K. Vance Kelley

Being a historic preservation architect means being both a detective and a designer. Vance has dedicated more than 40 years to preserving, restoring, and rehabilitating historic and older buildings. He has managed or reviewed more than half of Treanor’s 1,700 historic preservation projects, including structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places and five state capitol restorations.

His favorite part of the profession is researching the history and stories of the buildings he works on. He also loves researching archaic building materials and construction methods, which makes working on each historic building unique. He strongly believes in the viability of historic structures and their importance within the larger community and works to ensure the longevity of creative, functional, and efficient buildings for future generations.

His notable projects include preserving and restoring the Kansas Statehouse, a “once in a lifetime” project. He’s equally proud of the firm’s work on St. Mark’s African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and the Rio Vista Community Center, which are essential to underrepresented communities with significant histories worthy of preservation. He’s also proud to be part of the team that helped save and preserve the Union Pacific Station in Topeka after being abandoned for years and nearly lost after a catastrophic fire.