TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Senate Luxury Suites hotel in downtown Topeka is shuttered after the city condemned the property on July 24.
City of Topeka spokeswoman Rosie Nichols said the building was vacant but the city received multiple complaints of activity at the location. City Property Maintenance Unit (PMU) inspectors received a complaint on July 22 and, with permission from the property owner, closed the building off, ensuring the doors and windows were locked and secured.
Nichols said there were two property maintenance investigations of the hotel this year. One was for weeds, the other was for sanitation. The building was condemned due to a lack of utilities.
Nichols said the cost to close off the property will be billed to the property owner.
According to Shawnee County appraiser documents, the 28-suite property built in 1928 is owned by H2O Hospitality LLC. The property's appraised value has steadily been increasing since 2021.
In 2021, the property's appraised value was $852,180. The property value increased in appraised value to $1,066,500 by 2023. This year the property saw a $8,550 decrease in the appraised value.
According to a City of Topeka letter stapled to the door of the property, the property was determined to be unsafe for humans due to non-compliance with plumbing and plumbing fixtures requirements. The letter also outlined violations for entering the property that would constitute as criminal trespassing and could see fines of $1,000 or confinement for up to six months.
Nichols said the Topeka Police Department has received 24 calls to the address this year. The call types were:
| Call Type | Count |
| Assault | 1 |
| Burglary | 4 |
| Disturbance | 5 |
| Miscellaneous | 1 |
| Suspicious Person | 5 |
| Suspicious Vehicle | 1 |
| Theft | 1 |
| Unsecured Building | 2 |
| Unwanted Subject | 4 |
As of July 26, the hotel's website has been abandoned. 27 News attempted to call the publicly listed phone numbers for the property but the lines had been disconnected.
"PMU inspectors will continue to monitor the property and report any criminal activity to law enforcement," Nichols said. "The same actions would be taken if an owner didn’t respond, but more attempts to make contact would be made."
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