When I moved to Topeka ten years ago, the stretch of historic buildings lining North Kansas Avenue between NE Norris and NE Gordon were a bit run-down to say the least. Neglected and mostly abandoned, there were few bright spots along this stretch that led towards one of Topeka's top tourist spots - The Great Overland Station. As newbies to town, we thought that seemed too bad, but like many people, we kind of saw it as a dead-end.
I have always loved glass art. When I was a child, my grandmother collected paper weights. I used to pick them up and marvel at the bursts of color sprouting from beneath layers of clear glass. These things of substance and beauty always held a little bit of mystery for me. My favorites could be turned upside down to reveal what seemed like a single point of color mysteriously bursting into the central floral or spiral design of the piece. They seemed impossible, mesmerizing and yet somehow soothing.
