For the past three years, plans have been underway to renovatethe71-year-old mansion that had never been overhauled before.Constructiontook 18 months to complete. The contractor for the $4.4million projectwas Gene Fritzel Construction of Lawrence, KS. Thearchitectural firmhandling the design was Slemmons & Associatesof Topeka.

About half of the money for restoration was appropriated by thestateand was spent to completely replace the home's infrastructure.Includedin the work were new heating, cooling and plumbing systems,as well asthe removal of hazardous waste.

First Lady Linda Graves formed The Friends of Cedar CrestAssocation,which through a capital campaign, raised matching moniesfor restorationwork."We were very fortunate to have a governor whowould live off site forsuch as long time," says chief of staffJenny Rose. "Part of being thegovernor is living in Cedar Crest andenjoying this lovely home. It wasa generous gesture on thegovernor's part."