The Woodward, a hidden gem in central Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - The Chester B. Woodward House is a historic house located in Central Topeka.

The house was built in 1923 for Chester B. Woodward, a Topeka businessman. 

Elizabeth Taylor, owner of the Woodward, "At the time this house was built, it was on the edge of town. The house has survived the 1966 tornado. Mrs. Woodward stayed in the home until 1971 when it was sold to Menninger's for use as a half way house. Menninger's sold the house in 1990 and it was used as a Hospice House day care until it was sold in 1994. I used the house as a bed & breakfast, weddings, dinners, conferences and the like. It has 4 floors, 9 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms with 8,300 square feet on 1 acre of land. The library was built after the King Henry the VIII library in London and is one of 4 private libraries in Kansas."

Chester B. Woodward served as the vice president of the Central National Bank and Trust Company of Topeka from 1920 to 1928 and the president of the Topeka Morris Plan Company from 1928 to 1940.

Chester B. Woodward was born in 1876 and died in 1940. He is buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Topeka.

The house was designed by Root & Siemens in the Classical Revival Architectural style and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since June 25, 1992.