Modernizing Our Historic Venue
By Courtney Stemler
June 13, 2024
The Beacon - a former Woman’s Club clubhouse and building on the National Register of Historic Places - is 99 years old! Just like anything that is historic, there have had to be changes made over time to keep the building functional and operating as well as possible as time goes on. We try our best to honor the building while also making it functional in the modern world. We’ve made a few updates in the last year that help us serve our community and clients better.
Upgraded Bars
We added built-in bars in the Dining Room and Ballroom in spring and early summer of 2023. These black tile faced bars with white tops increased our bar storage by two to three times, and we also have more space for our bartenders! We’ve been able to divide service, one side for beer and wine and another for mixed drinks and sometimes frozen drinks, making service even faster. They both look great and serve our guests better!
Exterior Signage
The Beacon installed a sign on the corner of 9th Street and Topeka Boulevard, with the help of Senne Construction and Ace Electric, designed by our very own Shelby Irick. The sign helps our guests know where they are and that they’ve arrived at the right place for the celebration they’re attending.
Photo by Stacey Beilman
Directional Screens
Just before January, screens were installed throughout the building in the Lobby, at the East entrance, on the second floor landing and in the third floor hallway. They list the events of the day, give directions for how to get to the various rooms and provide information about what events we have coming up as well as the venue coordinator’s contact information. Since we have several rooms, sometimes with multiple events happening at once, it helps our guests get where they need to go.
Photo by Abigale Sleezer
Built-in AV
We also recently completed installation of speakers in each room. These can be used for speaking and background music during events. This saves bringing in sound systems, needing multiple mobile speakers, setup and teardown. Guests are able to connect to the systems and use the microphones during their events. We even have the ability to use the Dining Room and Library speakers together for large events that use both rooms, or they can be used separately if the rooms are being used individually!
All of these new features have made hosting and attending events easier, and we hope to keep improving our service and the building as time goes on. We’re always adding new upgrades to our list, but we’ll keep crossing them off over time. What’s the phrase…”great things take time”? If you haven’t been by in a while, schedule a tour to see these and other updates.