1997: Hotel at Old Town (Keen Kutter Building), First & Mead. When built in 1906, the Keen Kutter building was reputed to be the strongest building in Wichita and the single largest warehouse building anywhere on Earth. The cupola on top housed an immense 20,000-gallon water tank, part of an elaborate fire suppression system that included air breaks at each floor. Designed in a hybrid Italianate-Romanesque style by St. Louis architects Mauran, Russell and Garden, this massive structure strongly resembled the Cupples Building in St. Louis. Today it serves as The Hotel at Old Town, providing luxurious lodging in the heart of the fast-growing Old Town district.