2-44 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 22.

Few residences survive
in the Southern Mixed
Use Zone. LCA, 1998.

Figure 23.

The blind brick facade of
this former fruit
warehouse with its
repetitive concrete piers
is a distinctive feature of
the neighborhood.

LCA, 1998.

0000000 OOOOH OSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHECCEOEOES


3-50 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Utilities and Outdoor Storage

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood except where discussed
below.

Utilities for Industrial/Commercial Properties

+ For industrial/commercial buildings, use walls, fences, or plant materials that
are in character with the style and setting of the building to screen utilities and
equipment, such as trash containers, heating and cooling equipment, exhaust
systems, satellite dishes, and wholesale supplies.

Recognize that a building with a pedestrian-scaled rear entrance will have
different considerations than a building with a raised loading dock and large
overhead doors.

Evaluate the appearance and location of existing utilities at the front, side, and
rear of a building, including electric lines, panels, and meters; telephone lines
and panels; gas and water meters; cable TV lines; fire alarms, sprinkler and
security systems; window air conditioning units, fuel tanks and mechanical
equipment; trash containers and recycling bins; loading/delivery areas; and
private parking.

Whenever possible, relocate conspicuous utilities to less visible locations.
Plan utility placements and connections so that they do not interfere with
public access to rear entrances.

Explore ways to reduce the visual impact of utilities by screening them or
painting them the same color as the walls of the building when they cannot be
eliminated or relocated.

+ Improve safety and maintenance at the rear of buildings by providing an area
for trash containers, paving—particularly to rear entrances—or gravel to
improve or control surface drainage, and sufficient pedestrian-scaled lighting.
Reduce potential conflicts with deliveries or service access. Consider whether
rear entrances are feasible.

+ Install new utilities at the rear of buildings, taking care to avoid damaging,
obscuring, or removing important materials and features; reduce conflicts of
access at rear entrances; or install the utilities in a neat manner and an
inconspicuous location.

Enclose and screen trash collection areas rather than leaving trash containers
or dumpsters in full view. Consider consolidating the location of utility
meters and servicing requirements for several adjacent buildings and
providing a centralized trash collection site.

°

.

Walls and Fences
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.



2-8 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

During the 1950s, the school vicinity remained a mixed-use neighborhood. It
was primarily residential but commercial/industrial uses were clustered near the
railroad lines and along 15th and 17th Streets near the Monroe School. It is likely
that these smaller businesses served not only the residents and school population
but also visitors attending the social and athletic events associated with Monroe
School and its facilities. A small restaurant, known as Laura’s Coffee Shop,
operated at the northwest corner of Monroe and 15th Streets (Figures 2, 3, and 4).
Former students and residents have readily recalled the proprietor Laura Jackson
Moultry as memorable for selling chili and candy and for sitting outside and
fanning herself on hot days.” Part of the establishment was used as a rooming
house as well. There was a “filling station” with two pumps midblock near
Laura’s Coffee Shop. There was a grocery store on the northeast corner of 15th
and Monroe Streets in the area where the plumbing supply has expanded since
that time. Called the Party Shack during the 1950s, the establishment sold
snacks as well as grocery and general merchandise items and later became a
tavern. It is likely that there were residential uses as well since the 1954 Sanborn
map depicts the structure as a two-story dwelling with a one-story porch facing
Monroe Street.””. There were also two neighborhood stores farther east on 15th
Street at the northwest corners of Madison and Jefferson Streets.”*

A report on the condition of the Monroe School for the 1957-1958 school
year described the school as located “one block east of an industrial and
warehouse area. Railroad tracks run adjacent to the athletic field on the east side.
The noise, smoke, and odors are unpleasant and distracting. ... There are a few
nearby business establishments with undesirable atmosphere.””? This description
just as aptly applies to the area nearest the school during the period of
significance. Although remembered fondly by former students, some of the small
businesses located near the school may have had an unsavory reputation.*°

Major commercial/industrial uses in the neighborhood apart from small
neighborhood establishments included the handsome, two-story brick, Armco
Drainage and Metal Products Inc. (a metal culvert factory located on 15th Street
east of the ATSF tracks), the Long Bell Lumber Company (immediately east of
the culvert factory), and a planing mill east of the lumber company, as well as the
Fleming-Wilson Mercantile Company Wholesale Fruit and Grocers brick building
on 17th Street near the school and between the two sets of railroad tracks.”
Former students remember that there was considerable traffic associated with this

°°} aura Jackson Moultry is mentioned in almost all written and oral accounts of this period.

© Sanbont Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka record the transition of this area and the expansion of the plumbing supply.

TM Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resourees, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 305, 1954.

5 The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc, Sheet 305, July, 1954.

® Montoe Elementary School File, Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District 501, Administrative Headquarters,
Topeka, Kansas.

* CLI, p. 23. The CLI cites “oral testimony” as suggesting that illegal activities may have occurred on the property at times
between the late 1940s and the 1970s.

 Sanbom Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut, Sheet, 305, 1954; Sheet 70, 1954; and Sheet 102, 1955.



United States Department of the Interior
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MIDWEST REGION
1709 JACKSON STREET
IN REPLY REFER TO: OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68102-2571
November 27, 2000 |
H1417 (CRSP-CR)
Memorandum
To: Manager, Denver Service Center

Attention: Technical Information Center/Division of
Graphic Systems

From: Chief, Cultural Resources, Midwest Region
Subject: Cultural landscape reports

Attached for your information is one copy of the following three
documents:

Fort Larned National Historic Site Cultural Landscape Report by

Quinn Evans / Architects and Land and Community Associates for
the National Park Service, August 1999.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site Cultural
Landscape Guidelines by Quinn Evans / Architects and Land and
Community Associates for the National Park Service, June 2000.

Homestead National Monument of America Cultural Landscape Report

by Quinn Evans / Architects and Land and Community Associates for
the National Park Service, July 2000.

Tf you have any questions concerning these reports, please
contact Historical Landscape Architect Sherda Williams of this
Office at 402-221-3373.

Attachments 3)


©0006 OHHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHOHHHHOHOOOO

Utilize plantings to provide
pedestrian scale.

Avoid obscuring architectural
details or features with signs.

Encourage future adaptive
reuse for commercial and
visitor related uses.

Re-establish concrete sidewalk
and planting strip.

Consolidate utilities

where possible. Retain
street and sidewalk
lighting.

Retain existing window
patterns.

Retain brick facing and
remove incompatible
signs from facades.
Encourage the selection
of compatible and
harmonious paint
schemes and signs.

EXHIBIT 30

ADAPTIVE USE OF COMMERICAL BUILDINGS
COMMERCIAL GUIDELINES -ELEVATION VIEW

NOT TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp or EpucaTion
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES

fer,

December 1999

Loooe Wyte



Character Defining Features * 2-53

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Map 5. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 70, 1913.



DESIGN CyUIDELINES



support recommendations of the GMP. This concept includes using the 15th
Street corridor as the major east-west entrance to the site and developing a visitor
reception/parking area on vacant land north of the NHS. It also includes
recommendations for rehabilitation of residential structures from the period of
significance and infill residential development that would be compatible with the
traditional design character of the neighborhood. It also calls for consideration of
adaptive reuse of existing commercial/industrial structures to meet visitor needs
for goods and services. The concept plan is also based on a rehabilitation of
Cushinberry Park in the spirit of its 1922 landscape plan (as revised in 1940) to
provide a central amenity area within the NHS neighborhood. A final
recommendation includes consideration of the feasibility of redeveloping the
eastern end of the neighborhood for hotel/restaurant uses to provide an eastern
anchor for the neighborhood and to take advantage of this location’s convenient
access to a major vehicular approach to the NHS.



3-56 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

+ Replace the existing basketball court consistent with city standards for other
parks.

« Return the southern end of the triangle east of the railroad tracks to open
space, but make it available to accommodate overflow parking.

Spatial Organization

+ Retain the characteristic triangular configurations of the park and adjacent
open space that have been created by the geometry of the urban street grid and
traditional railroad alignments.

+ Retain the existing open character of the park; avoid new construction.

¢ Eliminate vehicular traffic on the portion of Jefferson Street that extends
through the park.

Vehicular Circulation and Parking

+ Discontinue vehicular access and parking for the portion of Jefferson Street
that extends through the park.
* Consider eliminating all parking in this zone.

Pedestrian Circulation

+ Rehabilitate existing brick and concrete walks as needed. Develop concrete
walks of similar widths to link new picnic areas and to extend the
neighborhood sidewalk system where necessary. Avoid using specialty
paving that could over-romanticize the appearance of the park.

* Continue to explore trail potential for abandoned railroad right of way.

Buildings and Structures

+ Avoid new construction within the open space.
+ Consider providing portable toilets for special events. Ensure that they are
removed following each event.

Fencing

+ Retain the open park-like feeling and avoid dividing the landscape with
fencing.

Vegetation

+ Retain healthy vegetation dating from the period of significance. Reestablish
elms from the historic Euclid Park landscape plan, using disease-resistant
varieties. As part of an overall rehabilitation, remove coniferous vegetation
and retain existing deciduous vegetation; also as part of rehabilitation, develop
a new planting plan to supplement existing vegetation; recognize the need for
shade to moderate climate in the summer heat.

+ Retain large mowed lawn areas consistent with an urban park.

+ Remove volunteer vegetation along railroad right-of-way.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

00000 OOOOHHOOHHOHHHHHHHHHHHHOOHHHHHOH88OO8O


Character Defining Features * 2-59

O NOmOVER set

Map 11. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 114, 1950.



Character-Defining Features * 2-15

Buildings and Structures

By the 1950s, the neighborhood had developed as a low-scale, residential
neighborhood of one-, one-and-a-half-, and two-story structures. It reflected its
architectural development from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Neighborhood houses were generally of wooden construction with horizontal
wooden siding; it is not likely that replacement sidings would have been used to
any great extent to cover the original wood siding. There were more outbuildings
in the rear yards of residences during this period than there are currently, but
fewer than in 1913.“ These structures included wooden garages, sheds, and even
a few surviving stables. The most uniform characteristic of neighborhood
residences was the front porch. Former residents recall them as characteristic
features that promoted informal neighborhood interaction. Porch life, albeit in a
combined residential/commercial setting, is observable in a period photograph of
Laura’s Coffee Shop (Figure 4) that gives a glimpse of the role of the importance
of porches as outdoor sitting spaces in the neighborhood. Porches were not only a
characteristic architectural feature but were functional in the pre-air conditioning
era when they provided a cool place to sit during the summer. Another change
apparent in Figure 4 is the replacement of the single story rear ell (presumably a
kitchen) at the rear of Laura’s Coffee Shop with a one-story, flat-roofed mobile
unit. Commercial/industrial uses—some housed in large brick
structures—continued to coexist with residential uses and brought increased truck
traffic to the area. (See Overview of Development of the Neighborhood,
1856-1949 for discussion of the incremental development of the neighborhood’s
buildings and structures.)

Small-scale Features, Lighting, and Utilities

There may have been small scale features in individual yards although no
former residents have been able to recall any other than the outdoor clothes lines
that were located in the rear yards of every neighborhood house. The clotheslines
were generally double and sometimes triple strands of simple metal wire
supported by wooden posts at each end. Given the unpretentious residential
character and small, narrow lot sizes, this recollection of primarily utilitarian
structures has substantial credence. However, photographs of Laura’s Coffee
Shop from the late 1940s and early 1950s depict a wooden trellis and arbor, a
wooden bench, a lattice work flower bed fence, and a shell-backed metal lawn or
porch chair characteristic of that period (Figures 2, 3, and 4). It is likely that

e other residents had similar structures and furnishings in their yards. Former
residents remember that the majority of residences had unfenced front yards
e although one recalled that there were both post and wire fences and white picket

e * comparison of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for 1913 and 1954-1955 revealed the decline in outbuildings. This
decline is probably directly related to modernization and urbanization. Stables, woodsheds, and other utilitarian
e auxiliary buildings were probably removed because they had become obsolete by the 1950s.


3-24 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Exhibit 21.
Simple post
and wire
fences are
appropriate
for side and
rear yards,

ae

+ Use traditional materials to build new walls and fences, such as unpainted stone,
painted and unpainted wood, and wooden posts with metal wire. Vertical wood
picket fences are most appropriate for front yards (Exhibit 19). Vertical wood
picket fences, open horizontal board fences (Exhibit 20), and wood post and woven
metal wire fences (Exhibit 21) are most appropriate for side yards. Open horizontal
board fences, and wood post and woven metal wire fences are most appropriate for
rear yards.

+ Discourage the installation of new chain link, plastic, fiberglass, or plywood fences
in the neighborhood. Where these are existing, encourage their removal whenever
feasible.

+ Develop incentives for the replacement of chain link fences with types that would
have been prevalent during the period of significance and develop a plan for
assisting in maintaining fences that will require replacement and painting from time
to time.

* Develop all fences with the structural side facing the interior of the property
and not the street.

* Encourage fences of traditional dimensions, typically three to four feet in
height.

* Retain existing concrete and rough stone retaining walls as important
landscape features that would have been present during the period of
significance (Exhibit 22).

+ Build and rebuild retaining walls, where necessary, of concrete or local stone
with a rough finish (Exhibit 23). The recommended height for retaining walls
is about two-and-half feet.

« Avoid the use of logs and railroad ties where they will be visible from the
street.

TOE PEER EREREEKXEEEKEERE EERE REE AEE EEE ZS SE


YE PARK.
TOPEKA, KANSAS,

E.F.A.REINISCH,

ence L sereoe sates

Figure 10. “Euclid Park, Topeka, Kansas," drawn by J.T. Runcimann, April 12, 1922. City of Topeka Division of Parks and Recreation files.

sauyaping adnospuvq jodnyn uonywonpy fo panog 4 umolg » 27-7


Character Defining Features ¢ 2-49

Buist 4 .

HA Fiat Anatytniin 3 A. ileedd ME oe ae yet

I Kicdoendte TL Congeyntie’.” PUBLISHED BY HA TTOPEKA,KANSAS.
i “s CopvaiouTeD 1ea2- .

Map |. Needham’s Pocket Map of the City of Topeka & Suburbs. ca. 1882 (excerpt).


2-18 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 8. Excerpt of Monroe School neighborhood, aerial photograph of Topeka, Kansas, 1960. USDA, ACS.



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Map 4. Map of Topeka, Compliments of Eleventh Internation! Conference, Railroad Department,

Young Mens Christian Association. 1903.

ke ne a Re Pn date,

2.52 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines



| ©0900 HHHOHHHHHEHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHOHHOHHOEOO

Design Guidelines * 3-25

Sidewalk

Front Yard

Exhibit 22.

Retain low
concrete and
rough stone
retaining walls as
characteristic
landscape
features.

Exhibit 23.
Traditional stone
wall character
and application.


<--- + [Sth Street

structure dating from
period of significance

CUSHINBERRY i t
PARK Retain street patterns

IMONROE
SCHOOL

Rehabilitate streets, sidewalks and curb:
within zone to period of significance

Re-establish concrete sidewalk
with planting strip

Monroe Sireet

Consider and evaluate feas lity of
redevelopng as visitor oriented\hotel
and/or restaurant anchor ‘

North

; \ EXHIBIT 9

‘tures dating fram ,
«Consider future adaptive, SOUTHERN MIXED USE ZONE
| and visitor related uses i DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN

Brown v. Boarp of EpucaTIon
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
+ March 1999

te 2/ 2eso8 1507



2-28 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

The neighborhood is characterized by long internal and external views. There
are strong visual connections from one street to the next. The neighborhood is not
inwardly oriented; the state capitol is quite visible from the neighborhood, as are
taller buildings in the Topeka downtown (Figure 13). There is topographic
variation within the neighborhood with the topography dropping off to the east.

