Our History

A Lawrence Original

Long before Clark’s Stable became a place to gather and celebrate, it was exactly what its name suggests—a working livery stable in the heart of Lawrence.

The story dates back to the late 1800s, when Nicholas S. Clarke operated a livery, feed, and sales stable along New Hampshire Street. City directories trace Clarke’s livery business in the area as far back as 1879, with N. S. Clark listed at the property by 1883 and at 735 New Hampshire by 1886.

A newspaper published in May 1884 described N. S. Clark as completing what it called the “largest and finest livery stable in Lawrence.” The building was described as 50 feet wide, 117 feet deep and two full stories tall—a significant addition to a rapidly growing Lawrence.

By 1898, a photograph of Clark’s Livery Stable captured the building in operation, complete with horses standing at its entrance and “CLARK’S STABLE” painted prominently across the façade. That historic photograph, shown in the research on page 7, provides a direct connection between the building’s past and the Clark’s Stable name being carried forward today.

More Than a Stable

As Lawrence changed, so did the building. After the Clarke era, the property continued to house livery and feed businesses under several operators through the early 1900s.

By the 1920s and 1930s, the property became associated with the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, with Kaw Valley Lodge Elks 265 appearing in the historical record. In later decades, the address was home to businesses including a garage, pool hall, beverage company and heavy hauling operations.

The Next Chapter

More than a century after Clark’s Stable first became part of Lawrence, its story continues.

Today, the Clark’s Stable name honors the building’s beginnings while giving the historic space a new purpose. Once a place where Lawrence gathered for business and community, it is becoming a place to gather once again—this time for weddings, celebrations, dinners, parties and events of all kinds.

The horses may be gone, but Clark’s Stable is ready to welcome Lawrence back through its doors.