By BY KEVIN WRIGHT, The Olathe News, Kan.

Jul. 1--Bret and Kristin Craven fell in love with the Pickering House when they bought it at auction in March 2007.

The historic home at 507 W. Park was on the verge of being sold in pieces or torn down. Two years later, the structure is being threatened again as the Cravens have run out of money.

"Everybody was glad that we bought it and were going to restore it." Kristin Craven said.

Now, however, some neighbors, and even the city, are wondering when, or if, the project will be completed.

The Cravens decided to take on the project themselves because Bret is a general contractor. They hired an architect and completed the nine-month process to receive national and state tax credits for restoring an historical property.

They wanted to restore the main house to its original, historic structure. The carriage house on the back of the property was built much later and is not included in the historical designation. But the project has been much easier to talk about than to complete.

The main part of the house was built by Isaac Orlando Pickering in 1862. Pickering, who was a prominent lawyer and two-time mayor of Olathe, made several additions to the home as his family grew. It remained in the Pickering family for about 100 years.

During Olathe's early history, it was the site of community gatherings and was well-known throughout the county.

It's one of the oldest homes in Johnson County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Before the Cravens bought the house, it changed owners several times after the Pickering family sold it in the 1960s. The house was even a bed and breakfast from 1991 to 2006. Each owner made repairs to the home, but some of those improvements added to home's overall structural problems, which had been neglected for decades, Kristin Craven said.

"The home was falling a part, and the repairs that had been done just masked the problems," she said.

The Cravens have spent more than $300,000 overall, including the purchase of the house, architectural and engineering fees and on deconstructing the house. They found problems with the foundation, plumbing and electrical wiring. Only two of the windows in the house worked. Water damage to the roof, second-floor structure and three-story tower made parts of the house unstable.

By the time they had gutted the house and found all the problems, the Cravens had run out of money. That happened as the economy plummeted and as the bank threatened to call in the construction loan the Cravens obtained to restore the home, Kristin Craven said.

The Cravens can receive up to $150,000 in reimbursements and tax credits, but won't receive any money until the project is complete. Neighbors who once were happy with the project want to know when the Cravens will complete it. The city of Olathe has concerns about safety because the house has openings in the structure and temporary load bearing supports for portions of the house, all of which is exposed to the elements.

Although concerned, the city has not accessed any fines on the property.

"It's been our radar screen, and we want to do everything possible we can to make this project successful," said Tim Danneberg, a city spokesperson. "But we have to see what can be done, and we have concerns about the safety issues that have to be addressed."

One of the main concerns is securing the property so no one can enter the house and get hurt, Danneberg said.

A group of city staff members from different departments has studied the project. The group is meeting with the Cravens to identify possible funding options for the project, to discuss what the Cravens envision for the house, what the zoning currently allows and options to pursue for alternative uses of the property, Danneberg said.

The staff will make periodical status reports on the project to the City Council and Historic Preservation Board.

The Cravens say they could walk away from the house, but have decided the project is not about them anymore.

"It's about saving a piece of Olathe's history," Kristin Craven said.

The couple established the Pickering House Foundation, receiving 501C3 status and is in the midst of establishing a board, which already has State Sen. Julia Lynn of Olathe as a member.

The first mission of the foundation is to find the funding needed to save and maintain the Pickering House.

Kristin Craven, who owns and operates Serendipity Accents in downtown Olathe, wants to turn this into a community endeavor that will help save the Pickering House and other historical buildings in the city.

"Even with the economy, this could be the best time to show how the community can come together and preserve its history for our children," Craven said.

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HOW TO HELP

Anyone interested in making a financial donation, joining the foundation or volunteering to help with the project should visit the Web site: www.savethepickeringhouse.com.

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