The Independence City Commission will hold a public hearing at tonight's meeting to consider the condemnation of the ARCO building as dangerous and unsafe.
The City has notified the building's owner – Daniel Regan of Tulsa – of tonight's hearing and that an order of condemnation may be issued directing the repair or removal of the building. The original building was built in 1916 as the headquarters of Prairie Oil and Gas and Prairie Pipeline, a company that would later become Sinclair Oil. After Sinclair Oil was acquired by Atlantic Richfield in 1969, the building became known as the ARCO Building. The building was placed on the Register of Kansas Historic Places and the National Historic Registry in 2024, but has been in disrepair for some time.
The commission is expected to adjourn the public hearing until December, but commissioners are also expected to discuss the cost of removal of the building should the current owner fail to take action.
Tonight's commission meeting will begin at 5:30 in the Commission Room at City Hall. The public is invited to attend in-person or to view the meeting online via the City's website.
