We’re a rural community design center and outreach facility, originating from the Small Town Studio at Kansas State University’s College of Architecture, Design, and Planning.

Our Story:

We are a rural community design center working as a component of CAMPESTRAL Inc. We offer design and planning services on a sliding scale fee structure. We are supported by grants from several corporate sponsors. We work with “the small-town studio” | Kansas State University, College of Architecture, Planning and Design. We offer realistic solutions to rural problems, we rely on instinct and ingenuity, and we have a no-nonsense process to evaluate projects and offer solutions that are workable. We don’t have the luxury to over think, over analyze or offer ill-conceived solutions. We are a regional center for rural engagement, where University and non-university participants can engage in events and exhibits that explore these issues. The Studio is structured to provide a unique and innovative off-campus classroom environment to support work among students, faculty, professionals, and the community. Eureka Studio is an interdisciplinary initiative undertaken to address rural issues that challenge the quality of life in rural Kansas. We offer strategies to make small communities stronger and more resilient. Eureka Studio engages faculty, students, design professionals and the community in a design laboratory environment that explores alternatives for rural communities’ future re-development.

SMALL TOWNS

         ARE OUR FUTURE

GET IN TOUCH …

             WE’LL START A

PROJECT

In 2010 locals referred to Eureka Kansas as a “dying town”, not with anger or sadness, but with an eerie resolve.

It could be argued that Eureka was on a downward path for over a hundred years. In 2011, we met the Small-Town Studio at Kansas State University, a group of graduate architects and their professor Todd Gabbard from the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. They came for a visit and accepted the challenge of an in-depth study of our community. They brought with them a wealth of knowledge, unbridled enthusiasm and an unstoppable energy.

It was a unique opportunity for our community to see the intersection of architecture, community and business. We started a conversation about possibilities and the process of architecture. That conversation continues three years later. The small town has always had a place and relevance in the culture of our nation. Now in this increasingly connected world, the small town is seeing a rebirth of interest and opportunity. The conversation has evolved from theory and process to real world projects. It is now about the work and the finished product. The students are realizing that the process of architecture is becoming very personal.

It is hard to see the future, to determine the effects of this conversation. It is abundantly clear that the small town has a future and we have been reminded that we can dream.

The students that have come to Eureka over the years have gone on to new challenges throughout the country and are making their mark. I feel confident to say that they will remember their time in Eureka. We will remember them.

Larry Coleman

Afterword: Small Town Stewardship: Found Context, Built Solutions Small Town Studio | 2014-2015

Our Mission Statement for Eureka:

1. foster sustainable community growth, involvement, and education through planning and design.
2. improve the overall health, social function and civic pride of the city by introducing public spaces.
3. build a community vision, identity, and branding that citizens, visitors, and potential new residents can relate to and remember.
4. repurpose and enhance the existing infrastructure in order to maintain the city’s historical identity and instill a new perspective on its future and its potential.
5. introduce pedestrian-level connectivity throughout the city, including an improved sidewalk network and dedicated bicycle zones.

Small Town Studio 2013

SMALL TOWN STUDIO

Allison Parr Lee,
Alyse Torrez,
Amy Roether,
Anthony Winkelman,
Austin Walter,
Brian Hampel,
Brian Temple,
Bryce Cummings,
Celia White
Christy Phelps,
David Bartlett,
Dominic Musso,
Duc Nguyen,
Elizabeth Inman Hall,
Erin Pilcher,
Gabriela Hernandez,
Holly Bergan,
Jacob Karst,
Jamie Michel,
John McLaughlin,
Josh Goldstein,
Justin Hodge,
Kate Gladson,
Katherine Connelly,
Katie Guengerich,
Kelsey Angle,
Kelsey Helland,
Kelsey Lind,
Kyle Cooper,
Lance Brannock,
Laura Brown,
Levi Newman,
Marissa Miller,
Ramin Mahmoudian,
Renee Bresson,
Rudy Prins,
Scott Davis,
Sofia Triantafullopoulos,
Stephen Leask,
Vera Smirnova,
Wesley Gross,
Winston Wolf,
Yibo Cui,
Zach Rostetter,

Join our team as an intern

We welcome volunteer interns who are dedicated to our mission. Internships are paid and unpaid and, academic credit and/or IDP credit may be awarded. At the conclusion of the internship, we will provide you with a written evaluation and references. Work with us, in return, we will help open any door you want to walk through.

AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNING

ANIMATED MOVIE,

A SIMPLE STORY OF REBIRTH.

THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES

WHEN HIGH SCHOOL 

STUDENTS ENGAGE IN THE PROCESS

OF DESIGN,

WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.

a movie by two freshmen from our local high school