By Beccy Tanner

For 124 years, the Gray Photo Studio has overseen developments in downtown St. John.

Named after William R. Gray, the photographer who took photos in Stafford County for more than three-quarters of a century, the building has long been a landmark.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, but efforts to restore the building has often been a struggle and, at times, seemed to drag to a standstill.

That’s about to change.

Much work has already taken place on the exterior of the building. Now, work is ready to begin on the interior.

Late last year, the photo studio formed a partnership with Stafford County Economic Development Inc. and received a $50,000 grant from Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grant. In addition, there was a matching $50,000 loan from SJN Bank of Kansas.

Still, Long said, more funding is needed.

An online art auction has been scheduled for March 29^th and 30^th.

When work is completed – expected by the end of 2024 – it will become the Art Center at Gray Photo studio.

“We are going to sheet rock, paint and restore the woodwork,” said Carol Long, president for the Gray Studio Restoration board. “We will start on the kitchen and the bathrooms will be completed. We have one bathroom done — but even having walls up will be nice.”

Ten artists from all over have donated pieces of their art to be auctioned. They include:

Carol Long, Delvin Goode, Steven Hill, Holly Hendrick, Linda Ganstrom, Mike Stumbras, Sheldon Ganstrom and Taylor Craig.

Long said they hope to raise at least $20,000 with the auction to furnish the studio with kitchen appliances, furniture and other items.

The auction will be held through the platform Givebutter where you can also find more information about the artists and the art they are auctioning. The auction will go live March 29th at 5 p.m. and go until March 30th at 11:59 p.m. Go to https://givebutter.com/c/grayphotostudio to get signed up and ready for the auction.

“You don’t have to buy a piece of art to donate to our auction,” Long said. “You can just donate and help us match our funds.”

Local residents, Long said, can also donate to the fund through SJN Bank of Kansas by dropping off a check or mailing it to the bank at 116 E 3rd Ave., St. John, Ks. 67576 and putting Gray Photo Studio in the check memo.

Long said she is hopeful to have the studio open for visitors to view the building’s progress during town’s annual Jubilee celebration held Memorial Day weekend.

Renovation work isn’t expected to be completed by then – but it will give people a chance to chart the building’s progress.

William Gray took photos of almost every family in Stafford County from 1905 to 1947. He did so using wet plate photography and glass negatives. In Stafford, the history museum there has his collection of more than 30,000 glass negatives.

One of the most distinctive things about the building is the huge window that’s part of the building’s roof on the north side. It allowed for wonderful lighting in Gray’s photos.

Long gave credit for the building’s latest renovation efforts and funding to Stafford County Economic Development.

“If Ryan Russell (director of Stafford County’s Economic Development) hadn’t stepped forward and contracted with us to do all this fundraising and grant writing, we probably wouldn’t be moving this quickly,” Long said.

“So, with Eco Devo pushing us forward, we are going to finish this in 2024.”