Wichita · South Central: Wichita
Hotel at Old Town
The Keen Kutter Building, a 1905–06 hardware warehouse marked Key Contributing in its National Register district; a hotel since 1999.
- Built
- 1905–06Built 1905–06 as the Morton-Simmons Hardware warehouse (the Keen Kutter Building); hotel since 1999.
- Style
- Romanesque Revival
- Architect
- Mauran, Russell and Garden (builder Wurster Construction Company)
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Area
- South Central: Wichita
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Local landmark
The story
The Morton-Simmons Hardware Company, controlled by Simmons Hardware of St. Louis, built this wholesale warehouse in 1905–06, and it took its popular name from the company’s Keen Kutter tools. The four-story building held 80,000 square feet, the most floor space of any building in the city, and its tower held 20,000 gallons of water for an automatic sprinkler system. J. Harwi Hardware of Atchison bought it in October 1929. Hotelier Jack DeBoer, founder of Residence Inn, bought and restored it and opened the Hotel at Old Town in 1999. The water tower now houses the hotel elevator shaft, and Keen Kutter items are displayed on each floor.
Good to know
- Breakfast: available
- Parking: garage nearby
- Elevator
- No pets
- Address: 830 East 1st Street North, Wichita, KS 67202
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.