Topeka's Historical Background
Topeka - Shawnee County Landmarks Commission
- Historic Preservation Plan
- Landmarks Ordinance
- Design Guidelines
- Landmarks Commission Committee and Terms List
- Local Landmark Register
- Resources
Landmarks Commission
A few very important sites to visit:
- Brown V. Board of Education
- National Register of Historic Places
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Landmarks Commission meets at 5:30 PM on the second Thursday of each month, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room at 515 S. Kansas Avenue.
What does the Landmarks Commission do?
The Landmarks Commission was created in 1998 to provide oversight for the important historic resources in Topeka and Shawnee County. It also provides advice to the appointed and elected officials in local government, as well as to local residents and organizations in their efforts to preserve out heritage. It also provides local residents with a link to state and national organizations through its membership and staff, bringing professional assistance to bear on local issues.
Some areas in which the Landmarks Commission maintains interests include:
Heritage Tourism - Tourism is the fastest growing sector of the economy, and history-related tours are especially lucrative. Heritage tourists typically are retired professionals, stay longer and spend more than average when visiting, and often travel half-way around the globe to see quality attractions. Promoting Topeka and the surrounding area to the traveling public brings fresh money into the economy, and helps to pay for amenities that local citizens can use all year around.
Research - The history of this area includes the first shots of what became the Civil War, the relocation of escaped slaves during that conflict, the opening of "The West" by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, bellwether developments in the treatment of mental disorders by Dr. Menninger, and a host of other historical themes. The Landmarks Commission works with researchers to make that history available to the people of Topeka and Shawnee County, but also to the world.
Technical Advice - The Landmarks Commission members are all well-versed in history, but many are also trained professionals in the architectural and building trades. Property owners can ask technical questions of Commissioners or staff with a good chance that some one of them will know the answer, or where to find it. The resources are free of charge, although making prior arrangements is highly recommended.
What does the Landmarks Commission do?
The Landmarks Commission was created in 1998 to provide oversight for the important historic resources in Topeka and Shawnee County . It also provides advice to the appointed and elected officials in local government, as well as to local residents and organizations in their efforts to preserve out heritage. It also provides local residents with a link to state and national organizations through its membership and staff, bringing professional assistance to bear on local issues.
Some areas in which the Landmarks Commission maintains interests include:
Heritage Tourism – Tourism is the fastest growing sector of the economy, and history-related tours are especially lucrative. Heritage tourists typically are retired professionals, stay longer and spend more than average when visiting, and often travel halfway around the globe to see quality attractions. Promoting Topeka and the surrounding area to the traveling public brings fresh money into the economy, and helps to pay for amenities that local citizens can use all year around.
Research – The history of this area includes the first shots of what became the Civil War, the relocation of escaped slaves during that conflict, the opening of “The West” by the Atchison , Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, bellwether developments in the treatment of mental disorders by Dr. Menninger, and a host of other historical themes. The Landmarks Commission works with researchers to make that history available to the people of Topeka and Shawnee County , but also to the world.
Technical Advice – The Landmarks Commission members are all well versed in history, but many are also trained professionals in the architectural and building trades. Property owners can ask technical questions of Commissioners or staff with a good chance that some of them will know the answer, or where to find it. The resources are free of charge, although making prior arrangements is highly recommended.
Historic Preservation Plan
The Landmarks Commission's role in shaping our community's future over the next 25 years is spelled out in the Historic Preservation Plan. The document provides both a guide for redevelopment and a handbook for redevelopers.
Some specific elements of the Plan are:
Surveys - In order to identify historic resources throughout the County, a series of systematic surveys will be undertaken over the next 25 years. These surveys may be of geographic areas, such as Townships or neighborhoods. They may also be thematic, looking for particular types of bridges or barns. Reports of every survey will be published, and made available through the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library.
Coordination - Zoning and building code enforcement often runs afoul of preservation efforts. The Plan will help to explain the goals of preservation guidelines, and how they can be used to enhance health and safety code enforcement. Similarly, decisions facing Topeka and Shawnee County regarding land use and growth management issues may be aided by the groundwork laid by preservation organizations, such as the National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Institute for Preservation Technology.
Incentives - Hardly a development project is proposed that does not need some public assistance, and preservation projects are no different. That assistance may take the form of upgrading utility service, providing financing assistance, or coping with whatever else comes up unexpectedly. The Plan will list examples of incentives, note how they can be applied, and provide additional resource information that individuals can use to follow-up their own.
An Agenda for Future Action - The Landmarks Commission is presently in the process of establishing a program here in Topeka and Shawnee County. That process will take some time to complete, but it will also pave the way for future generations to build on the foundation laid today. The Agenda section will provide some guidance, although it will undoubtedly be updated and revised on a regular basis. By simply noting an Agenda, however, the people who make up the local community will have a basis for discussing how they will make a future for their past, here in Kansas.
Catalog of Local Preservation Organizations (below)
ADA Policy
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