Abilene App News: Abilene Holiday Treasure Hunt

Holiday Contest “Look Up And Win” Kicks Off

by Cecilia Harris

Are you up for a treasure hunt?

The Great Plains Theatre, the Kirby House, the Plaza Theater, and the Belle Springs Creamery are all notable Abilene structures now gone forever, but there are plenty of other historic properties featuring treasured architectural elements that define the era in which they were constructed and reflect the values and tastes of our predecessors.

All you have to do is look up!

Abilene Kansas App/www.myabilenekansas.com challenges you to participate in an Architecture Treasure Hunt in downtown Abilene with all the correct entries placed in a drawing to win a $150 prepaid Visa card.

The numbered photographs below feature a surviving architectural element on a public structure located in Abilene’s historic downtown district; all elements can be seen from public sidewalks. Your mission is to visually search for the architectural details pictured and record the address of the structure on which each element is located.

The entry form can be found on the Holiday Contest tab on the Abilene App or on www.myabilenekansas.com. Fill out the form with your answers, making sure the correct address is listed with the corresponding numbered photograph of the architectural element, and click submit. All forms must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Dec. 17. Only those entry forms with the correct answers will be placed in a drawing for the prize.

Along with the winner’s name, the correct answers will be announced in a followup article that will include a brief description of the building’s architectural style and history.

This Treasure Hunt celebrates the 20^th anniversary of an Architectural Scavenger Hunt created by Jeff Sheets, director of the Dickinson County Historical Society, to increase awareness of our community’s beautiful historic structures.

“I think it’s important that we take a look at our built environment and appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the downtown buildings around the turn of the 20^th century,” Sheets says. “And we should try to keep the integrity of those buildings as much as we can to remind us of the past.”