Dudley Wiggins House

840 W. 21st Street

Sunday, October 31

1:30 to 3 p.m.

Please come help us congratulate Randy and Wanda Breeden in caring for this handsome brick farmhouse in the Centennial neighborhood. Built in the mid-1860s and listed on the Register of Historic Kansas Places, it has been beautifully rehabbed by the Breedens, who just recently completed a sale of the property.

LPA saved this house from a demolition proposal in 1985 by purchasing it for $25,000, raised from personal loans given by 33 LPA members. Its condition had fallen a long way from being serviceable as a family home. The Breedens, looking for a project house, were told of its availability by LPA board member Katie Armitage. So they took the plunge and purchased it from LPA.

Their first task was to create some semblance of an upstairs bedroom for their young daughter while they turned the rest of the house into a DIY construction zone. Their initial walkthrough with a city inspector gave them a long list of critical tasks to complete. Fortunately, they had the skills necessary to do the work, as well as friends and family members to help them along the way, Randy is a professional designer and a solid carpenter; Wanda (Puderbaugh) is from a family of woodworkers and builders, including her father Perry and her brother Allen. 

Now it’s 36 years later, their family has been raised with a lot of great memories, and the couple is moving on—to a place with less upkeep! But their pride in and love for the home still is evident: They just recently completed a concrete project in the basement. It’s time for a round of applause!

Event Notes:

This is a free event for LPA members. Masks will be required inside the house, and also on the porch if many people are congregating there.

The property is set back on the north side of 21rst Street, between Louisiana Street and Naismith Avenue. We recommend parking on the 2200 block of Carolina Street, which intersects with 21rst very close to the house. An LPA sign will be posted near the street.