Turnhalle
900 Rhode Island
Lawrence, Kansas 66044
Photos by Phyllis Farrar ©
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| Turner Hall (Turnhalle) is located at 9th and Rhode Island Streets in Lawrence. Its limestone facade remains similar to its appearance when it was built in 1868. The building served as activity center for a club called the Turnverein, which functioned somewhat as a community center for Lawrencians of Germanic heritage. This group first organized in 1857, but disbanded in 1862 when most of its members joined the Union Army. It reorganized on January 1, 1866 and was granted a state charter on January 7, 1869. That summer the members built the present stone structure for $5000. Later, they acquired the house immediately to the south, where the 'manager' lived. | ||||
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| The stone (front) portion measures 40 x 60 ft. The main floor was equipped as a gymnasium, with a balcony running the entire width of the building on the west side. In 1872 or 1882 a wood framed extension was added on the east side, 25 x 50 ft. This addition provided a stage and side room on the main level, and another small room above, on the south. The basement ran the full length of the building and contained a bar, bowling lanes, card tables, and an exit to the beer garden on the east side. For more information about Turnverein activities, please read this chapter in K. Rampelmann's master's thesis. | ||||
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| Solid stone construction is typical for 19th century Germanic immigrants in America. There were several locations surrounding Lawrence at which limestone was quarried, which might have been the source for this building. | ||||
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Bibliography: Small-Town Germans: The
Germans of Lawrence, Kansas, from 1854 to 1918, by Katje Rampelmann "The Story of Turner Hall", Newsletter of the Max Kade Center, January 2001, The University of Kansas 66045, 4-6. |
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This
page last updated on
April 20, 2004
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Farrar
/ West Jr. High
/ USD 497 /Community
Connections /National
Standards for Foreign Language Learning