kansas Statehouse on which to build a new home. The home contained four large bedrooms on the second floor, a grand stair, a library on the first floor, and servant quarters in the attic. The home passed through many hands after the family, including an insurance company, the adjacent church, and the State of Kansas. Purchased by Pioneer Group, Inc., it was turned into an event space, with their main offices on the second floor. Extensive unforeseen conditions and intricate finish work meant I spent a good portion of each day on site, working closely with the contractor and subcontractors to ensure that a truly luxury product was produced, including designing reconstructed faux fireplace covers from off-the-shelf tin ceiling components. The resulting structure has hosted many events, including several state preservation award receptions, living up to the motto on the main fireplace: "None come too early, none stay too late." I even had the opportunity on several occasions to play Susie Dillon's piano "Goldie" that was reunited with the house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHsgx2m1yiY
Sunset view of the Dillon House, showing the reconstructed east pergola and the extensive exterior lighting that was installed.
Testing some of the myriad of finish options in the house.
The completed renovation, as see from the Kansas Statehouse dome.
Original portrait of Hiram Dillon, on loan from the Dillon family.