The neighborhood retains its low-scale streetscapes with one-, one-and-a-
half-, two-, and three-story buildings and structures. Most houses still have front
porches that reduce the building scale and mass adjacent to the front yards,
sidewalks, and streets (Figure 14).

Residential buildings are generally of wooden construction with horizontal
wooden siding; some replacement sidings have been used to cover the original
wood siding. The outbuildings that survive in association with some
residences—generally, wooden garages and sheds—are rarely used today and are
in deteriorated condition (Figure 15).

Commercial/industrial uses continue to coexist with residential uses and still
bring truck traffic to the area although there is probably less truck traffic than
during the period of significance. Neighborhood circulation patterns have
changed since the 1950s with the abandonment of the rail lines and the loss of the
pedestrian and vehicular circulation associated with the Monroe School when it
was in operation. The closing of small neighborhood businesses and the loss of a
number of houses have affected the patterns and volumes of pedestrian
circulation. During the 1950s there were small stores and eating establishments
that no longer operate in the neighborhood. There appears to be a mix of owner-
occupied residences with those that are rented to tenants; but there appear to be
fewer owner-occupied residences than during the 1950s.

Cushinberry Park is a major open space in the center of the neighborhood.
Although the Park is on axis with the Monroe School, visual and physical
connections between the two are absent. The growth of volunteer vegetation at
the park’s western boundary obscures views between the two. The park, like the
neighborhood, also has declined and is in need of rehabilitation. According to
city officials and NHS personnel, it is not used intensively for active recreation.
There have been reports of drug-related activities in the park.

In general, there is very little significant neighborhood vegetation although there
are some scattered deciduous trees in residential front, side, and rear yards.
Observed species include catalpas, hackberries, elms, maples, and cottonwoods.
The surviving residences have unadorned grass lawns. There are very few
ornamental shrubs or flowering annuals or perennials although there are a few
examples of privet that probably existed during the period of significance. There
are a number of chain link fences that would postdate the period of significance.
Concrete and rough stone retaining walls and front entry steps have been built in
front of several residences in response to the sloping topography (Figure 16). The

000000 HOHHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHHHHHOOEOO


Avoid the use of one Avoid use of paving materials
large building mass adjacent to building edges.

Avoid large areas of
uninterrupted parking.

EXHIBIT 11
INAPPROPRIATE LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT

NOY TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp or EpucaTIon
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999; revised March 2000

er / aoe 5407

i
i

i


1-2 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

vision of rehabilitation, adaptive use, and redevelopment within the NHS
neighborhood. The guidelines, however, are not a proposed NPS neighborhood
design. NPS expects to provide technical assistance to both the City of Topeka and
individual property owners to meet the goals of preserving residential character and
encouraging compatible neighborhood land uses. This assistance, however, is
advisory with public adherence voluntary; there are no design or historic district
regulations for the NHS neighborhood. All guidelines and plans, however, have
been developed in accordance with established NPS policies for historic districts.

The goal of this project is to produce cultural landscape guidelines for the area
adjacent to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (NHS).
Preservation of the character of the neighborhood as it was in the 1950s will
provide a geographic context and appropriate setting for the Monroe School. The
guidelines describe the character-defining features that historically defined the
neighborhood to inform and guide new compatible development.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Prior to desegregation of the Topeka public elementary schools, Monroe
School was one of four elementary schools attended by the city’s black elementary
school students. Linda Brown, the daughter of Oliver Brown, was a student at
Monroe School. Oliver Brown was the first plaintiff listed when the Brown v.
Board of Education case was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in 1952. Another
student Ruth Ann Scales, whose mother Vivian Scales was a plaintiff in the same
case, also attended the Monroe School during the 1950-1951 school year and
graduated from Monroe. These two students were the only children among the
plaintiff families who had attended Monroe School. The children of the other
plaintiffs were spread out among the other three segregated schools for the black
elementary students of Topeka.

On May 17, 1954, in its landmark decision in the Brown v. Board of Education
case, the Supreme Court reaffirmed equal protection under law by unanimously
declaring “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of
‘Separate but Equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently
unequal.” This decision initiated mandatory public school desegregation in the
United States and has been recognized as one of the major court decisions of the
twentieth century. The decision was eagerly anticipated and well publicized as one
that would bring major change to American schools.

The Monroe School was in operation as a public elementary school from
1926-1975; it closed at the end of the 1974-1975 academic year. In recent years, a
new city school (currently a magnet school) was constructed one block north.
During the 1950s, the Monroe School neighborhood was primarily residential, but
there were a few small neighborhood businesses, a number of industrial uses
clustered together to take advantage of rail access in the neighborhood, and a city

00000 OOOHOHHHHHHHHHHOHOHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHOO8OS


Table of Contents

1/ Administrative Data
Goals of the Cultural Landscape Guidelines ........0ccccseeeneeeeseeerseeeeisaneeseseeee Del
Project Background ... setsese
Scope of the Cultural Landscape Guidelines .
Methodology and Project Staff .............
Summary of Guidelines and Concept Plan .

2 / Character-Defining Features
Introduction .. .

Overview of Neighborhood Development, 1856-1949
Character-Defining Features, 1950~-1955 ..........04
Land Uses and Activities
Patterns of Spatial Organization

Circulation and Parking .
Buildings and Structures
Small-scale Features, Lighting, and Utilities .
Vegetation ...
Views and Other: Sensory Qualities .
Euclid Park .. testes
Summary of Changes, 1956-1999
Existing Neighborhood Character and Integrity Analysis ...
The NHS Neighborhood

West Residential Zone ..
Northern Mixed Use Zone
Southern Mixed Use Zone
Cushinberry Park and Adjacent Open Space .

3 / Design Guidelines and Design/Development Concept
Introduction .

Concept Plan
NHS Neighborhood Guidelines ...
NHS Guidelines .. ”
West Residential Z Zone Guidelines
Northern Mixed Use Zone Guidelines .
Southern Mixed Use Zone Guidelines .
Cushinberry Park and Adjacent Open Space Guidelines ..........ccscteseeereeeteeseenseeteetersieee BSS

4/ Bibliography


Character-Defining Features + 2-25

planting bed may have been designed as a central feature. The plan includes
another unidentified circle in the eastern portion of the park. In the drawing, the
water line also extends to the wading pool and another unnamed point that could
have been planned as either a drinking fountain or an outdoor faucet. The plan
depicts another walk at the eastern end of the park that provides a continuation of
the sidewalk along Adams Street to the south and Jefferson Street to the north.

Proposed vegetation included a row of deciduous trees lining the park
boundaries along 15th Street, Euclid Avenue, and Jefferson Street where it
crossed through the park. Shrubs were spaced at regular intervals between the
deciduous trees lining Euclid Avenue and {5th Street. There were also
intermittent conifers shown near the park’s eastern walk, intermixed with the
deciduous trees lining the eastern side of Jefferson Street as it crossed through the
park, and in clusters along a drainage swale passing north to south through the
western portion of the park. Deciduous trees and informal plantings of ground
cover or shrubs also lined this drainage swale. Clusters of ground cover or shrubs
were also planned adjacent to both sides of the walk passing through the eastern
end of the park. These plantings effectively eliminated the possibility for human
activity in the eastern end of the park where it narrowed to its terminus. The plan
defined the western terminus of Euclid Park as a rounded point with a sign at its
apex and five small shrubs. The plan identifies no plant materials by name but it
is likely that the deciduous trees were elms. Elms, which were popular during the
early twentieth century, were planted at the school during the same period; in
addition, several stumps still present in the park today are identifiable as elms.

The same base drawing, which was revised in 1940, bears a notation “Euclid
Park, Topeka, Kansas, revised 10/12/40, WPA project no...” The WPA project
number was not filled in; attempts to verify WPA involvement have not been
successful. Since there are only a few changes on the 1940 revision, it is not
likely that such a project would have been extensive. These include the omission
of the three tennis courts on the “low land” triangle between the tracks and of the
wading pool.” A discussion with current Topeka parks personnel revealed that
the wading pool had been installed but was removed prior to the 1950s because of
the fear of polio epidemics. The 1940 revision also bears a handwritten notation
to move the location of the toilet building. The earlier toilet location has been
darkened in and a structure the approximate size for a toilet indicated west of the
walk parallel to Jefferson Street. The major addition to the earlier park plan
appears to have been four new walks. The walks were shown as three diagonal
walks through the park and one parallel to Jefferson Street on the east side as it
passes through the park. A comparison with existing conditions and analysis of
the areas of the park visible on aerial photography from the period of significance
indicate that much of this plan was implemented. This plan is likely to be a close
representation of the park during the 1950s. By comparison, the 1960 aerial
photograph shows fewer trees in the park and in the neighborhood, probably

* Throughout the nation, a number of pools and other outdoor recreational facilities closed or made alterations in response
to widespread fear of polio,


Ss £ € VOLUME OWE

2-58 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Map 10. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 84, 1950.

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the neighborhood. For the same reasons, preservation of the existing environment
and its features also has been dismissed as inappropriate and insufficient to
respond to the changing needs of the neighborhood once the NHS opens for
visitation.

First, the Monroe School, the neighborhood’s primary historic resource, is
being rehabilitated, not restored. Second, there is not adequate documentation to
undertake an accurate restoration of the neighborhood. More important, however,
the neighborhood is part of an urban dynamic that is evolving and not static;
restoration, therefore, would be inappropriate. The neighborhood today responds
to different social and economic forces than those present in the 1950s.

In addition, once the NHS is open for visitation and public programs are
offered, new public and private sector development and adaptive uses may need
to be accommodated within the neighborhood. For example, substantial visitation
is anticipated from organized groups—schools, church and community groups,
clubs, motor coach tours and convention attendees. As a result, the neighborhood
will need to accommodate large groups as well as individuals and families.
Associated needs such as parking for buses and vans and visitor services that can
serve multiple large groups at a time will have to be resolved without sacrificing
the present residential character of the neighborhood.

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e@ Monroe School with a neighborhood context is also threatened by light industrial
development in areas that were formerly residential. These guidelines are

e intended to strengthen the neighborhood’s residential character while not freezing

@ it in time or recommending a restoration to its period of significance. At the same

e time priority does need to be given to preservation of features that date from the

e period of significance.

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Both the City of Topeka and the NPS agree that the NHS has a role to play in
the city’s economic development initiatives to promote, revitalize, and redevelop
the greater downtown area of Topeka. Parking, visitor services, and some
commercial redevelopment are anticipated to occur within the neighborhood.

Cushinberry Park is also expected to provide an important open space
opportunity for school groups and other visitors to the NHS. The city plans to
rehabilitate the park as part of its efforts to support the establishment of the NHS.
Similarly, the park as a major recreational open space on axis with the Monroe
School is anticipated to meet expanded and different recreational needs once the
NHS is open to the public. Again rehabilitation of the park, not restoration, is
most appropriate to respond to these anticipated uses.



Hb 2/'D G

Cultural Landscape Guidelines
eee PLEASE RETURN To

CAL INFORMATION CENTER
RYICE CENTER

PARK SERVICE



Design Guidelines * 3-29

<<. Weod arbor for roses Wood trellis for roses

i
Traditional flower bed Traditional outdoor |
edge treatments furniture

Buildings and Structures

Preservation and Rehabilitation

+ Encourage retention of all buildings and structures that date from the period of

significance. Rehabilitate rather than demolish a building from the period of

significance.

Encourage rehabilitations that are consistent with the Secretary of the

Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitations. Offer incentives for complying with

the Standards.

Identify the architectural features and materials of a building’s facade that are

important to its character before undertaking any alterations. Generally, these

will include windows, doors, porches, and porch posts and balusters as well as
the basic architectural form and shape of the building.

Encourage retention and repair of historic materials rather than removal and

replacement to preserve historic fabric.

Generally, important features include those that survive from the building’s

original construction; are distinctive or have architectural interest; are

examples of quality craftsmanship; and/or would make the building less
attractive or unrecognizable if removed.

Recognize each building as a product of its own time; do not try to give a

building the false appearance of an earlier historical period or to make it look

completely modern.

Choose appropriate treatments or alterations that will not damage
characteristic features or materials and are in keeping with the overall design
or appearance of a building.

Avoid painting masonry buildings that have never been painted.

Avoid application of any cover-up wall surface materials.

+ Allow masonry surfaces to retain a weathered appearance; avoid cleaning
masonry. Never sandblast masonry surfaces. Sandblasting removes the outer
surface of brickwork, exposing the soft interior to water penetration and
subsequent freeze-thaw damage.

.

Exhibit 27.
Traditional
residential small-
scale landscape
features.



Planting Strip/
Sidewatk

17th Street

Cushinberry Park- East End

Retain existing street
vegetation.

Consolidate utilites and
other above ground
infrastructure.

Consolidate vehicle

regulatory signage.

15th Street

v

Develop new park
signage and landscaping
to reflect entrance into
Cushinberry Park
environs,

Planting Strip/
Sidewalk

EXHIBIT 32

CUSHINBERRY PARK ENTRY ENHANCEMENT
SECTION VIEW
NOT TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp oF EpucaTion
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999

fe 2/ 20008 12307



Brown v. Board of Education
National Historic Site

Topeka, Kansas
Contract 443CX600094014/1443PX605097814

Prepared for

National Park Service
Midwest Regional Office
1709 Jackson Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68 102

Prepared by

Quinn/Evans Architects
219 1/2 North Main Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
(313) 663-5888

Prepared by

Land and Community Associates
P. O. Box 92

Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
(804) 295-3880



3-30 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

+ Repair missing or severely damaged masonry with materials that conform to
the characteristics of the original.
* Retain or replace in-kind existing windows and doors that contribute to a
building’s character; also avoid infilling windows, doors, and other openings.
Avoid changing the number or pattern of window and door openings. Ifa
change of use requires additional or fewer windows or doors, such alterations
should occur on the rear or less significant sides of a building.
Remove plywood paneling or other exterior siding that conceals building
features or reduces the size and proportion of windows and other features.
Retain the form, materials and features of the original roof—particularly those
that are visible from public rights-of-way and important to a building’s
character; retain existing parapets, dormers, cornices, and other features that
may be associated with the roof.
While paint color is a personal choice, encourage selection of paint colors that
are traditional to the neighborhood and compatible with those of adjacent
buildings. The colors need not match exactly to be harmonious; in keeping
with the character of the period of significance, encourage a limited number of
colors on a single building. In most instances, two accent colors in addition to
the main wall color are sufficient. Typical applications of three colors are as
follows: main color on exterior walls; major accent color on majority of
trim—porch posts or balusters, comices, window frames, and sashes; and
minor accent color on other details such as doors.

Inappropriate Treatments and Materials

- Avoid alterations, such as cover-up materials, oversized signs, or extreme
color schemes, that damage or obscure characteristic features of the facade;
change or destroy the traditional relationship between the upper and lower
portions of the facade; call undue attention to the facade; and are out of
character with neighboring buildings.

