Douglass Center Annex kitchen renovation in the works
As the Douglass Exercise Heart nears its one 12 months anniversary, the center’s director is performing to renovate a kitchen area space in the nearby Douglass Heart Annex.
“When I arrived in 2011, the kitchen area had been closed for years,” said Director Dave Baker on KMAN’s In Emphasis Wednesday. “With the new facility we’ve been capable to totally transform and update the Douglass Center, I believe it is time now to test to do the same factor with the Douglass College.”
The now-named Annex constructing was crafted in 1903 and furnished training to the Black local community of Manhattan through segregation until finally the observe was dominated unconstitutional in 1954. The university shut in 1962 and was used as a university district maintenance making till remaining obtained by the City of Manhattan as an annex to the Douglass Group Recreation Centre — formerly a United Company Firm (USO) hall for Black soldiers through and next Globe War II.
“It was the grade college that I went to, it is fundamentally a four-place college,” says Baker. “I believe that in the eighties, they took the principal’s office environment — which I obtained spankings in on celebration — and they converted it to a kitchen area.”
The kitchen was applied as a place to provide local community dinners for spot senior residents, equivalent to what is now provided at the Riley County Seniors’ Support Centre suggests Baker. He states some do the job was done at the building in the eighties, but small in the way of updates have transpired due to the fact.
“Primarily what we require to do is substitute the stove,” he suggests. “There’s an outdated gasoline stove that is there — we’re going to consider to swap that with an electric powered stove and a fridge, and a new sink, new flooring and some new cabinetry and that’s generally all you can do for the reason that it’s a extremely tiny house.”
Baker states he’s in the process of earning that transpire, acquiring a short while ago had a check out with Manhattan’s code enforcement officers to assess what needs to be performed to carry the space up to code. The project is getting supported by a donation from the GMCF’s Wareham Relatives Foundation in the realm of $15,000.
Baker’s an aged pal of Jim Wareham, who performed baseball for Baker’s father.
“They make a donation to the group each yr,” suggests Baker. “So that is how we were capable to do the funding for this to get the factors that we need to have.”
When all is explained and performed, Baker envisions a local community accumulating space with the ability for instructional offerings for citizens as well.
“I have spoken with UFM and they’ve talked about obtaining some cooking lessons maybe,” says Baker. “It’s not heading to be a whole-fledged kitchen, but it’ll be something that you could do these varieties of points in.”
Simply click here to hear to the whole discussion with Baker.