Lenexa Grain & Feed Elevator
When driving toward old downtown Lenexa, one cannot help but notice the Lenexa Grain and Feed Elevator's tower. Located at 13219 Sante Fe Trail Drive, the elevator is a strong reminder of Lenexa's agricultural past.
Long before its identity as a suburban community, Lenexa was an agricultural center. Early settlers found the terrain to be ideal for farming. The land on which downtown Lenexa now stands was originally the site of an orchard. In 1869, C.A. Bradshaw and his wife Sarah sold approximately 160 acres to the Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad for exactly one dollar! It was the intention of the railroad to establish railway service through the town's center. The placement of the railroad secured Lenexa's importance in the county, connecting it with Olathe, Kansas City and beyond.
As Lenexa grew and the farming community prospered, a viable way of storing and transporting its grain was needed. By the early twentieth century, technical advances in agriculture and industry allowed for more efficient means of grain storage. The Lenexa Grain and Feed Elevator was constructed in 1917 by the R.M. van ness Company of Omaha, Nebraska, to serve the needs of Lenexa's farm families.
Consisting of three stories, the Lenexa Grain and Feed Elevator was built to receive and store harvested grain from local farmers. Farmers drove onto a scale in front of the elevator (now cemented over) to weigh their grain. Grain elevators were located next to railroad tracks so that trains could receive grain from the elevator and quickly transport it directly to markets. The construction of the elevator had a positive economic impact on Lenexa.
Suburbanization began to change the Lenexa landscape after World War II. The Lenexa Grain and Feed Elevator ceased railroad operation in 1976, although it continued selling sacked grain to farmers in the neighboring communities until 1986. In 1991 the elevator was purchased and adaptively used as a clock and repair shop. This was a tremendous undertaking; most of the elevator's machinery was removed and its spaces enlarged for its current function.
Although the Lenexa Grain and Feed Elevator is no longer used to house grain, the whistles of trains can still be heard as the Burlington-Northern Railroad Company continues freight service through Lenexa. Because of its location, this elevator is a landmark which designates the entrance to the historic downtown. It remains a silent reminder of the past upon which the foundations of Lenexa were built.
--ALBUM nol. 9, no. 3 (summer 1996)