(Photo by Janet Loebel, via Shawnee County Historical Society)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka house that preservationists say is an important architectural structure from pre-World War I will go up for auction June 25. The Dillon House, which is across the street from the Kansas Statehouse, features Renaissance-style architecture and the first electric elevator in a Topeka home. Banker and lawyer Hiram Price Dillon moved into the home in 1914. The state acquired the property in 1998. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Oklahoma-based AmeriBid LLC will conduct the auction. The home's appraised value is $448,500. Two bids were made on the house in February but state officials determined they were below the fair market value. A bill introduced during the 2010 legislative session that would have allowed the Kansas Arts Commission to raise $4.6 million to restore the house fell through.