National and State Registers of Historic Places
Smyser House
931 Buffum Ave
Wichita (Sedgwick County)
Listed in National Register
2009-05-21
Architect: Hembree, Charles, F./Builder
Category: single dwelling; transportation
Thematic Nomination: Residential Resources of Wichita, Sedgwick County, KS, 1870-1957
Built in 1919, the Smyser House is a good example of a bungalow residence and also represents the middle-income socio-economic lifestyle of two early nineteenth-century Wichita businessmen. As Wichita prospered after World War I, the land on the banks of the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers became highly desirable for new residences. These houses, including 931 Buffum, were typically built in the newly fashionable Craftsman style of architecture. Property owner Ray Popkess chose a modest Craftsman design on a one-story plan and hired Wichita carpenter Charles F. Hembree to build it. The house is named for longtime property owners Lydia Smyser and her son Clyde, a well-known West Side businessman who participated in civic, church, and fraternal affairs.