+ Avoid the use of such nontraditional and inappropriate materials in the NHS
neighborhood as wood shingles or shakes; metal or vinyl clapboard; plywood;
permastone or other simulated stone; dry-vit or other simulated stucco;
reflective or heavily tinted “privacy” glass; and common concrete block.

Additions to Existing Buildings

+ Avoid designing additions that overwhelm an existing building. An addition
should be subordinate to the existing building in size and appearance, and be
located on the rear or least-public side of the building, and exhibit a distinct
but compatible appearance if it has its own street frontage.

+ Avoid obscuring or destroying important features or materials of existing
buildings when making additions.

* See also New Construction below.



Character-Defining Features * 2-13

close to the primary street on which they were located. By 1950 almost every
defined lot in the neighborhood had been developed.” There were only four
undeveloped lots on Quincy Street between 15th and 17th Streets.

Sanborn maps for the western part of the study area in 1954 and 1955 reveal |
considerable information concerning the spatial organization of the blocks along |
portions of Quincy, Monroe, 15th, and 17th Streets. Most houses were sited on |
the neighborhood’s narrow but deep lots with their gable ends oriented to the |
street. The four attached row houses located at the southwest corner of Quincy |
and 14th Streets and described on the 1896 Sanborn map as “Negro tenements” |
survived into this period, and a bakery had located directly behind them and |
facing 14th Street. With their slight setbacks and lack of porches, they were an
obvious deviation from the predominant development pattern. During the period
of significance, most houses had front porches that reduced the building scale and
mass adjacent to the front yards, sidewalks, and streets. Garages, sheds, and even
a few structures originally constructed as stables remained in rear yards and were
accessible by the public alley system. Large commercial/industrial buildings with
little setback from the city street dominated 15th Street from the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe tracks east to Madison Street and the large wholesale fruit
warehouse dominated the south side of 17th Street east of the tracks.

The south side of 17th Street between the alley east of Kansas Avenue and
Monroe Street was the most uniform streetscape present in the neighborhood
during the period of significance. A row of ten dwellings ranging in height from
one- to one-and-a-half- to two-stories, all with one-story porches and facing north,
lined the street. Facing them orienting to the south was a more irregular row of
houses that were not arranged to face directly on 17th Street. Instead they were
sited at a slight angle toward the street but parallel to each other. Quincy Street
with its street alignment angled slightly midblock between 15th and 17th Streets
presented a less uniform approach to setback from the street although linear
clusters on both east and west sides of Quincy Street were setback uniform
distances from the street. The residential streetscape of 15th Street between
Madison and Jefferson Streets opposite the park was also uniform in its setback
from the street. The block, however, culminated in a store located at the
northwest corner of Jefferson and 15th Streets, which was sited closer to 15th
Street than its residential neighbors. Two houses were located on Monroe Street,
south of the school, in the block between 1Sth and 17th Streets during this period;
both oriented to the street. An additional house at the intersection with 17th
Street faced 17th Street. All three were wood frame houses with front porches.**

* Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanbom Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
_ Connecticut. Sheets 70, 82, and 84, 1950.
* Telephone interview with Marita Davis (Kansas City) by Genevieve Keller, February, 1999.


3-10 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

portion of Jefferson Street that passes through Cushinberry Park; and b. infill
missing sidewalk links along all city streets to improve pedestrian circulation.

+ Encourage retention of the existing historic streetscape rhythm and setbacks.
Avoid breaking this rhythm when planning new construction (Exhibit 13).
Secure variances from existing land use regulations where necessary for new
construction to preserve this rhythm.

+ Encourage new infill construction that does not exceed two stories.

+ Plan development that preserves the characteristic relationships of front, side,
and back yards that were present in the early 1950s.

+ Avoid making parking visually prominent in the design of new commercial
development; consider developing parking at the rear of buildings where
possible.

+ Retain the existing topographic variations that have influenced the
development of retaining walls and other design responses within the
neighborhood and that reflect its earliest development as part of Ritchie’s
Addition.

* Retain views to downtown Topeka. This historic view was an important
visual connection for the neighborhood (Exhibit 4).

* Consider the entire area between the NHS and Kansas Avenue as part of the
NHS neighborhood.

Vehicular Circulation

Vehicular Approaches

+ Delineate the Branner Street Trafficway/{5th Street as the primary, preferred
entry route from 1-70 to the NHS.

+ Define Kansas Avenue as the secondary entry route to the NHS.

* Develop public incentives and private incentives to enhance the visual
character of both approaches.

Neighborhood Streets

+ Retain the existing alignments; avoid street widening.

* Return 15th and 17th Streets to brick paving between Quincy and Monroe
Streets.

+ Retain Monroe Street in front of Monroe Schoo} as an asphalt-surfaced street.

* Install curbs along streets, using the traditional red stone.

+ Ensure that there are adequate curb cuts to promote accessibility.

* Monitor traffic volumes and speeds. Consider installation of speed bumps and
brick pavement where historically appropriate as traffic calming measures if
warranted.

Alleys
+ Retain the traditional alley system as a significant characteristic of the period
of significance.



(EBB Monroe School NHS Zone
ES=2) Northern Mixed Use Zone
Southern Mixed Use Zone

West Residential Zone

Cushinberry Park and
Adjacent Open Space Zone

strian/Vebicula®,
. ~ Connection:

* Hotel/
Compiex

®

North

EXHIBIT 5
DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN

Brown v. Boarpb or EDUCATION
INNATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
March 1999; revised March 2000



Administrative Data * 1-7

SCOPE OF THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

These cultural landscape guidelines developed by Land and Community
Associates (LCA) of Charlottesville, Virginia and Ames, lowa through a sub-
contract with Quinn/Evans Architects (Q/EA) are intended to provide guidance to
the National Park Service in interacting with groups and individuals involved in
private and other public (non-NPS) sector development adjacent to the Brown v.
Board of Education National Historic Site. The Monroe School is the subject of a
separate Historic Structures Report (HSR) being prepared for NPS by
Quinn/Evans Architects of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The staff of the NPS Midwest
Regional Office previously conducted a Cultural Landscape Inventory
documenting the Monroe School and its grounds. These guidelines do not
directly address the NHS.

The 1996 General Management Plan (GMP)/Development Concept Plan
(DCP)/Interpretive and Visitor Experience Plan states that NPS will provide
technical assistance to the City of Topeka to retain the residential character of the
neighborhood, ensure compatible uses, and improve Cushinberry Park. A
management concern identified in the GMP is the potential for the complete loss
of the neighborhood context of the Monroe School through neglect and
demolition. Although the NHS neighborhood is located near downtown Topeka
and the state capitol area, it is not considered particularly desirable for either
residential or commercial uses at the present time.

LCA commenced work on the Cultural Landscape Guidelines (CLG) in
November 1997. The scope of work called for development of cultural Jandscape
guidelines designed to inform and guide decisions concerning preservation,
planning, design, and new construction in the neighborhood immediately adjacent
to the NHS. The scope of work called for LCA to become familiar with the
project goals, background, location, and history of the project area and to produce
a three-chapter design guideline document.

The guidelines have been divided into three chapters. Chapter I
Administrative Data describes the project scope, location, and methodology used.
Chapter 2 Character-Defining Features of the Neighborhood addresses the
various historic features and components of the NHS neighborhood during the
period of significance, 1950-1955, and their integrity today. These features and
components include the spatial organization, land use patterns, circulation
patterns, scale, buildings and structures, vegetation, and other character-defining
qualities of the neighborhood. Chapter 3 Design Guidelines includes guidelines
and a preliminary design/development concept plan based on preserving,
enhancing, and in some cases replacing the existing character of the
neighborhood.



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Character-Defining Features * 2-39

Northern Mixed Use Zone

This zone includes all properties between 14th Street on the north and 15th
Street on the south, and the back property lines of the properties on the east side
of Quincy Street to the railroad tracks east of the eastern end of Cushinberry Park.
Very little of this zone directly represents the neighborhood character that existed
during the period of significance. There has been substantial demolition of both
residential and commercial buildings. This zone is dominated by vacant parcels
to the west and commercial/industrial buildings for the remainder of the zone.

The zone also contains two, vacant, square blocks. Surviving remnants of trees
and sidewalks give hints of the blocks’ former development pattern and character.
Although there are mixed land uses in this zone, only limited residential uses
remain. The two surviving, small-scale, single family dwellings are adjacent to
commercial/ industrial uses. Commercial/ industrial uses dominate current land
use in this zone (Figure 20).

The zone has the largest buildings and parking areas in the neighborhood.
Several residences have been adapted to commercial/industrial uses. Uses include
light industrial uses; wholesale/retail sales; service industries, including but not
limited to automotive repair, automotive parts, a heating oil company, a printing
business, and a plumbing supply. There are no shoppers’ goods or strictly retail
establishments, or restaurants, overnight lodging, or convenience store
establishments. Existing commercial uses are not of a type that would attract
visitors or meet visitor needs for goads and services.

This area is part of the city’s regular urban grid, interrupted only by the
crossings of the two railroad alignments. It has a true linear streetscape that is not
affected by the diagonal alignment of 17th Street. The neighborhood’s major
buildings front on 15th Street. Overall, the building setbacks are relatively
uniform although the newer buildings have larger setbacks than buildings during
the period of significance. The creation of two adjacent empty blocks between
14th and 15th Streets and Quincy and Monroe Streets has interrupted the
streetscape rhythm in the western part of the zone. There is a distinct rhythm in
the eastern part of the zone where the three large commercial/industrial buildings
dating from the period of significance are sited relatively close together. Vacant
land west of Monroe Street is mostly dedicated to parking and equipment storage.

Today, 15th Street is paved with asphalt. In places, there is some indication of
red stone curbing and in other places there is concrete curbing. Curbing is not
present throughout the entire area, however, and its absence contributes to a lack
of edge definition between private property and the public street in places. There
are some indications at intersections that brick paving dating from the period of
significance still exists under the asphalt. The street condition appears to be
good-to-fair. Curb cuts have been developed recently near the [5th and Monroe
Streets intersection. The original alley extending through the block interior is still


SPOSOHOHHSHSHOHOHHHSHHOHSHOHSHSHOHHOHSHSHHOHHSHSSHHOCHOOHSOCOOS

Design Guidelines « 3-17

a single expanse within a large lot by including such features as planting
islands, access drives, and walkways.

+ Avoid developing new off-street parking areas in a way that would destroy

* important spatial organizational features, such as front and side lawns, and
traditional setbacks.

+ Define the street frontage of any parking lots and provide partial screening of
parked vehicles through the use of plant materials, low walls, and outdoor
interpretive displays and exhibits and directional signage.

* Use plant materials in parking areas (Exhibit 14). When selecting plant
materials for parking lots, choose species that require little maintenance, are
tolerant of conditions in an urban environment, and are species traditionally
used in the neighborhood.

+ Avoid demolition of residential buildings for off-street parking lots.

+ Pave off-street parking areas with materials that are in character with the
neighborhood, such as asphalt and concrete.

Signs

The addition of new signs may be one of the major changes to the
neighborhood as anticipated NPS, City of Topeka, and private economic
development plans are implemented. NPS will need directional and identification
signs; the city and local tourism entities are expected to develop additional signs
and information. Signs on 1-70 will guide traffic directly to the site to avoid high-
volume intersections. There may be wayside or other outdoor exhibits within the
neighborhood, particularly in new parking areas and in Cushinberry Park. Some
economic development is also expected to occur with redevelopment of some
vacant parcels and some adaptive use of existing buildings. Commercial
enterprises will need identification and promotional signs.

All Signs
+ Encourage cooperation between NPS and the City of Topeka to develop sign

policies, prototypes, and regulations based on the guidelines for the NHS
neighborhood. These should address the number, size, location, and lighting
of signs in the neighborhood.

* Consider incorporation of a neighborhood logo based on the relief “M” (see
divider pages) on the side elevation of the Monroe School on all identification
and directional signs, waysides, brochures, and other media as appropriate as a
visual link to the historic school.

Regulatory and Directional Signs

+ Continue to use standard regulatory signs in use throughout the City of
Topeka.

* Consider incorporating a neighborhood logo (perhaps derived from the relief
“M” which is an architectural detail of the school-see divider pages) into
standard NPS brown directional signs that use the NPS arrowhead to direct
visitors to the NHS and its neighborhood.



2-60 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidlines

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Map 12. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 70, 1954.

7



Character Defining Features * 2-19

Figure 9. Excerpt of Monroe School neighborhood, aerial photograph of Topeka, Kansas, 1991. USDA, ACS.


Character Defining Features ¢ 2-33

Figure 13.

There are long views to
downtown Topeka and the
Kansas State Capitol from
the NHS neighborhood.
LCA, 1998.

Figure 14.
Linear streetscape of
characteristic modest
houses with front porches.
LCA, 1998.



3-42 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Pedestrian Circulation
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Private Entry Walks
+ For the vacant block, consider using the historic private walk system to

provide pedestrian access to and from parking and visitor services.

Parking

+See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood except where discussed
below.
* Continue to explore development by the City of Topeka of a portion of the
vacant parcels near the 15th and Monroe Streets intersect for NHS visitor
parking. Use deciduous tree and traditional herbaceous domestic plantings to
partially screen the parking area from the view northeast from the NHS.
Strive to evoke the feeling of the traditional residential street edge without
completely blocking visibility of automotive parking. The only other
available area for parking without considering demolition of existing
buildings would be at an increased distance from the NHS and located at the
east end of the neighborhood in the proposed redevelopment area. Even this
distance, however, may be too great for some anticipated visitors, especially
the elderly, and would necessitate use of a shuttle or other transportation
system for those unable to walk several blocks.
Develop off-street parking to accommodate 45-50 regular spaces and 6
bus/RV spaces.
For general characteristics, please see Guidelines for the Entire NHS
Neighborhood, Commercial Parking.
* Introduce the Brown v. Board of Education story in its broadest sense within
the parking area through the use of interpretive signs, wayside exhibits, and
other media appropriate to an unmonitored, outdoor setting. Interpret the
historic development of the neighborhood and school, the role of the Monroe
School in the life of Topeka, and the events related to the Supreme Court case.
Continue on-street parking, except on Monroe Street in front of the school, as
available for NHS visitors.

Signs

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood except where discussed
below.

Business Signs

Design

* Signs should be compatible with the building they advertise in material, size,
and color, as well as location.

+ Keep the sign design simple in background, colors, lettering, and mounting
structure.

TROOP ERE REPRE RERERE KEKE RECESS ZS SY


2-38 « Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 18.

Bungalows, with large

shade trees, overlook the

street from uniform

setbacks. LCA, 1998. ae

Figure 19.

Remnants of unpainted,
wooden post and board
fencing survive along
the alley, LCA 1998.

f



2-34 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 15.

A few deteriorated
outbuildings such as
wooden garages survive
in rear yards adjacent to
the alley. LCA, 1998.

Figure 16.

Low retaining walls and
front entry are a response
to the neighborhoods
sloping topography.

LCA, 1998.



DESIGN CGyUIDELINES



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Decentralize parking Use perimeter and interior
landscaping to articulate and
reinforce circulation patterns.

DODOODVEQS

Utilize multiple
building masses.

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EXHIBIT 12
APPROPRIATE LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT

NOT TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp of EpucaTIon
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999; revised March 2000



2-26 © Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

indicating a removal of many elms shortly after the period of significance. The
park’s edge definition that was provided by deciduous trees, however, is still
apparent in 1960 (Figure 8)."'

