Ellis-Singleton Building, Wichita

The Ellis-Singleton Building, now better known as the Petroleum Building, is an eight-story Art Deco landmark in downtown Wichita, completed in 1929. Designed by Schmidt, Boucher & Overend-a prominent local architectural firm-the structure is prized for its elaborate terra cotta, brick, and tile facade that blends geometric Deco forms with subtle Mission-style arches. It was one of the earliest high-rise office towers in Wichita, opening alongside the Union National Bank Building to redefine the city skyline in the late 1920s.

Inside, visitors can still see original Art Deco details: pink marble-lined walls, barrel-vaulted ceilings, brass-engraved elevator doors, terrazzo floors and ornate lighting fixtures.

What makes the building particularly unique for its era was the integration of a nine-level ramp garage directly connected to the offices-an innovative feature that catered to the car-centric professionals of the time, allowing them to drive straight into their workplace.

Initially home to local construction and legal firms, by the early 1930s it had become a hub for oil and petroleum industry offices. In 1942, with nearly a dozen energy firms occupying space, it was officially renamed the Petroleum Building.