National and State Registers of Historic Places
Phillipsburg Community Building
425 F Street
Phillipsburg (Phillips County)
Listed in National Register
Oct 20, 2010
Architect: Owassa Jennings
Category: city hall; auditorium; meeting hall
Thematic Nomination: New Deal-era Resources of Kansas
Through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Kansas realized many new public buildings and recreational facilities, including 58 community buildings like the one in Phillipsburg. The construction of the Phillipsburg Community Building in 1936 and 1937 employed about 150 area residents during the two-year project. Local newspapers promoted this as one of the largest community buildings in northwest Kansas, and it would consist of a large auditorium with bleachers, stage, dressing room, toilet and shower facilities, a library, and city hall office. Local architect Owassa J. Jennings worked on the project, Dr. Guy Innes served as the project superintendent, and H. C. Townsend was the foreman. The Phillipsburg Community Building was built of limestone from a local quarry using local labor. It exhibits the characteristics of these craftsmen and features a vernacular Collegiate Gothic architectural style. The building was nominated as part of the "New Deal-Era Resources of Kansas" Multiple Property Submission for its association with the New Deal.