SUMMARY OF CHANGES, 1956-1999

The existing character of the neighborhood reflects the results of several
changes that occurred following the period of significance. A comparison of
aerial maps and Sanborn maps covering the period of significance and the early
1960s show few changes in the years immediately following the 1954 Supreme
Court decision. Over time, however, the cumulative changes that occurred
between 1955 and 1999 have altered neighborhood character in varying degrees.
Safety issues were taken more seriously following school desegregation. Parking
on Monroe Street in front of the school was discontinued after 1957 at the request
of the Superintendent of Schools.” Although completely closing Monroe Street
to vehicular traffic was recommended, the street remained open to vehicles. The
most dramatic change and the one most closely associated with the purpose of this
report was the closure of Monroe Schoo! following the 1974-1975 academic year.
Its closure was concurrent with the closure of several substandard facilities by the
Board of Education. The school building’s physical character changed only
slightly while it had continued in active use as a school. Its playground areas,
however, changed substantially because most of its outdoor play equipment was
removed to improve playground safety.

For a while following closure, the school was used as a temporary warehouse
and the grounds were used for parking buses until the property was sold in 1980.
From 1982-1988, the school was used intermittently as a mission of the Church
of the Nazarene, and then from 1988 until 1992 as a warehouse by S/S Builders,
which planned a business expansion that included relocating to the former school
building. NPS acquired the property in 1992 following Congressional
authorization of the NHS.

The neighborhood around the Monroe School gradually evolved during the
second half of the twentieth century in response to changing social and economic
conditions. These changes were similar to and related to changes in similar urban
neighborhoods throughout Kansas and the nation. Vehicular traffic increased as
pedestrian activity decreased. Home ownership declined as older residents died
or families left the neighborhood for newer areas. There was a corresponding
decline in residential use and in overall maintenance although many homes and
yards continued to receive careful attention. The decline of railroad transportation
brought about changes in the types of commercial and industrial uses that were
present on parcels adjacent to the railroad lines bisecting the neighborhood.

*' Cushinberry Park files, City of Topeka, Department of Parks and Recreation, Topeka, Kansas.

* Monroe Elementary School File, Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District 501 Administrative Headquarters,
Topeka, Kansas.

% Monroe Elementary School File, Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District 501 Administrative Headquarters,
Topeka, Kansas.

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_ alley

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G ooo

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Quincy Servet

15th Serect

2
=

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PERLREENG

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Rehabilitate streets, sidewalks a

Add Historic Area entry sign

within zone to period of signifi¢

4 15th Street

railroad aligni

IMONROE
SCHOOL

Return to ops
overflow pa

CT.

Konvoe Street ge

ents

in space/

r
Retain visual évidence of

Improve park
signing

Discontinue vehicular traffic on
Jefferson Street through Cushinbe!

Re retain paved surface.

ve valunteel s along \ \
road ri OF - AA

North

EXHIBIT 10

CUSHINBERRY PARK/ OPEN SPACE ZONE
DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN

Brown v. Boarp or EpucaTion
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
«March 1999
Yor (20608 eye? farcl



Infill vacant lots with new
residences of similar setback,
scale and material to the
period of significance

historic structures and
encourage owner-occupancy

Provide incentives to retain i [

_ 7 /
Provide incenti es for rehabilitation’ o!
veered to period of ii

U

“Monroe Street

ONROE
SCHOOL

CUSHINBERRY
PARK

ii
eets, sidewal ks and curb

Rehabilitate 1.
he period of significance

within zone to t

North

EXHIBIT 7

! WEST RESIDENTIAL ZONE
i DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN

STRUCTURE KEY:

bh Existing Structures
; Brown v. Boarp of EpucatTion
HR Potential Infill Seructures NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

ler. ing properties fronting 17th Street,
inning at Kansas Avenue to the NHS

Add Historic Area Entry Sign at the intersection of
Kansas Avenue and 17th Street

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
March 1999

Ye 220008 Ayer



Design Guidelines * 3-49

Signs for Residential Buildings Adapted for Commercial Uses

+ Signs should be understated to avoid detracting from the overall residential
character of the neighborhood.

+ Attach hanging signs from the porch roof or lintel, parallel to the front of the
building, or hung from a bracket perpendicular to the face of the building or a
porch post. Hanging signs should not be located higher than the top of the
porch.

* Hanging signs and low freestanding signs should be horizontal in layout.
Signs hung over porch stairs or entrances should have a minimum clearance of
approximately seven-and-a-half feet.

+ Locate signs in the front yard when the building is set more than fifty feet
from the sidewalk, with the sign panel either parallel or perpendicular to the
street. In most cases, a low, freestanding sign is the most appropriate type.

* Do not obscure or damage significant building elements, such as windows,
cornices, or decorative details, when locating signs.

Lighting
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS except where discussed below.

Exterior Business Lighting

+ Landscape lighting may be used to illuminate freestanding signs; conceal the
light source of any spot or floodlights.

+ Locate new light fixtures and associated wiring in an inconspicuous manner
that does not obscure or damage important materials or features of a
building’s facade.

* Provide adequate lighting to side or rear entrances for safety and security.
Avoid the use of high-intensity security lighting unless these areas are not
visible from the street.

Sign Illumination

+ Use lighting for signs only if the business is open during evening or nighttime
hours.

* Choose modest light fixtures to light signs. Install the fixtures and their
associated wiring inconspicuously to avoid detracting from the daytime
appearance of a building.

+ Avoid the use of plastic internally illuminated signs.

+ Avoid the use flashing or moving lights on signs.

* For businesses with only daytime hours, an illuminated storefront window
generally provides sufficient nighttime identification.

+ Keep lighting fixtures required for the nighttime illumination of signs
residential in scale and character.

* Limit lighting to the interior of display windows for most commercial uses.


000000 HHOHOHHOHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHOHOHOHHOHOEOO |

(CUSHINBERRY PARK AND ADJACENT OPEN SPACE GUIDELINES (EXHIBIT 10)

Cushinberry Park can play an important role in the life of the NHS
neighborhood for both Topeka residents and NHS visitors. The park appears to
possess integrity for its 1922 (as revised in 1940) landscape plan and is a good
candidate for landscape rehabilitation using that pian as the basis in making
treatment decisions. The park has considerable potential—as the NHS
neighborhood’s major open space—to meet a number of passive recreational
needs while continuing to serve as the location for special events. Upgrading the
park and the areas adjacent will enhance the NHS environs and contribute to the
enjoyment of the visitor experience (Exhibits 31 and 32).

Land Use

+ Retain a continuous open space east of the Monroe School from its former ball
field to Cushinberry Park. Accommodate and enhance passive recreation in
this open space; carefully define active and formal recreational uses so that
they complement and supplement passive and informal recreational uses, such
as picnicking, strolling, reading, and informal games such as tag, pitch and
catch. Separate active recreational uses such as basketball courts from passive
uses to avoid conflicts.

Incorporate former street and rail alignments into an open space and trail
network but continue to define the historic alignments so that they remain
identifiable; interpret abandoned circulation systems as part of the ongoing
evolution of the neighborhood, city, and region.

Continue to use Cushinberry Park as a city park but recognize its appeal and
potential use by NHS visitors.

Accommodate increased visitation through a rehabilitation that builds on the
underlying early twentieth-century design of Euclid Park but that incorporates
contemporary features necessary to meet contemporary needs.

Improve park maintenance; consider even daily maintenance during periods of
peak NHS visitation. Always schedule park clean up immediately following
special events.

Provide amenities and facilities that will make the park a convenient and
attractive place for visitors to picnic, rest, play, and visit with other visitors.
Encourage school and other groups to use the park as a convenient place to
meet, to receive site orientation, or to conduct educational and interpretive
activities that require a large outdoor space.

Take advantage of the park to provide a large, open area that has the flexibility
to accommodate a number of large groups at the same time. Since it is
anticipated that large groups may need to be accommodated in the park while
waiting for scheduled NHS evenis, it is unlikely that the city could
realistically provide enough play equipment to meet the short-term
recreational desires of large groups.

* Continue to use the park as a place for special events.

* Delineate appropriate locations for portable rest rooms during special events.

* Develop both family and group picnic areas.

.

Design Guidelines 3-53
|
|
|
|


SPOOHOHOHSESHSHOHOHHHHOHOHHHHOHOHHHHOHHOHHHOHOHOOHOOOOOS

Brown v. Board of Education
National Historic Site * Topeka,Kansas

Midwest Regional Office
National Park Service

United States Department of the Interior

April, 2000

Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Quinn/Evans Architects
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Recommended
Chief, Cultural Resource:
Midwest Regional/Dffi

Concurred Abi

Superintendent, Bretvn v. Board of Education
National Historic Site NA: VL
Approved lett Ws l

Regional Director, Midwest Regional Office

Land and Community Associates
Charlottesville, Virginia

Dae 2b fit O
Date; Gevwe Depp _

Date: 6 g [0



Design Guidelines © 3-27

Shrubs

+ Retain and maintain, whenever possible, the few surviving boundary hedges
that contribute to the character of a property or the neighborhood.

+ Planting new perimeter hedges is appropriate. Shrubs are also appropriate to
mark a front entry (Exhibit 25). The use of shrubs as foundation plantings, in
central locations, or as focal points does not appear to be traditional for this
neighborhood.

+ Discourage the use of foundation plantings that overwhelm a building or
increase the likelihood of building deterioration as they grow to mature size.

Property Line

Flowering Perennials and Annuals

+ Encourage neighborhood residents to take pride in their individual yards and to
adopt an individual rather than a uniform approach to residential plant design.
The character of the 1950s cannot be replicated but the spirit of individual
yards tended by their owners can be cultivated among current residents and
property owners. The traditional locations for flowering plants appear to have
been near the house foundation or along the perimeter of a property (Exhibit
26). Small urban vegetable gardens may be appropriate along the rear and
side boundaries of residential properties.

Property Line

Alley

a

Exhibit 25.
Appropriate
locations for
planting shrubs.

Exhibit 26.
Appropriate
locations for
perennial and
annual plantings.



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Character Defining Features * 2-51

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Map 3. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 34, 1896.


Character-Defining Features * 2-37

Most houses have sash windows; many have had aluminum storm windows
installed. Although there are some replacement windows, they generally occupy
the original locations. Most houses have replacement doors in the original entry
location, and many now have storm doors.

There are few significant rear and side additions. A few detached rear garages
and sheds survive from the period of significance; some of these may originally
have been stables. Residential structures range in condition from good-to-poor,
with fair predominating. All residential buildings appear to be structurally sound
from the exterior. The condition of auxiliary structures ranges from fair to poor.

Most individual residential yards are unfenced although there is some limited
use of wire and chain-link fencing. Remnant, unpainted, wooden post and board
fencing and low stone walls also survive along the alley (Figure 19). There are
also low concrete retaining walls. Most individual yards have grass lawns but
maintenance varies. A grass strip continues to separate the public street from
individual lawns on Quincy Street as it did historically. In places, the lawns are
interrupted by individual driveways.

To accommodate the variation in topography, stairs provide access from the
street to some Quincy Street houses; some have metal railings. The front, rear,
and side lawns are intermittently planted with deciduous trees. There is little
evidence of perennial and annual planting although some individual yards have
herbaceous material, such as roses and peonies. Some fences are covered with
trailing vines. The zone is almost completely devoid of small-scale features,
detail, and ornamentation.

Standard traffic regulatory signs and metal street identification signs are
attached to metal posts. The overhead utility lines (a combination of both single
and double strands) are attached to creosoted and pressure-treated wooden poles
that generally are located adjacent to the street right-of-way. The lighting is the
standard City of Topeka, utilitarian, cobra-head, street lighting.


3-22 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Utilities and Outdoor Storage

Numerous utilities and public services, including pipes, wires, and meters for
gas, water, electric, telephone, and cable television service, heating and cooling
equipment, fuel storage tanks, television antennae, and satellite dishes, trash
containers, and recycling bins are associated with neighborhood streets,
residences, and businesses. Wooden utility poles and overhead wires existed
during the period of significance, but their exact locations are not known. Some
individual residences had telephone service, for example, while others did not.
To evoke the character of the 1950s when overhead utility lines were present, it is
desirable to replace the existing poles and overhead lines with similar materials of
similar scale when replacement is necessary. If increased lines are necessary, but
are likely to change the neighborhood’s visual character, consideration should be
given to underground installations. Over-embellishing the neighborhood is
inappropriate. However, new amenities added in conjunction with development
of the NHS or with businesses related to new economic development initiatives
should be designed to enhance the character of the neighborhood. Utilities can
have a significant impact on a business property’s appearance, particularly when
located on the front facade. Even when placed on the side or rear of a building,
utilities may contribute to a cluttered appearance. Similarly, well maintained and
orderly residences and yards will enhance the experience of visitors to the NHS
neighborhood.

Street Utilities

+ Retain existing overhead utility lines.

+ Continue to use wooden utility poles; avoid metal or concrete supports.

* Consider opportunities to place new, additional utilities underground to avoid the
possibility of new aboveground installations that may be inappropriate in character.

Utilities Related to Buildings and Structures

+ If new overhead utility connections, such as electric, telephone, and cable television,
must occur at the front of a building, make sure they are neatly organized; as small
and few in number as possible, and do not hide, damage, or destroy the building’s
important characteristic features.

Locate new or replacement fuel storage tanks and other underground utilities where
they will require little or no structural alteration or potential damage to the building
served; will not damage or destroy significant plant materials or landscape features,
and can be easily but inconspicuously serviced when necessary.

+ If new meter cabinets cannot be screened, paint them the same color as the building
walls on which they are mounted.

+ Avoid installation of window air-conditioning units on the front facades of
buildings. Instead, install units in double-hung windows at the rear or side of the
building.

« Avoid creating new openings in exterior walls to accommodate air conditioners or
other heating and cooling equipment. If unavoidable, locate such openings on an
inconspicuous side or rear faces of the building without damaging or destroying
important characteristic features.

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Character Defining Features ¢ 2-9

Figure 2.

| Laura’ Coffee Shop (1947),

corner of 15th and Monroe
Streets, was a neighborhood
landmark.

Mildred P. Reid Collection,
Kansas Collection, University
of Kansas Libraries.

Figure 3.

Laura’ Coffee Shop, 15th
Street elevation and Coca
Cola sign, ca. 1947.
Mildred P Reid Collection,

Kansas Collection,

University of Kansas Libraries.


Character-Defining Features * 2-5

dwellings from Kansas Avenue south to the railroad tracks. The Topeka Bridge
and Iron Works and the Road Supply and Metal Company, a manufacturer of
corrugated iron sewer pipes, were located on the east side of Monroe Street
between 14th and 15th Streets. Apparently there were no commercial uses on
15th Street on the northeast comer of the Monroe and 15th Streets intersection.
There were, however, four frame dwellings fronting on 15th Street at the
northwest corner of Madison and 15th Streets (Map 2

The second decade of the twentieth century brought civic improvements to the
Monroe School neighborhood. City records indicate that paving plans were being
developed for streets in this neighborhood with brick paving for portions of 15th
and 17th Streets and asphaltic concrete for Monroe Street.'® By this time, the
neighborhood had acquired much of the character that it would exhibit during the
1950-1954 period of significance when neighborhood streets remained paved
with either brick or asphalt.

