Fort Riley, a U.S. Army installation located in north central Kansas, is known for many things: storied home of “The Big Red One,” early duty station of the infamous Gen. Custer, former home to two Buffalo Soldier regiments and once home of the prestigious Cavalry School in the early 20th century, just to name a few.
Drive around the installation and it doesn’t take long to feel transported back in time. When you reach what is known as “main post,” the buildings transition from the standard red brick and beige concrete seen on many military installations, to native limestone, which was used for constructing the installation in the 1800s. Fort Riley’s Main Post Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and includes 294 buildings, structures and monuments.
Many of these historic structures are not only still standing, but fully functional and occupied. Thanks to several renovations over the decades, Fort Riley has been able to preserve the historical significance of many of its buildings and facilities, all while improving the quality of life for its soldiers.
While not new to historical renovations or military construction, the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been part of this important mission through the recent, and on-going, renovation of three barracks buildings at Fort Riley.
Barracks 223
Completed in October 2023, the benefits of renovating Building 223 are twofold: improved living quarters for soldiers and preservation of the historical building. Constructed of native limestone, building 223’s renovation effectively marries modern conveniences, while keeping original aspects of the facility intact.
According to Jeremy Brown, resident engineer at the Fort Riley Resident Office, Kansas City District, USACE, Building 223 was originally built sometime in the 1880s.
“[Building 223 is part of] the old main post, where everything is older,” said Brown. “It’s the original limestone block construction.”
Keeping original features is important when working on historical renovations. The Kansas City District worked with the installation and the State Historical Preservation Officer during the design phase. According to Cody Schickedanz, project engineer at the Fort Riley Resident Office, many of the original buildings were renovated about 70 years ago, and again since then, and have kept as many of the original features as possible.
“There are a couple sections of original wall that they wanted to keep visible,” said Schickedanz. “They’ve sealed it so that it doesn’t look any different but is slightly more protected.”
Building 223 was renovated to house 54 soldiers in four bedroom, two bath suites with a shared kitchenette, and is currently occupied.
Barracks 404
Similar to Building 223, Building 404 is also a historical renovation. However, unlike Building 223, prior to renovation, the building was decommissioned and vacant. Still under construction, Building 404 will retain some of the original features like refurbished windows and copper gutters and downspouts on the exterior.
The rooms in Building 404 will also be four bedroom, two bath suites with shared kitchenettes. The rooms have been designed to be larger as part of the Army’s push to improve quality of life for soldiers that live on the installation.
According to Brown and Schickedanz, the renovations of Buildings 223 and 404 have the same contractor, same designer and both are what are known as design builds. This means that the contractor does both the design and the construction.
“USACE’s role can be anything from design to contract administration,” said Schickedanz. “For these two [Buildings 223 and 404], we’ve hired the contractor to do the design for us.
The renovation of Building 404 is expected to be complete in July 2024.
Barracks 7081
The third of three barracks renovations is Building 7081, which is actually a complex comprised of four buildings. While not a historical renovation like Buildings 223 and 404, Building 7081 will receive much-needed upgrades to improve the living conditions for the soldiers that will occupy the facility. Originally constructed about 25 years ago, Schickedanz explains it is time for a remodel.
“Everything [in Building 7081] was drab, dreary and yellow, just from age,” said Schickedanz.
Undergoing its first renovation since it was originally constructed, the living quarters in Building 7081 will be enlarged to meet the current standards of the Army. However, this renovation differs from Buildings 223 and 404 because the Kansas City District completed the design, rather than the contractor. Still in the demolition phase, Building 7081 is expected to be complete in January 2026.
According to Schickedanz, renovating all three barracks is part of Fort Riley and the Army’s larger mission to improve infrastructure and facilities on base with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for soldiers and their families.
“[These renovations] go along with the other upgrades Fort Riley has done in the last two decades to provide that higher quality of life or quality of living for all the soldiers, whether they are enlisted or officers,” said Schickedanz.