Limestone

Lawrence, KS (2014)

814 Massachusetts Street

Limestone Pizza Kitchen Bar is located at 814 Massachusetts Street. The 4,995 square-foot two-part commercial block building exemplifies the Queen Anne style. The original building was constructed in 1864 and has been rehabilitated. The red brick second story has four regularly spaced windows with quarry-faced stone sills and lintels. Above each window is a decorative panel of recessed tapestry brick. A recessed secondary entry leads to the second story, while the storefront area has a recessed centered entry surrounded by large display windows with limestone bulkheads. The display windows allow in an abundance of natural light. The commercial space had undergone several changes through the years but many of the original elements survived.

Rehabilitation work included reinforcing the floor and roof structure. On the first-story, the new LVL framing was left exposed as a design feature differentiating it from historic materials. A large historic skylight was discovered in the addition that was the previous restaurant’s kitchen. The skylight was rehabilitated and re-supported, providing natural light to the restaurant. The first-story houses a large wood-burning pizza oven. The oven has a masonry base and a native limestone veneer. Its support is built up from the basement of the building and through the first-story floor structure, allowing it to be removed without adverse effects on the historic structure.  A tin ceiling is still in place. The original plaster wall is in place on three walls; the fourth wall is exposed stone. An original single second-story dwelling has been separated into two small apartments.

814 Massachusetts is a surviving example of a late 1800’s two-story masonry downtown commercial building with a merchant’s dwelling on the second floor. Lawrence’s Downtown Historic District comprises the core of the historic central business district of Lawrence, Kansas. Buildings within the district are associated with various periods of Lawrence’s development and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July, 2004. Limestone opened in 2014. It is a locally owned restaurant and bar that specializes in wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. The owner, Rick Martin, is an advocate for utilizing locally-sourced  ingredients; Limestone works with local farmers and promotes buying locally. Limestone also has a seasonal menu that changes based on availability. Besides pizza, Limestone also serves handcrafted food, cocktails, beer, and wine.

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