During the second decade of the twentieth century, the City of Topeka
acquired land east of Monroe Street for use as a city-owned park. A deed from
1917 documents transferring the land for Euclid Park from Hale and Anna M.
Ritchie to the City of Topeka for $800 following an act of condemnation.'’ The
first known landscape plan for the park, then known as Euclid Park, was
developed in 1922.'* The plan included three tennis courts in the triangle of land
between the two sets of railroad tracks (Figure /0). A former Monroe School
student and neighborhood resident recalled in an interview for the CLI that the
triangle of land opposite Monroe School was already in use as a baseball diamond
by this time.”? Through the 1920s, the Board of Education purchased other lots
south of the school to provide additional playground space for the Monroe
School.

In 1926, the Board of Education continued its expansion in the Monroe School
neighborhood with the purchase of land to construct a replacement Monroe
School south of the nineteenth-century school and an enlarged playground. The
new school was completed in 1927 and the old school demolished at that time.
The new Monroe School, which is the existing NHS structure, was designed to
occupy the center of its lot and present its primary facade and entrance to Monroe
Street. Landscape improvements such as the installation of new concrete

*5 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanbom Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. 1913.

6 Paving Proposals, City of Topeka, Files of the Engineering Division, Topeka, Kansas. Asphaltic concrete is a concrete
mixture that probably included a binder such as portland cement and asphalt as the aggregate material. The mixture of
asphalt and concrete would have been mixed, laid on the street surface, and then rolled to create a finished driving
surface.

” A copy of the deed was located in City of Topeka Department of Parks files.

'® See I, Character-Defining Features of the NHS Neighborhood, 1950-1955, below for a description of the plan for the
portion of the park now known as Cushinberry Park.

“CLI, p. 9



Exhibit 24.
Appropriate
locations for
planting shade
trees.

Vegetation

Vegetation helps to establish residential character and will be an important
design element in incorporating new and expanded uses into the neighborhood.
Existing vegetation should be maintained to the greatest extent possible. New
vegetation should be similar in size, placement, arrangement, and species to
existing vegetation. The loss of residential character over recent years as a result
of changing neighborhood demographics has been responsible for a decline in the
number and maintenance of plant materials associated with residential yards.

Trees

+ Retain existing deciduous trees in private yards and along public rights of way.

« Encourage planting of deciduous trees since there is not a strong tradition of
coniferous trees in the neighborhood. Appropriate species would include but not
necessarily be limited to hackberry, cottonwood, mulberry, silver maple, sugar
maple, black maple, pin oak, bur oak, catalpa, and honey locust. To reduce the
risk of disease transmission, avoid large groupings of single species, except
where they occurred historically.

Replace trees in-kind where possible, as trees become diseased or present
hazardous conditions.

Encourage reestablishing trees from the period of significance where the species
and locations are known.

Encourage deciduous tree plantings of traditional species to enhance
neighborhood appearance, evoke the period of significance, and moderate the
climate.

Adopt a vernacular residential attitude to planting design. The traditional
locations for shade trees include locations adjacent to the front and rear property
lines, near corners, or centered on one side of the front yard between the entry
walk and the sideyard boundary (Exhibit 24). The use of single or paired trees
appears to be more customary than larger groupings of trees.

Avoid overly complicated or elaborate planting designs that could detract from
the working-class character that was present during the period of significance.

A variety of sizes is appropriate since trees in the neighborhood would not have
been even-aged historically, but would have been of different ages and sizes.
To achieve a variety of ages and sizes, consider phasing implementation of
plantings, rather than planting all trees at one time.

.

.

Property Line



Character Defining Features * 2-17

Figure 7, Excerpt of Monroe School neighborhood, aerial photograph of Topeka, Kansas, 1954. USDA, ACS.



Retain existing decidious
trees dating from period of
significance in residential
yards.

Locate auxiliary structures
such as garages and sheds
in the rear yard near the
alley and/or rear property
ine.

Retain and mai
existing alleys.

as

(2

~<¢—_—_—____ Residential street decidious
canopy trees.

rehabil

ions. Ret

existing topographic
in and
itate existing steps,

sidewalks and walls.

i 9 Existing Sidewalk/wall

Epc
~4>- Existing Street/Curb »
i =n
Side- °
Alley iI Garage Back Yard Side Yard Front Yard walk | Mowing Strip Residential Street
kt y
Typical Residential Housing Setback
EXHIBIT 29

TYPICAL HOUSE/STREET SETBACK

SECTION VIEW
NOT TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp of EpucaTIon

NATIONAL

HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES

Yo 2/ 20008

October 1999

12477



0000S OOHHOHOOHOHHHHHHHHHOHHHHOHOOO

Bibliography © 4-1

PRIMARY SOURCES BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brau, Richard. Life Picture Sales. Time Warner, Inc. Rockefeller Center, New York, New York.

Henderson, Cheryl Brown. Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research.
Interview with Genevieve Keller. Topeka, Kansas; February 1999,

Brown Family Collection. Kansas Collection. Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Libraries. Lawrence, Kansas.

Brunett, Marquis. Interview with Genevieve P. Keller. Topeka, Kansas; February, 1999.
City of Topeka, Division of Engineering. Aerial photographs and files.

City of Topeka, Division of Parks and Recreation. Cushinberry Park (formerly Euclid Park) files.
Topeka, Kansas.

Davis, Marita. Telephone Interview with Genevieve P. Keller. Kansas City; February, 1999.

Douglas, Joe. Photograph Collection. The Kansas Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library,
University of Kansas Libraries. Lawrence, Kansas.

Needham, H. A. “Needham’s Pocket Map of the City of Topeka and Suburbs.” Topeka, Kansas. 1882.
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Washington, D.C.

Reid, Mildred P. Manuscripts Collection. Kansas Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library,
University of Kansas Libraries.

“Ritchie’s Addition to the City of Topeka.” Shawnee County Registrar of Deeds. Topeka, Kansas;
January, 1988.

Ross, Merrill. Photograph Collection. The Kansas Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library,
University of Kansas Libraries. Lawrence, Kansas.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka. The Kansas Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library,
University of Kansas Libraries. Lawrence, Kansas. 1889, 1896, and 1950.

“Schools—Public.” Clipping File. Topeka Room, Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library. Topeka,
Kansas.

“Shawnee County Schools—Clippings—General.” Kansas Collection, Center for Historical Research,
Kansas State Historical Society. Topeka, Kansas.

Monroe Elementary School Files. Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District 501, Administrative
Headquarters. Topeka, Kansas.


0000S OHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHHHHOOO

Character-Defining Features * 2-43

The spatial organization of this area can best be described as a linear
streetscape with irregular setbacks punctuated by empty parcels. The diagonal
alignment of 17th Street is a character-defining feature and has influenced site
organization and development, as has the traditional railroad alignment, which
bisects the area. This zone is not as cohesive in character as the Northern Mixed
Use Zone. Vacant land is used primarily for parking and equipment storage.

The streets in this zone are asphalt-paved with concrete and brick curbs that
provide edge definition. Some indication of the historic brick street paving is
apparent at intersections. The street condition appears to be fair-to-poor. On-
street parking is available, but there is also off-street parking in the private lots of
some businesses. The south side of 17th Street has concrete sidewalks but some
earlier remnant brick sidewalks are still apparent in places. There is no sidewalk
on the north side of 17th Street although remnants of the brick sidewalk survive in
the park along 17th Street.

The few residences in this zone are similar in design to those described for the
Western Residential Zone. They represent traditional midwestern residential
designs. One is a traditional, front gabled, two-story house while the other is a
traditional, front gabled cottage with multiple, intersecting roof gables. Both are
good examples of their types and date from the period of significance.
Commercial/industrial buildings are a mix of brick, wood, and metal clad
structures. They are generally one- and two-story buildings with a mix of flat and
barrel roofs. They are not uniform in character; most are long, deep buildings that
make a substantial footprint on their building lots. Commercial/industrial
buildings are the dominant building type in this zone, but they are generally of
undistinguished design and of no particular architectural character other than the
former fruit wholesale warehouse and the one quonset hut. The former
warehouse is a very large brick structure built at a significantly larger scale than
neighborhood residences.

There is little uniformity of entry approach for these buildings. Windows and
doors are varied in character; some have been boarded closed, and some have
several automotive bays with metal garage doors. Exterior colors are varied with
traditional colors and brick predominating; paint colors include white, beige,
brown, grey, and green. Some structures have expanded to the rear and side.
Demolition has occurred to make way for newer structures and parking. There
are some outdoor storage areas behind chain link fences but trash containers and
dumpsters are not visually apparent. Wooden poles with overhead wires extend
down the commercial side of 17th Street, and there is utilitarian, aluminum cobra
head lighting on wooden poles.



A ooo

ai Rehabilitate street, alley and curbs within
| zone to the period of significance

||

Madison Street

<9 FI5th Srrect

“Street parking,
itor drop-off area for NHS

CUSHINBERRY
PARK

Oo

North

EXHIBIT 6

NHS ZONE
DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN

a Brown v. Boarp or EpucaTion
~ NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
March 1999

Hor / 22008 Brv



| B2OO0OHOHHHHHHOHHHHHHHHOHHOHHHHHHHHOHHOOHOHESE

Character Defining Features * 2-61

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Character-Defining Features * 2-11

warehouse. Apparently, there was a “steady stream of truck traffic” to and from
the warehouse. The traffic appears to have been heavy enough to have deterred
the Monroe School students from using the southern part of the playing field
because trucks often parked on Monroe Street while stopped at the warehouse.*

The wholesale plumbing supply company that now occupies the entire
northeast corner of Monroe Street at the 15th Street intersection occupied only the
fourth lot east of the intersection during this period.*? Monroe Street north of the
plumbing supply lot to 14th Street was entirely industrial in character during this
period. North of the plumbing supply were another planing mill, a coal yard, and
a sheet metal establishment. East of these businesses and across the tracks, but
accessible by automobile from 15th Street on a pipestem lot, was a petroleum
company. The 1950 Sanborn map identified the company as the Berry Oil
Company but by 1955, it had become the Philips Petroleum Company complex.
The complex in 1955 consisted of several gas and oil tanks as well as three
structures, one of which was an office which had been built after 1950, and
another an oil truck garage.

With the exception of the areas closest to the school and the railroad, however,
the neighborhood was mostly residential. Former residents and students
interviewed for this project as well as for the CLI all recalled that the area was
much more residential in character during the period of significance. Former
residents remember that most, but not all neighborhood residents, owned their
homes, took pride in their appearance, worked in their yards, and kept them in
good repair. They remember the houses on Monroe and Quincy Streets, in
particular, as “comfortable” family homes.

As it had been during the previous decades, the Monroe School remained a
focus for much of the African-American population of Topeka. Although there
were other African-American schools in Topeka, many dances and sports events
were held at Monroe. Its gymnasium and playing field were the locales for
dances and ball games that brought citizens from other parts of the city (Figure
6). In addition to the school’s baseball field east of the school on Monroe Street,
the triangular parcel of land separating the ball field from the railroad tracks was
also city-owned and designated a park on the 1954 Sanborn map.*> This ballfield
and the associated open space closest to the school and east of Monroe Street
were a major recreational area during the period of significance.

> CLI p. 23. The CLI cites an “informant” as the source of information concerning traffic in the vicinity

® Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport, Connecticut,
Sheet 70, 1954

* Sanbom Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 84, 1950 and Sheet 305, 1955.

* Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc., Southport,
Connecticut, Sheet 102, 1954, The 1954 Sanborn map covered a portion of Topeka; another portion was covered in
1955. In order to document and analyze the area of the current NHS included by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of
Topeka, it is necessary to use maps from both years.



Design Guidelines + 3-15

Use plantings to reduce impact of
new parking areas.

Avoid use of paving materials
adjacent to building edges. —

Exhibit 14,
Sidewalk Incorporating
Avoid developing parking Parking into” ;
— areas in front and side yards. — Existing Residential
c Areas.

+ Explore opportunities to share off-street parking between two or more
businesses. Shared parking can reduce the overall size of a parking area
(Exhibit 15).

* Provide hard-surfaced paving such as asphalt or concrete, sloped to provide
proper drainage, for all parking lots.

* Retain any mature trees on lots to be developed for off-street parking. They
contribute to historic character, provide visual interest, reduce the visual
impact of parking lots, and moderate the effects of climatic conditions.

* Avoid development of a single large expanse of off-street parking. Reduce the
scale of a parking lot by providing smaller parking areas that rely on using
plant materials to distinguish between the lot’s vehicular and pedestrian
circulation patterns. Provide several smaller areas of parking rather than



1-4 » Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines a

Regional Context

Scale: 1" = 180 mites

° 90 3300 =2N

‘BROWN. V.BOARD’ OF EDUCATION ‘NHS.

Site Location- Topeka, KS

Seale: 1" = 1 mile (approximate)
avon
6 T mile 2miles N

EXFUBIT i
SITE CONTEXT AND LOCATION

Brown v. Boarp of EpucaTion
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
March 1999

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2-62 © Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Map 14. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 102, 1955.



3-4 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

CONCEPT PLAN

The guidelines have been developed to respond to general development trends
and needs that are anticipated for the NHS neighborhood. They are divided into
guidelines that address the entire NHS neighborhood and those that address each
specific character zone. The guidelines are based on preserving the diverse
mixed-use character of the neighborhood in the 1950s. The guidelines are not
intended to embellish or enhance the environment of the 1950s nor to create a
false historical impression of the neighborhood as something it was not. Instead
they have been developed to guide rehabilitation and new construction that will
meet the needs of the neighborhood in the twenty-first century as a major visitor
destination. The guidelines have been developed to encourage retention of
significant physical characteristics from the 1950s while allowing for desirable
and necessary changes that will support the NHS and the needs of the
neighborhood and the city for enhancement, housing improvement, and economic
development.

The Neighborhood Design/Development Concept (Exhibits 5-10)

The design/development concept plan (Exhibit 5; Exhibits 6-10 occur later in
the chapter with the detailed guidelines for each zone) presented in these
guidelines is based on an overall recommended NHS neighborhood treatment
approach of rehabilitation. The design concept, which addresses circulation
concerms within the NHS Zone (Exhibit 6), includes using the 15th Street corridor
as the major east-west entrance to the site. It also includes developing a visitor
arrival/parking area on vacant land north of the NHS in the Northern Mixed Use
Zone (Exhibit 8). There are also recommendations for rehabilitation of residential
structures from the period of significance and infill residential development that
would be compatible with the traditional design character of the neighborhood in
the West Residential Zone (Exhibit 7). The design concept also calls for
consideration of adaptive use of existing commercial/industrial structures to meet
visitor needs for goods and services in the Northern Mixed Use Zone. In addition
to residential and commercial uses, other appropriate and compatible uses might
include other museums, educational facilities, and other uses related to cultural
history, social change, civil rights, education, the 1950s, and other themes that
complement the story and mission of the NHS. Another recommendation
includes consideration of the feasibility of redeveloping the eastern end of the
neighborhood for hotel/restaurant uses to provide an eastern anchor for the
neighborhood and to take advantage of the Southern Mixed Use Zone’s
convenient access to a major vehicular approach to the NHS (Exhibit 9). The
concept plan is also based on a rehabilitation of Cushinberry Park in the spirit of
its 1940-landscape plan to provide a central amenity area within the NHS
neighborhood (Exhibit 10).



