Wichita KS Photos

Wichita, KS Photo Gallery

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Taken at Botanica Butterfly House, Wichita KS

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Photo of the four-story Getto Building at 235 N. Main which burned early in the morning of February 5th, 1923. Fire department records state,

"February 5, 1923, 3:12 a.m. - Getto Building fire - 225 N. Main Street - 9 killed".

The building was valued at approximately $80,000. The cause of the fire was never determined. This building was erected by William Henry Sternberg (1832 - 1906) for Peter Getto (1841 - 1902) "in the early 1890s."

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This photo is a copy of a Norwich newspaper clipping from the early 1900s showing "The Old Planing Mill" in Norwich New, York - of which W.H. Sternberg (1832 - 1906) was the principal owner. Henry C. Hall and Orville L. Field were co-owners. An exact address is not known (indeed numbers may not have yet been assigned to buildings), however the business was on "East Main Street' in Norwich. The business was commonly known as the "Sternberg Sash and Blind Company". At this factory, they made high-quality interior moldings, window sashes, doors, blinds, newel posts, balusters, dressed lumber, pickets and picket fences, lath, shingles and provided services here including scroll sawing and turning as well as designing and drafting services. Approximately 30 employees worked here at the time. They shipped construction materials (mainly throughout the New England area) and fine quality interior wood appointments (newel posts and such) throughout the nation. For a town with a population of only a few hundred in the late 1800s, this was certainly a large and prominent business within the town. W.H. Sternberg was elected Mayor of Norwich in 1864. An exact date of this photo is not yet known but is c. 1865 - 1875.

Hearing reports of Wichita's growth and opportunity on the western frontier, Sternberg (along with his wife Catherine and family) moved to Wichita in 1875 and he quickly (within a few months) become the area's leading designer and builder of fine homes and commercial buildings. This was at a time (mid-1880s) when in some years quite literally thousands of buildings were being erected in Wichita in a single year! By some accounts, Wichita was the fastest growing city in the nation and Sternberg built more of Wichita than any other contractor (from 1875 - about 1905). Sternberg's design work was primarily extant on upscale residences vs. commercial structures. Today, there are buildings in Kansas, Missouri and New York that Sternberg designed and/or built which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other states such as Illinois and Connecticut are strong suspects for more Sternberg-designed and built structures.

Following is a quote of the newspaper article (c. 1908) that accompanied the photo above...

"THE OLD PLANING MILL, Which Over Thirty Years Ago Was a Scene of Industry. The accompanying illustration is interesting, showing as it does the appearance of a leading Norwich industry 30 odd years ago, the photograph having been made in 1875. The Chenango canal may be seen in the foreground, having not yet been abandoned.

The building is readily recognized as the old planing mill which did not change greatly in outside appearance until the new plant was erected a few years ago by the W.L. Scott Lumber Company. At the time of the photograph, Sternberg & Hall were the proprietors of the industry. Among the employees grouped in the front of the building was James Stack, who worked in the mill then and is still employed there. Other former employees in the picture who still reside in Norwich are Charles Barber of Cortland street, and Clinton Merrill of Mitchell street, the latter having been the engineer. James Sherwood now a resident of Oxford, was another employee who appears in the photograph. The old man conspicuous in the group because of his flowing white whiskers was Mr. Bowker, who built the spire of the Broad Street M.E. Church.

The photograph from which the picture was made is the property of Clinton Merrill. Norwich has made many rapid strides in progress since those days. The canal has been abandoned, the present planing mill standing on the site where the State ditch formerly ran through."

<< End of Article >>

It is not known if Sternberg himself is in the image above - perhaps on the front steps. There are three persons on the front steps - those could be Sternberg, Hall and Field (the proprietors), but that hasn't yet been confirmed. A clearer image, made from the photograph itself, will be posted to this photostream soon and compared with confirmed photos of W.H. Sternberg. That may (or may not) yield an answer as to whether Sternberg appears in this photo. It seems likely that he would be in this photo. At the present time (2010) there are only two confirmed photos of W.H. Sternberg known to exist. One of those appeared in the Eagle newspaper and was a grouping of prominent business persons in Wichita, KS. The other is a tin-type photograph of Sternberg and his wife Catherine from c. 1870s. Enlarged duplicates of both of those photos can be viewed at the Historic Sternberg Mansion at 1065 N. Waco Avenue in Wichita, KS.

An advertisement for Sternberg, Hall & Company (the business above) on page 18 of the 1869 - 1870 Chenango County Directory stated, "the proprietors of the Steam Planing Mill, East Main Street, Norwich, N.Y., keep a good assortment of Lumber, Pickets, Shingles &c., and manufacture Doors, Sash and Blinds and everything necessary for finishing a first-class house. They are enterprising and energetic men and can be depended upon to fulfill whatever they promise. Being Architects and Builders themselves, they know just what is wanted for a house and how to prepare it. Give them your patronage if you would have everything in first-class style. See advertisement on colored page 103."

It was from this location in the photo above that Sternberg also headquartered his building design and contracting services. A newspaper clipping from Norwich, New York (date undetermined) stated,

"Mr. Sternberg was the head of the contracting firm of W.H. Sternberg & Co., on the site of the M.P. Berglas Co."

The M.P. Berglas Manufacturing Co. (maker of toilet seats) located at this site AFTER the W.L. Scott Lumber Co. which took over this location several years after Sternberg left Norwich.

Your thoughts, comments, ideas, stories and/or additional information about this photo and/or this place are certainly appreciated and welcomed!

Duram Photo / Brian Duram on Flickr: Posted a Photo

Exploration Place, Wichita KS 2010

Duram Photo / Brian Duram on Flickr: Posted a Photo

Old Cowtown Gunfight Collage, Wichita KS

Kyle Batson on Flickr: Posted a Photo

Downtown Wichita with my friend Trish. As the sun was going down we were treated to the most wonderful evening light. Had to go grab my camera as Trish makes for a wonderful subject.

Sony Alpha a850
Minolta 135mm f/2.8
1/500 @ f/2.8

Kyle Batson on Flickr: Posted a Photo