AFTER 14 YEARS OF RESTORATION, A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS FOR OLATHE’S HISTORIC PICKERING HOUSE

AFTER 14 YEARS OF RESTORATION, A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS FOR OLATHE’S HISTORIC PICKERING HOUSE

One of Olathe’s best-known historic homes has entered a new chapter following the sale of the Pickering House, a landmark that was once threatened with demolition before being painstakingly restored over more than a decade.

The Pickering House at 507 W. Park St. was owned for nearly 15 years by Terry Presley, who purchased the deteriorating Victorian home in 2011 and spent years restoring its elaborate trim, porches, interior woodwork and other historic details. Presley announced in March that he had sold the property and would be moving on after what he described as nearly 14 years of “blood, sweat and tears.”

Presley’s departure is significant because the house came close to being lost altogether. By 2011, the historic property had deteriorated badly enough that the City of Olathe was preparing for demolition. Presley stepped in, purchased the house and began a restoration project that would eventually involve recreating many architectural details rather than replacing them with modern substitutes. He has said he even built two specialized machines to reproduce more than 1,900 pieces of ornate trim and molding used in the restoration.

The house itself dates to the 19th century and is associated with Isaac Orlando Pickering, a Civil War veteran, attorney, former Olathe mayor and prominent figure in early Kansas politics. Pickering was a law partner of future Kansas Gov. John P. St. John and twice ran for governor on the Prohibition Party ticket. His large Italianate-style residence became one of early Olathe’s prominent homes, hosting family gatherings, weddings and social events.

The Pickering family remained connected to the home for generations. In August 2000, the Olathe Daily News reported on descendants of the family returning to Olathe to tour the house and share memories of the property. Relatives traveled from several states for the visit, recalling family weddings, reunions and stories passed down from those who had lived there.

The home later operated as a bed and breakfast and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. By the time Presley acquired it, however, years of neglect had left the future of the building in doubt.

Presley’s restoration transformed the property from a threatened structure back into one of Olathe’s most recognizable historic residences. The house contains roughly 5,300 square feet, with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, porches and extensive decorative woodwork.

Presley also has an unusual family connection that has attracted attention over the years. He and his identical twin brother Jerry Presley have long described themselves as distant relatives of Elvis Presley, a connection that has been noted in national media coverage dating back decades.

The Pickering House was listed for sale in 2025, and public property records show it transferred to EJS Investments LLC in March 2026, ending Presley’s ownership of the home. His March announcement also said he planned a moving sale that would include furniture, shop tools and the machinery he built during the restoration.

For Olathe, the larger story is not simply that an old house changed hands. The Pickering House survived nearly 150 years of changing owners, changing uses, neglect and even the possibility of demolition.

Terry Presley’s role in that history was unusually direct: he took possession when the house was in danger of disappearing and spent more than a decade putting it back together.

Now the question shifts to the next owner — and what the next chapter will look like for one of Olathe’s most distinctive historic homes.