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Exhibit 13. Predominant setbacks and streetscape rhythm .........ccccecsesssteeseeesesescseseeeeteee 3-11
Exhibit 14. Incorporating parking into existing residential areas..........0..ccccccseseeessseeeeeeeeee 3-15
Exhibit 15. Shared parking opportunities

Exhibit 16. Appropriate signs for residences adapted for commercial USES ..........:.cccseseeeees 3-19
Exhibit 17. Appropriate locations for signs on commercial buildings... cesses 3-19
Exhibit 18. Compatible and appropriate lighting for commercial buildings and

ATCAS ooo ccc ceccsteescesesescseaseneasattsecssnesenesesesesesesnencneassessassegesesesnsesssnseeatecsnscseeaseesseneeesenseeates 3-20
Exhibit 19. Wooden picket fences for front yards.........cceccsscescsseeestsneessssseecesesenensseasnees 3-23
Exhibit 20. Wooden post and board fences for side and rear yards........0...0:cccseseseeeeeeeenene S223
Exhibit 21. Post and wire fences for side and rear yards.........0.csccsseecssssserseeseeesenseteneeeeeeeee 3-24
Exhibit 22. Concrete and stone retaining Walls..........c.cceseessetesecesseestseesesseseateneeecseeneeenees 3-25
Exhibit 23. Traditional stone wall character and application—Section..........cccccsseeeeeneeees 3-25
Exhibit 24. Appropriate locations for planting shade trees... ccsecesseeetetseeeeeeeneeeeeenes 3-26
Exhibit 25. Appropriate locations for planting SHTUDS...............:ccssesssesssecescsesesesenesencsteesvens S227
Exhibit 26. Appropriate locations for perennial and annual plantingS.............0cescceeeeeeeeees 3-27
Exhibit 27. Traditional residential small-scale landscape features............... 3-29
Exhibit 28. Preservation of residential character and appropriate infill

redevelopment—Elevation ............c.:ccccscccccesseseseetesesescseecseasseseeesscaeesseecseecseseseesesaneneseaseres 3-37
Exhibit 29. Typical Street/House/Alley Section .

Exhibit 30. Adaptive use of commercial buildings—Elevation...........:.cccccceseeseereeseteeteneeeeee 3-45
Exhibit 31. Cushinberry Park and Adjacent Area Enhancements .............c0cccccssseecseseeteeees 3-59
Exhibit 32. Cushinberry Park Entrance Enhancements—Sectior



3-32 ¢ Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

WEST RESIDENTIAL ZONE GUIDELINES (EXHIBIT 7)

Land Use

Residential Use

* Make every effort to keep this zone as a core residential area evocative of the
period of significance, particularly on Quincy, 15th, and 17th Streets.
Encourage rehabilitation of the existing housing stock and the development of
new infill residential housing opportunities on traditional city lots (Exhibit
28).

+ Discourage encroachment of commercial and industrial uses; only consider
commercial uses if the demand for such services cannot be met in the
Northern and Southern Mixed Use Zones.

+ Encourage and offer incentives for continued and expanded residential uses.

+ Retain single family character even if multiple family uses are accommodated.

+ If residential uses become unfeasible or there is an increased demand for
NHS-related commercial services that cannot be met within the two existing
commercial/industrial zones, adapt existing residential structures for
commercial use without sacrificing a residential-type appearance.

Spatial Organization

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

* Retain and strengthen the characteristic spatial arrangement of public and
private spaces that extend from public street through front and rear yards to
the public alley (Exhibit 29).

Vehicular Circulation

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.
* Retain the existing alley to the rear of the Monroe Schoo! to provide vehicular
access to the rear of the NHS and Quincy Street structures.
+ Retain and repair existing concrete pavement of this alley.
+ Keep the alley free from encroaching vegetation.
Parking

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.
Signs

* See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.
Lighting

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Utilities and Outdoor Storage
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.



3-2 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

opportunities. Given its current minimal neighborhood use, it has the potential to
be rehabilitated to complement NPS use of the Monroe School and its site.

Issues

According to the GMP, there is concern over the potential for the complete
loss of the context of the Monroe School through neglect and loss of historic
features and neighborhood fabric. Although there is unanimous agreement that
the Monroe School should be the anchor of revitalization for the immediate area,
there is disparity in the opinions as to the best use for the property surrounding the
school. The neighborhood continues to be seen as an awkward space created by
the juxtaposition of two street grid orientations. It is also located in a low, wet
area. Although it is close to downtown and two nearby streets serve as commuter
corridors; it is not considered a particularly desirable location for either
commercial or residential occupancy at the present time. The opening to the
public of the NHS, however, is expected to make the area more desirable for
adaptive use and new development. The greatest challenge for the NPS and the
City of Topeka is to retain the urban context around the site.!

A stated visitor experience goal of the GMP is for visitors to “visit and
understand the significance of other sites associated with the site story, including
areas of the neighborhood surrounding Monroe School...”” Another goal is for
visitors to “understand and visualize the settings associated with the decision,
including the disparities in communities and schools ... that constitute the Brown
decision, and the appearance of Topeka (especially the neighborhoods around
Monroe and Sumner Schools) around 1950.* There is also a stated goal for
visitors to have a “safe, beneficial, and enjoyable visit.’ According to the GMP,
the school should impart a “sense of place and a feeling for the original school
and its place in the community.” Just as the school and its grounds will not be
restored but will be rehabilitated, the decision seems to be apparent that a similar
attitude is appropriate for the neighborhood. The neighborhood can continue to
evolve and change with the opening of the NHS without either over-
memorialization or complete replacement of all that survives from the 1940s and
1950s. Such an approach does not preclude neighborhood enhancement if it is not
intended to portray a false sense of the neighborhood’s appearance during the
period of significance.

Neighborhood Treatment Approach

The most feasible treatment approach for the Monroe School neighborhood is
rehabilitation. While it is certainly desirable for the neighborhood to retain some
of the physical characteristics it possessed during the early 1950s, for several
reasons it is neither desirable nor feasible to consider a restoration approach for

. GMP, p. 38.
? GMP, p. 15.
> GMP, p. 15.
“GMP, p. 15.
5 GMP, p. 18.


3-28 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

+ Develop strategies and incentives such as planting days, flower shows, awards
for improvement, and seasonal plantings and decorating that will foster
neighborhood spirit and make the neighborhood a source of pride for its
residents and all of Topeka.

Encourage plantings of traditional perennials and annuals that will evoke the
kinds of flowering plants recalled by former residents. These include but are
not necessarily limited to forsythia, peonies, lilac, and roses.

Groundcover
+ Retain grass lawns as the dominant ground cover. Discourage paving lawns or
planting in non-traditional or specialty species.

Small-scale Features

These guidelines are not intended to infringe upon residents’ rights to place
personal items in their yards. Although there are few surviving small-scale
features from the period of significance, it would be appropriate for residents and
businesses to add small-scale features, especially those that are not attention-
grabbing. Even functional elements, such as hardware, light fixtures, and street
numbers, which often help reinforce architectural character, are straightforward
and utilitarian in most cases as would be expected in a modest, working-class
neighborhood. The use of wooden trellises, lattice work flower beds, wooden
benches, and metal outdoor furnishings evocative of the 1950s would be
appropriate for both private residences and commercial enterprises relocating in
formerly residential buildings.

+ Encourage the use of painted or applied numerals rather than words to display
a building’s street address on buildings and on mailboxes.

+ Also consider small, but uniform, markers for buildings that existed during the
period of significance to identify historic buildings and promote their
preservation. In locating markers (perhaps derived from the relief “M” which
is an architectural detail of the school-see divider pages), avoid obscuring,
damaging, or destroying building’s architectural features. Markers mounted
unobtrusively on fences may be appropriate. Make sure any mounting
brackets or other hardware will not damage the structure or materials of the
facade.

* Encourage the use of wooden and metal outdoor furnishings, rather than
plastic and other materials unavailable in the early 1950s (Exhibit 27).

* Leave individual lawn ornamentation to residents to express their own tastes
and interests, but discourage excessive displays, other than temporary
seasonal displays.



Design Guidelines + 3-13

street in front of it or with an adjacent parking area. Curvilinear walks are not
traditional.

» Encourage construction of new walks in width similar to that of existing
walks.

* Encourage use of appropriate paving materials, such as finished concrete,
brick, and flagstone.

+ Avoid locating walks close to large trees with roots that may displace paving
materials.

Informal Paths

+ To increase the casual, everyday feeling of a neighborhood, allow informal,
undeveloped, earthen paths to develop naturally unless they present hazards.

Parking

The visual impact of parking in the neighborhood can be significant.
Traditionally, on-street parking spaces, driveways, and private garages provided
adequate parking for adjacent single-family residences. This decentralized pattern
still persists. As new non-neighborhood-related commercial uses have located
into the neighborhood, larger off-street parking lots have developed. These new
lots are inconsistent with the character of the neighborhood in the 1950s. The
parking necessary for buses visiting the NHS, any new businesses, or multi-
family residential uses can be expected to have an even greater visual impact on
the residential character of the neighborhood. Development of off-street parking,
however, is critical to the success and aesthetic quality of the NHS, the
neighborhood, and economic development initiatives. Careful planning and
design of parking areas can help protect the character of the neighborhood in the
1950s.

Residential Parking

+ Continue on-street parking on all streets (except Monroe Street in front of
NHS) to impart the informal character of a 1940s~1950s neighborhood unless
congestion becomes a problem with increased visitation.

+ Consider permit parking for residents if conflicts arise between residents and
visitors.

* Keep on-street parking undefined without lining individual spaces, installing
meters, or any other visible regulation.

¢ Work with the City of Topeka to grant variances on driveway standards as
necessary to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood.

+ Avoid locating parking areas in front yards.

* Use alleys for access to rear yard parking whenever possible.

+ Discourage development of new residential driveways. If they are essential,
encourage development to the side and rear of the residence. Accommodate
no more than two cars in length where rear parking is not feasible.

¢ Encourage driveways to be as narrow in width as possible to reduce their
visual impact. Consider use of two-track, concrete paving strips for


©0000 HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTHHHHHHHHOOHHHOOOO

Character-Defining Features * 2-45

Cushinberry Park and Adjacent Open Space Zone

This zone includes Cushinberry Park (originally named Euclid Park) and the
triangular piece of land immediately east of the Monroe School ball field area. In
total, it includes the park and the private parcels between the two railroad
alignments, as well as the railroad alignments.

It appears that the two parcels comprising the triangular piece of land formed
by the two intersecting railroad alignments and 15th and 17th Streets historically
were of similar elevation to the park. It is likely that after the railroad rights of
way were built up at a higher elevation to be above any possible flooding, that this
triangle of land was filled to make its elevation similar to the elevation of the
railroad alignments. There is still a drainage swail that is a remnant of the
intermittent spring passing under 15th Street as a culvert and through the park and
into a culvert under the former railroad tracks. Historically a tributary of
Shunganunga Creek, the creek emerges as a swail meandering through the
western portion of park until it passes into a culvert under the western boundary
of the park at the rail line.

With the abandonment of the historic Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe railroad
line through the neighborhood, there is a more connection between the Monroe
School former ball field and this parcel. They appear as one large rectangular
parcel rather than as the two diagonal parcels they are in actuality. The spatial
organization of this open space derives from its location at the juxtaposition of the
two urban grids. This open space is the visual center of the neighborhood along
with the Monroe School property

Cushinberry Park has a children’s playground area, basketball courts, a
multipurpose paved area, and an outdoor theater (one of three in the city), as well
as a number of areas for passive recreation. According to City of Topeka Park
and Recreation officials, the park is not used extensively. Special events,
however, including political rallies, AJDS awareness programs, and musical
events are sometimes held in the park.

Jefferson Street extends through the park, dividing it in two (Figure 24). In
addition to providing a safety concern and posing potential vehicular/pedestrian
conflicts, it is not aligned with Madison Street on the north. Currently, there is
pull-in off-street parking on Jefferson Street adjacent to the park. There is no
defined parking within or adjacent to the park except this on-street parking. There
does not appear to have been an external sidewalk system historically although
there are worn paths on both sides where people have walked. A brick walkway
extends diagonally from the northwest portion of the park near the drain culvert to
the southwest intersecting with Jefferson Street; there are other walk remnants
within the park as well. The southern portion of the privately owned triangle is


Character Defining Features * 2-4]

Figure 20.

Commercial and industrial
uses dominate land use in the
Northern Mixed Use Zone.
LCA, 1998.

Figure 21.

The Armco building is one
of the neighborhood's

most architecturally distinct
buildings. LCA, 1998.


INTRODUCTION

The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (NHS) is located in a
mixed-use neighborhood south of the Topeka Central Business District (CBD).
This neighborhood is defined as the area contiguous with the traditional visual
and geographic boundaries of the Monroe School (Figure 1), which is located at
the intersection of 15th and Monroe Streets. An urban neighborhood with little
natural physiography evident, the NHS is located in a relatively low-lying area
near the south branch of the Shunganunga Creek, which is several blocks east.
The neighborhood surrounding the school has been in decline in recent years.
Residential uses have been decreasing, and there are vacant buildings as well as
vacant land in the NHS neighborhood. The Kansas State Capitol is visible from
the NHS and the adjacent neighborhood.

The neighborhood extends north encompassing the buildings and land parcels
that front on 15th Street; south to encompass the buildings and land parcels that
face 17th Street; east to include the land including and between the abandoned
railroad right of way and Cushinberry Park; and west to include all land and
buildings, structures, and objects that are located between Quincy Street and the
Monroe School and visible from the school interior and the alley west of the
school (Exhibit 2). The area also includes al{ the buildings and {and parcels
adjacent to Monroe Street within the area defined above.

The GMP has identified two primary access routes to the NHS 1) the Adams
Street/Branner Trafficway exit off 1-70, south to 15th Street, and west past
Cushinberry Park to the NHS (this is the most direct route from I-70) and 2) the
10th Street exit from I-70 west through the Topeka Central Business District and
south on Kansas Avenue to 15th Street to the NHS.

OVERVIEW OF NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT, 1856-1949

The NHS Neighborhood has been associated with the African-American
history of Topeka since its earliest development. A number of African Americans
settled in the area during its initial development when John Ritchie, one of the
early settlers of Kansas and an early land speculator and developer, began to
subdivide and sell lots in the vicinity. In 1856, John Ritchie registered the area
including the present NHS site as part of a 160-acre claim that he had purchased
from Jacob Chase, one of the nine founders of Topeka. Ritchie, who farmed the
land, was a free-soil proponent and abolitionist who sold many of the small lots
he created to African-Americans in the 1860s. In 1867, Ritchie, who opposed
annexation of this area into the City of Topeka, was instrumental in having his

CHARACTER
DEFINING
FEATURES



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EXHIBIT 4
INTEGRITY ANALYSIS AND
HISTORIC VIEW DIAGRAM

Brown v. Boarp of EpucaTion
Lp Retains Integrity NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Lacks Integrity CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

Historic Views

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999



2-36 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

described as linear, urban blocks that are defined by city streets and alleys. The
streetscape has a regular residential rhythm with the original subdivision layout
still apparent although demolition has created some gaps in the streetscape. There
are a few obvious gaps in the streetscape, particularly on Quincy and Monroe
Streets where buildings have been removed. Surviving residences are set back
from the street in a typical single family, detached house, urban pattern.

