In 2003, Homestead Affordable Housing, Inc. (HAH) of Holton Kansas took on the task of redeveloping an abandoned hotel in the heart of downtown Junction City, Kansas; the Bartell House. The property had been vacant for many years and was severely deteriorated. Plans for tearing down the building were in the works. However, City founders petitioned to have the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places, due to its history and prominence during World War II. The hotel had been a regular meeting place for generals and VIPs' during that war. In fact, General Patton and Winston Churchill had both been guests at the hotel.

In 2004, Homestead Affordable Housing was awarded a $400,000 Rural Economic Development Housing (RHED) grant to redevelop the Bartell into affordable senior housing with commercial space. HAH was able to leverage the funding and partner with Kansas Housing Resources Corp. for an additional $300,000 of HOME funding, USDA Rural Development, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka, and other commercial partners to leverage a total of $6,400,500.

The rehabilitation of this 1879 hotel created 32 units of affordable senior apartments, with rental assistance, and 9,000 square feet of commercial lease space. The leased space includes a new downtown restaurant that created 60 new jobs. Homestead assembled a varied financing package that included a Section 515 loan from USDA's Rural Development program, low-income housing tax credits, federal and state historic tax credits, State of Kansas HOME funds, an Affordable Housing Program grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka, and a HUD RHED grant.

The Bartell Place Senior Residences project has won several awards, including the Medallion Award for Rehabilitation from the Kansas Preservation Alliance, the Ad Astra Award for Excellence in Partnerships from the Kansas Housing Conference, and most recently the Best Practice Award from HUD's Kansas City Office of Community Planning and Development.