Ambassador Hotel with Pocket Park and Parking Garage

Historic Renovation

In 2011, WDM was retained to renovate the historic Union National Bank for adaptive reuse into a four-star boutique hotel. The developers recognized it was an ideal downtown location, with close proximity to the newly opened Intrust Bank Arena. As the site of the Dockum Drug Store sit-in protest, they saw the opportunity to pursue listing the property on both the state and national historic registers with access to historic tax credits.

WDM worked closely with the owner’s historic consultant, Christy Davis and helped the owner navigate the rehabilitation requirements of the SHPO (State Historic Preservation Officer), and the National Park Service. WDM provided necessary documentation for their case.

The nomination for historic listing confirms, “none of the original integrity of the hallways and rooms survive. The elevators are in their original positions, but have been stripped of their original decor. The rooms have been given false ceilings to accommodate the air conditioning and none of the original lighting fixtures remain in the rooms or the hallways.”

The only historic elements to survive were the formal stairway, with its marble walls, stairs and railings. Original brass handrails on the first floor were not ADA compliant but were grandfathered in. The historic brass mail drop was relocated to a more prominent location in the hotel lobby.

One focus was to bring the historic façade back to its original footprint. Regrettably, the recessed storefronts installed in the 70s resulted in considerable flooding issues in the basement. Restoring the original footprint would fix the flooding issue.

Demolition

Because virtually none of the interior walls were original to the building, the interior was gutted to make way for guest rooms and amenities for the hotel.

The exterior metal fire escape on south end of the building was a rusty eye-sore, structurally unsound and no longer permitted by code. Therefore, it was demolished and replaced by an interior stair tower. The new stair tower is enclosed with fire-rated shaft walls and a mechanical air pressurization system that protects occupants from smoke infiltration. The existing elevator tower and historic stair tower were preserved and a new elevator shaft and staircase were added inside.

Construction and New Floorplan

Any new floorplans for the hotel needed to be designed around the interior structural columns that support the building.

WDM designed the new hotel reception and lobby on the south side of the ground floor in the space formerly occupied by the bank. A new porte cochére and guest entrance was constructed to provide an off-street location for hotel arrival and optional valet parking service.

The hotel’s second floor boasts four beautifully appointed conference room venues fully equipped with Wi-Fi, AV and a business center nearby. Guests can get their blood pumping in the 24-hour fitness center on level three. Upper floors have opulent, stylish boutique decor in the premium king corner suites and executive guest rooms.

Window Replacement

The exterior windows were original to the building, but not energy efficient and beyond repair. They were removed and replaced with new 1/1 double-hung enameled aluminum windows with clear, insulated glass. WDM worked with window manufacturers to replicate the detailing and profiles of the original windows in an energy-efficient replacement window. Non-historic three-part clerestory windows were replaced with units modeled after historic windows based on historic photographs and blueprints.

Interior Finishes

The hotel interior is a contemporary style, with classic lines. All designs were governed by a commitment to function first, with an emphasis on comfort and sophistication. Luxurious finishes have an overall tonal palette of charcoal, black, and silver with acents of plum and soft green. Wood furniture and millwork are a rich, dark brown. Bright metal elements sparkle everywhere; from brass insets on columns, furniture with nailhead details, to mirror-finished lamps and light fixtures dripping with crystal.

Dockum Apothecary Speakeasy

The Dockum Apothecary resides in the basement corner of the Ambassador Hotel. Working within the historical architecture of the building, WDM designed a portal into an illicit past. Reminiscent of a prohibition-era speakeasy, the Dockum gives hotel guests an escape that transports them to a mysterious time. The basement was comprised of several different below-grade levels which became a design challenge to provide ADA access when updating the space to a restaurant and bar. Working with the access board and the city, WDM was able to provide ADA access without having to add an expensive chair lift or a long ramp by utilizing the freight elevator as the main entry.

The combination of original concrete, plaster and brick along with classic furnishings, soft lighting, and fine appointments produces an eclectic and welcoming aura, with a uniquely clandestine twist. The original bank vault has been transformed into a semi-private room, as if it was once a secure chamber for ‘back room deals’. Adding to the allure, patrons need to find the secret entrance through the alley and kitchen, or down the main stair past the mechanical and back-of-house storage rooms.

Although there is no evidence documenting that a speakeasy ever existed here, it does not seem a stretch to imagine that a darkened room in the corner basement may have once been a private gathering place to enjoy some libations with the company of a few trusted friends.

Parking Garage and Block One Pocket Park

WDM Architects designed a 7-level, 272-space parking garage for downtown Wichita that offers parking support for the Ambassador Hotel and other adjacent businesses and retail. Parking controls allow fees to be paid through a variety of mechanisms.

The associated pocket park provides green space between the Ambassador and the former Henry’s building. The park and garage are tied together with an artistic motif. Most prominently, a floral mosaic in the park’s waterwall fountain is etched on the garage’s stairwell and repeated in the garage’s wall murals.

Block One Pocket Park

WDM’s Landscape Architecture studio designed this urban plaza to tie the hotel and parking garage together. Located across from the portico of the hotel, Block One pocket park is situated in the middle of the block. The convenient location provides impromptu meeting space or a perfect spot for an evening stroll.

Public art applications are integrated into the parking garage walls and into the waterfall fountain in the park. Block One’s 30-foot-wide water-wall fountain offers guests a shimmering focal point and popular photo spot.

Wichita artist Tina Murano crafted the fountain’s flower mosaic from 1-inch-square glazed tiles, creating a continuous piece of art across all five of the 9-feet tall, 6-feet wide panels. A thin sheet of water cascades softly over the top of a stainless steel weir reminiscent of art deco design. Up-lighting on the water-walls cycles through a rainbow of colors, highlighting the mosaic tiles and the playfulness of the water’s movement.

The park is unified with its surroundings through the repetition of texture, color and artistic elements. The fountain’s flower motif is echoed by etched glass on the neighboring parking garage’s stair tower and wall murals. Decorative concrete in red and blue hues defines the fountain’s plaza while crimson brick throughout the rest of the small park pays homage to the area’s historic significance.

Unique features infuse a natural feel into the otherwise urban landscape. Artistically-inspired green walls mimic a small forest, designed with tree cutouts and panels that sway slightly in the breeze. Custom light fixtures guide your view upwards to clear blue skies and provide ambience for after-dark gatherings or a casual stroll. Plantings, both in-ground and potted, furnish necessary greenery and texture as well as the calming sound of rustling leaves in the middle of the busy city.

The park becomes flexible and functional through the addition of well-placed seating options. Tables and chairs supply intimate gathering spots while square benches, made of durable IPE wood, offer casual seating, lounging or even picnicking space.