The city streets in this area are paved in asphalt. In places there are remnants
of brick paving that are visible under broken asphalt. This is especially apparent
at brick intersections. There are also indications of red stone curbing. Overall,
the streets and curbs are in good-to-fair condition. The alley west of Monroe
School, which is paved in concrete, has no curb, and is accessible to vehicles. It
provides access to the rear lots and garages of the Quincy Street houses as well as
to the rear of the NHS grounds.

Sidewalks are mostly concrete although there are some remnants of brick
sidewalks. The sidewalks along the west side of Quincy Street are separated from
the street by an elevated grass strip developed as a result of the naturally
occurring topographic variation (Figure 17). Concrete steps link the street with
the sidewalk; some have metal hand railings. Sidewalks exist only on the north
side of 17th Street. The sidewalk condition is poor. Informal, unpaved paths
adjacent to the front property lines occur along the south side of 17th Street where
a traditional sidewalk alignment would normally occur.

Residences in this zone are modest, early twentieth-century, dwellings. There
are several bungalows; most residences are simple, vernacular or standard/
popular building forms (Figure 18). Most residences have little ornamentation
and few distinctive characteristics; they are low in scale with a fairly uniform
setback. Structures are predominantly one-and-a-half-stories in height with some
one- and some two-story houses. The predominant roof type is the simple gable.
There are some roofs with intersecting gables, and a few houses have gabled
dormers. Roof materials are primarily asphalt shingles; some roofs are covered
with rolled asphalt. There are a variety of roof colors. The wall surface material
is primarily wooden siding. There has been some use of substitute aluminum
cladding over wooden siding, and some use of asphalt shingles. White is the
predominant color for the exterior wall surfaces of houses; yellow and near white
paint colors are also used. Dark green, brown, and white are popular paint trim
colors for windows and doors.

Porches are a predominant residential design characteristic of 17th and Quincy
Streets, and are major character-defining features. Although most porches are
attached gable-roofed porches, a few porches are engaged under the main roof of
the house. Most porches retain their original wooden railings and posts, but some
have substitute metal railings and posts. A few porches have been made
handicapped-accessible through the addition of wooden ramps.



Design Guidelines » 3-1

INTRODUCTION

These design guidelines have been developed to provide a planning and design
framework for future development in the NHS neighborhood. Since the school’s
front door has been identified as the primary entrance to the NHS, the Monroe
School and the neighborhood have a mutually reciprocal relationship—both
visually and in actual experience. Changes in one will affect the other, both
directly and indirectly. The NHS neighborhood is critical to the understanding of
the Monroe School. It has interpretive potential, and is related to the period of
significance of the Monroe School.

NPS administrators have suggested that the “magic of the place [the NHS and
its neighborhood] is the “common ground of a school.” The public elementary
school is part of the collective, shared experience in American history. The role
of the Monroe School in both the history of education and the history of civil
rights in the United States is related to the social history of neighborhoods.
African-American public elementary school students in Topeka prior to the
Supreme Court decision of 1954 were barred on the basis of race from attending
schools in their own neighborhoods or in neighborhoods that were closer to their
homes. Maintaining a setting that is similar to or evocative of the 1950s enhances
the credibility of the Monroe School as a “real place” that was once an integral
part of the everyday lives of many Topeka families. At the same time, however, it
would be inappropriate to attempt to actually turn the clock back to the 1950s by
physically recreating the neighborhood scene of that era.

The Brown vs. the Board of Education decision marked a turning point in
American history and symbolized one of the most dramatic social changes ever to
occur in the nation’s history. Throughout the Unites States there were varied
social, cultural, and physical responses to that change. The Supreme Court
decision was about change; the neighborhood should reflect the changes that have
occurred within its own boundaries just as the stories of desegregation, school
closure, and economic and societal change have influenced its land use and
physical character.

The NPS opening of the Monroe School to the public is expected to be a
stimulus for neighborhood revitalization and to provide opportunities for
economic development. This revitalization, however, to be compatible with NPS
goals needs to be based on maintaining the underlying physical character and
texture of the neighborhood and its interrelationship-both physical and
cultural-with the Monroe School.

The visitation associated with the NHS also will provide a focus for
revitalization not only of the declining urban neighborhood but also for
Cushinberry Park. Currently underutilized as a result of the neighborhood’s aging
population, the park can provide additional open space and recreational

DESIGN
GUIDELINES


BIBLIOGRAPHY

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1-8 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

METHODOLOGY AND PROJECT STAFF

The methodology used for this CLR has been based on a multidisciplinary
approach that combined documentary, map, onsite landscape analysis, oral
interviews, and other research with field investigations. Existing conditions have
been compared with those known to have been present during the period of
significance. In some instances where there has been scant available historic
documentation concerning the 1950—1955 period, informed evaluations have been
presented regarding the probable physical character or use of an area during the
period of significance. Such evaluations have been made using both extant visual
clues and professional knowledge of design, construction, and land use practices
believed to have been represented during the period of significance.

The guidelines address the neighborhood from both an interpretive and a
resource standpoint and take into account local goals for neighborhood
revitalization in keeping with current NPS plans to regard the neighborhood as a
complementary element of the the actual NHS site.

The LCA team has met with NHS staff to gain insight regarding the site and
to generate specific questions to direct subsequent research and fieldwork as well
as development of both the narrative and illustrative guidelines. Tyrone
Brandyburg of the NHS directed the initial efforts to make appropriate contacts
with officials and staff of the City of Topeka. As a result, the team has
interviewed representatives of the City of Topeka Department of Parks and
Recreation, Department of Engineering, the Office of the Mayor, and other public
and private sector representatives involved in planning current downtown
development and revitalization projects related to the NHS neighborhood.
Historical research commenced with collections located at the Kansas Historical
Society in Topeka and the University of Kansas. Deborah Dandridge and Kristin
Eschelman of the University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Reseach Library have
been knowledgeable and helpful concerning the various collections donated to
and collected by the library and provided names of potential contacts. Cheryl
Brown Henderson of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence,
and Research was helpful in identifying former residents who were
knowledgeable about the neighborhood and school. Few people who lived in the
neighborhood during the early 1950s have been able to remember details about
the character of the landscape; similarly only a few photographs of that time
period have been located to date. Attempts also were made to contact former
residents and students who had provided historical information used in the
Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI). One individual has died since that time and
others have moved. At this point, an oral history has proved more successful than
requests for photographs. Two former residents who agreed to look through
family photographs have been unable to provide images that reveal information
about the landscape.

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4-2 Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

U.S. Department of Agriculture, American Soil Conservation Service. Aerial photographs of Topeka,
Kansas.

Whitson, Mose J. Clipping Scrapbook. Manuscript Collections, Center for Historical Research, Kansas
State Historical Society. Topeka, Kansas.

SECONDARY SOURCES

Fitzgerald, Daniel, ed. John Ritchie: Portrait of An Uncommon Man. Shawnee County Historical
Society, Bulletin No. 68. Topeka, Kansas; November, 1991.

Franklin Weekley, Rachel. “A Strong Pull, and a Pull Altogether” Topeka’s Contribution to the
Campaign for School Desegregation, Historic Resource Study. Brown v. Boatd of Education
National Historic Site, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Topeka,
Kansas; July, 1999.

Kluger, Richard. A Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America’s
Struggle for Equality. New York: Vintage Books; 1975.

McClelland, Linda Flint, J. Timothy Keller, Genevieve P. Keller, and Robert Z. Melnick. “National
Register Bulletin 30: Guidelines for Documenting Rural Historic Landscapes.” Washington, D.C.:
National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, Interagency Resources Branch, U.S.
Government Printing Office.

Municipal Code Corporation. “City of Topeka and Shawnee County, Kansas Joint
Ordinances/Resolutions.” 1994.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka. The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources,
~ Inc., Southport, Connecticut. 1889, 1896, 1913, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968.

United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Midwest Region. Cultural Landscapes
Inventory (CLI) Level I & Determination of Eligibility for Brown v. Board of Education National
Historic Site, Topeka, Kansas. July, 1995.

United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. “Monroe Elementary School.” Historic
American Building Survey No. KS-67. 1993.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. “General Management Plan, Development
Concept Plan, Interpretation and Visitor Experience Plan” for Brown v. Board of Education National
Historic Site. August, 1996.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. “Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural
Landscapes.” Washington, D. C.; 1996.

Urban, Steve. “Grant Cushinberry—Never too Busy to Help.” Topeka Magazine 4, no. 4 (May, 1977).
Pp. 37-39.

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2-40 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

apparent and separates the two open vacant blocks. This alley, which is parallel
to 15th Street, is paved in asphalt.

There is on-street, parallel parking as well as private off-street parking. Large
parking areas are associated with some commercial and industrial structures;
concentrations of tractor-trailers associated with the plumbing supply company
are parked in the lot adjacent to the 14th and Monroe Street intersection. The
historic railroad alignments are still apparent and still bisect the area although
they are no longer used. Plans are being considered for adaptive use and rail to
trail conversion as part of a pedestrian trail system through Topeka. There is
irregular maintenance; some sections of track have been removed. Concrete
sidewalk remnants survive near the vacant lots and adjacent to surviving
residences. A portion of brick sidewalk still exists on the north side of 15th Street
adjacent to the plumbing supply company. Generally, there are no sidewalks
adjacent to commercial/industrial buildings.

The architectural character of the area is dominated by the juxtaposition of the
few surviving, small residential buildings with larger commercial/industrial
buildings. The plumbing supply building, for example, is a very large brick
structure built at a significantly larger scale than neighborhood residences. The
plumbing supply company, has become particularly dominant through expansion
and site development. Located at the northeast corner of the intersection of
Monroe and 15th Streets, it has interrupted the firm edge of the street and this
block by deviating from the customary curb/sidewalk configuration, especially
along 15th Street where there is an extreme setback.

Residential construction in this zone is similar in design character to the
Northern Mixed Use Zone. The existing commercial/industrial buildings are a
mix of brick and wood-clad structures. They are not uniform in character, except
most present their narrowest facades and principal facades to 15th Street. Most
are long, deep buildings with a substantial footprint on their building lots. The
older buildings that were present during the period of significance tend to have
clearly defined front facades while newer buildings do not. There are still
surviving loading docks on buildings adjacent to the railroad tracks but they have
been adapted for vehicular use. Buildings range in height from one- to two-
stories. The tallest buildings in the neighborhood are located in this zone. Roof
types are a mix of gable, flat, and shed roofs with asphalt shingle, rolled roofing,
or standing seam metal Roofs are dominant features of most commercial
buildings. Exterior materials for commercial/industrial structures are a mix of
brick, rusticated concrete block, and wood clad sidings. The large brick Armco
building with the Dutch-stepped facade is the neighborhood’s most architecturally
distinct and dominant commercial/industrial building (Figure 21).

In general, the commercial/industrial buildings have little uniformity in their
entry approaches. Some have wood or metal awnings at entries.
Commercial/industrial windows and doors are varied in character with little



List of Figures, Maps, and Exhibits

Figures

Figure 1. The Monroe School, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic
Site, Topeka, Kansas. LCA, 1998 .. ceseteeneneneaeeeaneas

Figure 2. Laura’s Coffee Shop, 1947. Mildred P. Reid Collection. Kansas
Collection, University of Kansas Libraries .. seca cesseaseeatecteessesesescussesssessessens DQ

Figure 3. Laura’s Coffee Shop, 15" Street elevation and Coca Cola sign, ca.
1947. Mildred P, Reid Collection. Kansas Collection, University of Kansas
Libraries

Figure 4. Laura’s Coffee Shop with rear mobile unit and Coca Cola sign, ca.
1947. Mildred P. Reid Collection. Kansas ss Collection, University of of Kansas
Libraries ... sreseeeeeee seeseeestereresteeetees 2710

Figure 5. Laura Jackson Moultry and her sister Katie Jackson James at the
counter of Laura’s Coffee Shop, 1947. Mildred P. Reid Collection. Kansas
Collection, University of Kansas Libraries 2.2.0... ccccseessscsessneseeeeseneneeeseansensesanansesssqesatseneass 2-10

Figure 6. Topeka High School "Ramblers" basketball team in front of Monroe
School (ca. 19403). 1 Merrill Ross Collection. Kansas Collection. n. University o of

Kansas Libraries... + 2-12
Figure 7. Excerpt of Monroe School neighborhood, aerial photograph of Topeka,

Kansas, 1954. USDA, ACS .....ccccscccscesesssesseeesessnasseneeeesenenenenseassenseensenscasnesegsaaecsaaseasenerss 2-17
Figure 8. Excerpt of Monroe School | neighborhood: a aerial ial photograph o of f Topeka,

Kansas, 1960. USDA, ACS.. wee . 2-18
Figure 9. Excerpt of Monroe School 1 neighborhood), a aerial ial photograph 0 of FTopeks,

Kansas, 1991. USDA, ACS.. we sesertesereeesens 21D
Figure 10. “Euclid Park, Topeka, Kansas,” drawn by J. T. Runcimann, April 12,

1922. City of Topeka Division of Parks and Recreation files...........sscssseeseesessesrenentenneneenes 2-22
Figure 11. “Euclid Park, Topeka, Kansas,” drawn by J. T. Runcimann, April 12,

1922, revised 1934. City of Topeka Division of Parks and Recreation files...........0c1esee 2-23

Figure 12. “Euclid Park, Topeka, Kansas,” drawn by J. T. Runcimann, April 12,
1922, revised 1940. City of Topeka Division of Parks and Recreation files....

Figure 13. View to downtown Topeka and Kansas State Capitol, LCA, 1998.....

Figure 14. Linear streetscape of characteristic houses. LCA, 1998... ecsesesstesecreereneeneens 2-33



Character Defining Features ¢ 2-57

Map 9. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 82, 1950.

|
|
|


2-10 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 4.

Laura s Coffee Shop
with rear mobile unit
and Coca Cola sign,
ca. 1947. Mildred P.
Reid Collection
Kansas Collection,
University of Kansas
Libraries.

Figure 5.

Laura Jackson Moultry
(left) and her sister Katie
Jackson James at the
counter of Laura’s Coffee
Shop, 1947. Laura
Jackson Moultry was
well-known for selling
chili and candy. Mildred
P. Reid Collection.
Kansas Collection,
University of Kansas
Libraries.



|
|

Character Defining Features + 2-55

Map 7. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 84, 1913.



2-48 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 26.

Park furnishings include
circular concrete picnic
tables and benches.
LCA, 1998.

Figure 27.

The eastern terminus of
Cushinberry Park is
poorly defined and offers
few amenities.

LCA, 1998.



Character-Defining Features ¢ 2-3

pattern has persisted somewhat to the present with the more dense development
west of the railroad and a substantial amount of open space occupying land east of
the railroad. The rectangular blocks were organized on an urban grid pattern with
a 20 foot alley running north-south to provide access to the interior of each block,
and effectively dividing each block into two sections.®

John Ritchie’s death in 1887 ended objection to annexing South Topeka into
the City of Topeka. The area including the NHS neighborhood was added to the
City of Topeka as Ritchie’s Addition in 1889.° The Sanborn map for 1889 still
refers to the area as the “Ritchie Tract” (Map 2).

