Kell House Museum officials are seeking funds — $2 million to be precise — from businesses and individuals to help pay for the renovation of the building.

Paula McNeil, Kell House docent, said, “We are just kicking off a $2 million renovation for the interior and exterior of the house.”

Paula said they were going to complete the renovations in three phases, but decided to combine the final two phases.

Stacie Flood, Kell House curator, said, “We had some foundation issues. We fixed the foundation, the roof, the gutters, and updated the French drain system in the first phase. This next phase is fixing all of the damage that was done because the foundation was so bad.”

Flood said the repairs scheduled for the next phase include repointing the brick, scraping and painting the wood, fixing plaster and repairing cracks in the walls.

Frank Kell was involved with bringing in businesses to the area, and in growing Wichita Falls to what it is today.

Flood said, “He was a big leader by example. When John G. Hardin came to Wichita Falls and said I think that this would be a good place to put a junior college, Kell said absolutely.”

According to the Hardin-Simmons University website, the Hardins donated $400,000 toward the construction of a four-year college in Wichita Falls thus establishing Hardin Junior College, later Hardin College, the predecessor of Midwestern State University.

McNeil said, “The students need to know what he gave to the community that impacted the college that they go to.”

Flood called the renovations a “general reawakening of the house.”

“We want the whole community to have invested interest in the Kell House,” Flood said. “Not just businesses, but individuals as well. We’re reaching out to everyone in the community and every penny helps, but we’ll also be going after large grants to get a lot of this work done. Right now, when people come through the house, we have a donation jar in there. We don’t charge admission, but if you put a donation in there then it will help with the project as well.”

The Kell House uses volunteers as docents during tours, and as hosts/hostesses to help hold special events.

Flood said, “It’s a great way for us to show how a city will grow and thrive. I think businesses like to see that and it inspires them.”