George Herman Siedhoff

George Herman Siedhoff (1878-1966) Contractor George Herman Siedhoff was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 7, 1878. He married Lydia Louise Wilhelmina Amelia Hagemann (b. 1883, d. 1964), also from St. Louis, on November 7, 1900. He learned his trade as a concrete construction foreman in St. Louis and reference was made to his association with the St. Louis American League Baseball Park. Concrete construction was becoming the preferred method of construction at the turn of the century and Siedhoff became known for his thorough knowledge of concrete construction. Around 1905, he went to Virginia for two years where he worked as a construction superintendent for projects in Norfolk and Richmond. One of his projects was the rebuilding of Murphy's Hotel in Richmond, listed at that time as one of the noteworthy hotels of the south. He moved to Kansas City in 1908 and began his own contracting company with a working capital of $12.50. His first project for Curtis and Thwing made him a profit of $3,500 launching his career as a successful building contractor.

Among his projects in Kansas City between 1908 and 1917, were Mercy Hospital, Rialto Building, Karnes School, J.L. Case Building, Bonfils Building, Higbee Building and scores of others. While he was still operating his construction company in Kansas City, he got the contract to build 12 buildings in Wichita for Standard Oil Company during the summer of 1916. Siedhoff moved his operation permanently to Wichita in 1917. Siedhoff Construction Company built many of the major buildings in Wichita that included a wide variety of building types. "As a builder, George Siedhoff's mark is seen in Wichita from College Hill to the Orient shops and from the Red Star Mill to the Marland Refinery Building." Siedhoff had a strong sense of community and built both the Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and the Fresh Air Baby Camp in Wichita for only the cost of the materials.

Buildings constructed by Siedhoff Construction Company- Fresh Air Baby Camp, Belmont Arches 20th Century Club, Hillcrest Apartments, Allis Hotel (demolished), Wheeler Kelly Hagney Building (NRHP), Brown Building (Wichita Register of Historic Places), Wichita Broadview Hotel, Emporia Broadview Hotel, the Forum (demolished), Innes Warehouse (Warehouse and Jobbers NR Historic District), Grant Telegraph Building (Warehouse and Jobbers NR Historic District, Uptown Theater, Wesley Hospital, First National Bank Building, Shirkmere Apartment Building, Union National Bank Building, Woolf Brothers Building (demolished), Kaufman Building, J. Arch Butts residence, Siedhoff Residence, Sedgwick County Jail (Munger Building north of Old Sedgwick County Courthouse), US Post Office and Federal Building (NRHP), Smith Bakery (Douglas Photographic), Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Depot in Newton, Kansas and many others. Hahner, Foreman & Harness Construction Company maintains an archive of 154 blueprints of Siedhoff's construction projects in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

Siedhoff had other varied business affiliations. He was the president and owner of the Broadview Hotels Company, director of the Braley Aircraft Company, president of Supreme Propeller Company, vice-president of Braley School of Flying, and president of Eastborough Estates Company. Siedhoff retired from his construction business in 1934 and devoted his time to his investments and the Broadview Oil Company. Siedhoff died September 8, 1966 at the age of 88 in Emporia, Kansas. He and his wife, are buried at Forest Hills Abbey Mausoleum in Kansas City, Missouri.

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