Besse Hotel Renovation

Breathing New Life into a Century-Old Landmark: The Besse Hotel Renovation in Pittsburg, Kansas

Pittsburg, KS

A 100-Year-Old Hotel Gets a Second Story — All 13 of Them
Some buildings carry history in their bones. The Besse Hotel in Pittsburg, Kansas is one of them. Standing 13 stories tall in the heart of downtown Pittsburg, the century-old structure had long outlived its original purpose. What it needed wasn’t demolition. It needed a reason to stand again.

The answer came in the form of student housing. By converting the Besse Hotel into 57 residential units for students, the project gave a dormant landmark a new identity while preserving the architectural character that made it worth saving in the first place. That balance, between honoring the old and building for the future, shaped every decision made on this job.

The Work Itself
This wasn’t a cosmetic refresh. Crossland’s team gutted the building from top to bottom, stripping it down to its structural core before rebuilding it from the inside out. The scope touched every floor, every system, and nearly every surface. Alongside the 57 student units, the renovation created a community event space on the second floor and first-floor lease space for university offices, making the building a genuine mixed-use asset for the campus and surrounding community.
One of the most technically demanding elements was cutting through existing concrete slabs to install a new stairwell, work that required precision in a building where the original construction methods weren’t always predictable. Demolition alone was an extensive undertaking. Decades of layered finishes, old ceiling materials, and years of deferred maintenance had to be carefully removed before new work could begin.

Restoring What Couldn’t Be Replaced
Among the most meaningful parts of the project was the restoration of the original terrazzo flooring throughout the building’s interior. Terrazzo, a composite material polished to a smooth, durable finish, was a hallmark of early 20th-century craftsmanship. Restoring it rather than replacing it was both a nod to the building’s heritage and a practical decision: the material is built to last another hundred years.

Before any interior finishes could be addressed, the team prioritized getting the building fully enclosed. For years, the open structure had been home to pigeons, and the damage from exposure was significant. Installing new windows sealed the building and marked a turning point, from a structure being taken apart to one being put back together.

Built by Hand, On Site
Crossland self-performed demolition, concrete, rough carpentry, and finish carpentry on this project. That level of direct involvement meant tighter schedule control, clearer accountability, and a team that stayed invested in the outcome from day one through ribbon cutting.

The project was delivered using a Design-Build delivery method, which placed Crossland in a collaborative role with the owner from early in the process. That early involvement allowed the team to work through the building’s complexities before they became costly surprises in the field.

The Result
When the ribbon was cut on August 11, the Besse Hotel wasn’t just open. It was relevant again. Students now live where travelers once stayed. A building that had been silent for years is now full of activity, anchoring a block in downtown Pittsburg and serving the university community it was reimagined to support.

Project Facts

Industry Sector: Educational, Hospitality
Cost: $19,860,080
Size: 79,000 SF
Number of Units: 57 Student Housing Units
Delivery Method: Design-Build
Self-Perform: Demo, Finish Carpentry, Rough Carpentry, Concrete
Owner: Pittsburg State Univeristy, The Besse LLC
Architect: Buxton, Kubik, Dodd Design Collective