The limited documentation available for the late nineteenth century indicates
that the dwellings occupying the lots closest to the school were generally of
wooden construction. Houses were one- to two-stories in height, and developed
on linear lots (typically 25’ wide and 150’ long) oriented toward dedicated streets.
However, not all lots were developed at the same time.” Many residential lots
were developed with wooden stables or sheds in the rear yards. It is assumed that
the neighborhood had a somewhat rural character during the late nineteenth
century with many residents developing small gardens.'’ The 1896 Sanborn Map
shows the J. E. Rodman Greenhouse located just southwest of the NHS
neighborhood on Kansas Avenue between [7th and 18th Streets.” It is possible
that this proximity to the greenhouse may have had some influence on plant
availability for neighborhood residents but no information is available about the
types of vegetation associated with the residential landscape of the neighborhood
during the late nineteenth century.

Although a number of houses had been built in the neighborhood by 1896,
there were still a number of undeveloped residential lots (Map 3). Sanborn
coverage for this period extends north to 13th Street and west to Kansas Avenue
but ends three blocks south of the Monroe School and only one-half block east
beyond Monroe Street. Much of the west side of Quincy Street between 13th and
14th Streets was undeveloped as was Kansas Avenue, giving some indication of
how sparse development was in this area in the late nineteenth century. An
industrial use, Merchants Transfer & Storage Company, occupied the northwest
corner of Quincy and 13th Street. Development south of the storage company
consisted of mostly small, one-story dwellings, which were probably quite
modest. A two-story store occupied the northeast corner of 13th and Quincy
Streets, but the southeast corner of this block was undeveloped. The interior of
the east side of Quincy Street appears to have been mixed: with one- and one-and-

* Ritchie’s Addition to the City of Topeka (hereinafter referred to as Ritchie’s Addition), Shawnee County Register of
Deeds. Topeka, Kansas, Jannary 1888.

* Ritchie’s Addition.

"Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 14, 1889.

" Sanbom Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc., Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 14, 1889

" Sanbom Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanbam Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 61, 1896.



2-20 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

park following the period of significance as they were in many American cities
because of Dutch elm disease. Other elms may have been removed as well. It is
also likely that hackberry, cottonwood, mulberry, silver maples, sugar maples,
black maples, pin oak, bur oak, catalpa, and honey locusts were present in the
neighborhood. This supposition stems from the presence of such species in the
area that are of sufficient size and character to have existed during the period of
significance. Additionally, there may have been other species present while some
of those listed above may not have been present in the period 1950-1955.

Other plant materials observed that may have been present include a variety of
shrubs and flowering perennials and annuals. The historic images of the yard
around Laura’s Coffee Shop may be typical of other residential yards as well.
Although not covered with any visible plant material, Laura Jackson Moultry’s
yard included a trellis and arbor, perhaps for roses to climb. Observed plant
materials that may also have existed during the period of significance include
lilac, roses, peonies, spirea, berberi, and forsythia. Although none have been
recalled by residents, it is likely that some residents kept small vegetable gardens
in their rear yards. Backyard gardening would have been consistent with the
semi-rural and working class character of the neighborhood.

Former residents have not been able to recall specific instances of shrubs or
perimeter hedges, but it is likely that there were some. Residents recall that many
yards were mowed open lawns or enclosed with fences, but have few distinct
memories of vegetation. Marita Davis, who lived on both Monroe Street and
Quincy Street during her childhood, recalled that her family had hollyhocks. Her
brother Marquis Burnett remembered that his mother had roses in large enough
quantities that he helped make rose-covered cross wreaths for Memorial Day.

Views and Other Sensory Qualities

Former residents remember that the Kansas State Capitol was visible from
many points in the neighborhood. The Capitol was an important landmark and
state symbol associated with the neighborhood. There also would have been
views to the distinctive, two-story, brick, Armco building on 15th Street. Views
to the park would have provided a planted oasis of tall elms, cottonwoods, and
pines. Railroad sounds would have been abundant. There would have been
whistles blowing, the sounds of attaching and disattaching cars, and the din of the
regularly scheduled trains through the neighborhood. There would have been
odors associated with the various industries as well as the odors of coal and oil
furnaces.

Euclid Park

By the 1950s, the Runcimann park plan of 1922, as revised during the 1930s
and 1940s, appears to have been implemented in Euclid Park largely as planned
(Figures 10, 11, 12). An examination of municipal park files for Topeka parks
revealed no plans or photographs of the park from the early 1950s. In addition,

0000000000 OOHOHOOOHHHHHOHHHHHHHHHOHOOHOOOO8O


2-42 » Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

distinction or character; some have been boarded closed and new windows and
doors installed. The blind brick wall of the plumbing supply company located at
the Monroe and 15th Streets intersection detracts from neighborhood character.
Colors are varied with traditional colors and natural brick predominating; paint
colors include white, beige, brown, grey, and red. Many commercial/industrial
structures have expanded to the rear and side. It is obvious that residential
demolition has occurred to make way for newer structures and parking.

Some outdoor storage areas are contained but still visible behind chain link
fences. Trash containers and dumpsters are not visually apparent. There is
limited vegetation in this zone; any survivors are likely to have been present
during the period of significance. These included some herbaceous material
(peonies and iris were observed) in the yards of surviving residential structures,
deciduous trees such as catalpa, oak, and cottonwood. There is no vegetation in
the vicinity of the plumbing supply company. No small-scale features are
apparent in this zone.

Commercial signs vary in color, material, and texture. Several signs are
painted on wood and attached to buildings. No temporary signs or illuminated
signs were observed. There are freestanding signs. The Philips 66 sign probably
dates from the period of significance since the oil company was in that location in
the 1950s and it has the appearance of that era. There are also standard traffic
regulatory signs and metal street identification signs attached to metal posts. The
signs probably postdate the period of significance.

Overhead utility lines hung on wooden poles extend along the south side of
15th Street and cross the street to provide service to individual buildings. There
are also overhead wires on the south side of 14th Street. Street lighting is the
standard, City of Topeka, aluminum, cobra head lighting attached to wooden
poles.

Southern Mixed Use Zone

This zone includes parcels fronting on 17th Street between the abandoned
railroad right-of-way (east of Monroe Street) and the railroad right-of-way east of
Cushinberry Park. Existing land use is mixed; two single-family residential uses
survive adjacent to commercial/industrial uses (Figure 22).
Commercial/industrial uses include wholesale/retail sales; service industries, and
construction and graphic design and supply businesses (Figure 23). There are
numerous similarities between this zone and the Northern Mixed Use Zone.
There are no shoppers’ goods or strictly retail establishments; nor are there
restaurants, lodging, or convenience establishments. Vacant open space does not
retain residential character, as does similar space in the Northern Mixed Use
Zone.



2-6 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

sidewalks near the school and the planting of a substantial number of elms on the
school property occurred in conjunction with the construction of the new school.”

Commercial/industrial development related to the availability of rail access
continued in the schoo! vicinity through the early twentieth century. In 1931, the
Fleming-Wilson Mercantile Company Wholesale Fruit and Grocers built a large
brick warehouse on 17th Street near the school and between the two sets of
railroad tracks; the warehouse was enlarged in 1938.” As truck traffic increased,
the warehouse was not necessarily a compatible neighbor for the school, which
used the open fields on Monroe Street as playing fields. In 1934, the Board of
Education officially acquired the triangular strip of land east of the school and
opposite it on Monroe Street that it had been using as a ball field and space for
other games and outdoor play. This acquisition marked the culmination of efforts
that had been ongoing since the nineteenth century to enlarge the Monroe School
property. The field continued to be used for physical education, track, and games
such as crack-the-whip as well as for baseball and softball. 2

The lack of Sanborn map coverage between 1913 and 1950 hinders an
understanding of construction during those decades. From 1913 through 1950,
houses continued to be built on the lots laid out as part of Ritchie’s Addition. Of
course, this period included three distinct periods in which there was little
building nationally, and it is believed that Topeka would have been no exception.
In the United States, few houses were built in 1918 during the nationwide
influenza epidemic, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, or during World
War Il. It is likely that the majority of residences built in the neighborhood
between 1913 and 1950 would have been built in the 1920s, a period of national
prosperity. This assumption is consistent with the architectural character of the
structures that appear to have been built in that period.

® Monroe Elementary Schoo! Files, Topeka Public Schools, Unified Schoo! District 501, Administrative Headquarters,
Topeka, Kansas.

> Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,

, Connecticut, 1950. ‘The map for this year gives the construction dates as 1931 and 1938.

2 CLI p. 13.

TORRE EEE EERE AEE


(—— Typical side
setback.

Property Line

| ©0000 OOO HCOOH OOOOH OHO8HHOHHHOOOHHHHOHOOHOOOOCE |

Sidewalk

Kr
Street
LL Line of predominant ‘— Incompatible setback destroys
front setback. streetscape rhythm.
EXHIBIT 13

PREDOMINANT SETBACKS AND STREETSCAPE RHYTHM

NOT YO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp or EpucaTion
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999

Le2f 2o008 ye


SOCHOHSHOSHOHHSHSHOHSSHOHSHHSHSSOOCOHHOCOOO

Character-Defining Features * 2-27

Demolition of residences provided space for commercial parking and outdoor
storage and new commercial construction. Shade trees were lost and not replaced
in the park and in private yards. The number of trees on school property
decreased and maples were used to replace the lost elms. Some vacant lots also
resulted from demolition. The commercial uses most vividly remembered by
former students and residents, Laura’s restaurant and the convenience-type
grocery store, which occupied the northwest and northeast comers of Monroe and
15th Streets opposite the school, ceased operation following the period of
significance. The buildings where they were located have been removed.

It appears that the park has remained an underused urban park in the years
since the period of significance. Interviews with city park personnel indicate that
the park has not been used extensively for recreation in the last decades although
it remained a designated city park. Formerly Euclid Park, the City Council of
Topeka renamed the park Cushinberry Park in honor of Grant Cushinberry, a
Topeka resident known for his civic contributions and work on behalf of Topeka’s
African-American young people and disadvantaged citizens.*

EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY ANALYSIS

The Monroe School NHS neighborhood has been divided into five character
zones based on existing visual character and land uses (Exhibit 3). In each case
the zones include the public and private circulation features adjacent to and
included within them. The neighborhood includes public streets and alleys,
parking lots, existing and abandoned railroad rights of way, formal and informal
driveways, sidewalks, and informal paths. These features are and have been
important historically in defining the character and use of this neighborhood, With
increased vehicular and pedestrian uses when the NHS begins to attract public
visitation, these circulation features will take on even more importance. The five
zones, which are described below, are the Brown v. Board NHS (formerly the
Monroe School property), the West Residential Zone, the Northern Mixed Use
Zone, and Cushinberry Park and Adjacent Open Space, and the Southern Mixed
Use Zone. Each zone retains a degree of integrity for the 1950-1954 period of
significance although no zone survives with its integrity totally intact (Exhibit 4).

The NHS Neighborhood

The Monroe School NHS neighborhood is a mixed-use neighborhood that still
reflects much of its character from the early 1950s despite significant changes.
The school remains the dominant physical feature of the neighborhood as a result
of a combination of its prominent location, size, architectural character, detailing,
and axial relationship with the large area to the east. Although some individual
features have been altered, removed, or replaced, the neighborhood retains much
the same overall spatial organization that it possessed in the 1950s.

Steve Urban, “Grant Cushinberry—Never too Busy to Help.” Topeka Magazine 4, No. 4, May 1977, pp. 37-39.



3-6 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

NHS NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDELINES

Land Use

Mixed Uses

+ Consider retaining surviving historic land use clusters where there are strong
concentrations.

Encourage retention of the existing mixed-use neighborhood character and
evocation of the period of significance by retaining existing residential uses
where they occur, particularly where they are not isolated by adjacent
commercial or industrial uses. Encourage rehabilitation of the existing
housing stock and the development of new infill residential housing
opportunities. Also encourage appropriate new visitor-oriented commercial
development in areas where there are not strong concentrations of features
that were present during the period of significance.

Only consider adaptive uses of existing residential structures for commercial
uses if residential uses become unfeasible or there is an increased demand for
NHS-related commercial services that cannot be met first within the Northern
and Southern Mixed Use Zones. Ensure that all adaptive uses are planned to
retain a residential-type appearance.

Residential Uses

Encourage retention of the existing residential uses to preserve a core

residential area, particularly on Quincy and 15th Streets. Encourage

rehabilitation of the existing housing stock and the development of new infill

residential housing opportunities on traditional city lots.

+ Encourage and offer incentives for continued and expanded residential uses.

° Retain the single family character of the landscape, of building facades, and
building massing even if multiple family uses are accommodated.

+ Provide incentives to encourage owner occupancy.

.

Commercial/Industrial Uses
+ Encourage small business commercial uses to evoke the small-scale nature of
commercial/industrial development in the 1950s. Appropriate commercial
development would generally include a visitor center, restaurants and snack
shops, small convenience and grocery stores, gift and souvenir shops,
specialty retail shops, and service-oriented businesses such as beauty and
barber shops.

Encourage small, independent, entrepreneurial businesses rather than large
national franchises.

Encourage any national chains that develop commercial uses in the
neighborhood to reduce the size and number of national logos and designs and
to keep new construction at an appropriate scale.

Direct new commercial development or redevelopment into the existing
Norther and Southern Mixed-Use zones.

Discourage expansion and development of industrial uses, especially those
with a need for truck access and parking.

°

.



00F6OOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOHHOECOOOD

Figure 24.
Jefferson Street extends )
through the park, dividing

it into two sections.

ICA, 1998.

Figure 25.

Deciduous trees in
Cushinberry Park include
elms, cottonwoods, and
sycamores, LCA, 1998.



©0800 OHOHHHHOHHHHHETHHHHHHHHHOCHHHHOHOHCOEO

Design Guidelines + 3-7

Vacant Buildings and Structures

+ Avoid an unoccupied appearance; try to avoid and eliminate boarded windows
and other characteristics that make a building appear unoccupied.

+ Encourage owners to keep unoccupied structures maintained; consider
maintenance incentives if necessary.

+ Encourage similar uses to the original function of a building.

+ Discourage demolition of any buildings dating from the period of significance.

+ Offer incentives for rehabilitation.

Vacant Open Space and Park Land

+ Develop coordinated redevelopment for major vacant parcels; encourage
NHS-related service and commercial development on large parcels.
Encourage infill development that divides new construction into smaller units
(Exhibit 12).

+ Avoid the use of a single, large mass for new construction (Exhibit 11).

+ In planning new construction, encourage setbacks that are consistent with the
traditional and historic setbacks of the neighborhood.

» Encourage a development pattern on non-park, vacant land that continues the
traditional size, scale, and massing. Encourage an assemblage of buildings
that have a ground floor footprint that ranges from approximately 1,000 to
16,000 square feet. Encourage the majority of these buildings in the smaller
square footage range. Avoid infill construction that exceeds three stories in
height.

+ Retain a continuous open space east of the Monroe School from its former ball
field to Cushinberry Park. Accommodate and enhance passive recreation in
this open space; carefully define active and formal recreational uses so that
they complement and supplement passive and informal recreational uses, such
as picnicking, strolling, reading, and informal games such as tag, pitch and
catch. Separate active recreational uses such as basketball courts from passive
uses to avoid conflicts.

* Work with the City of Topeka to ensure continuity of the open space of the
triangle of land between the two railroad alignments. Consider cooperative
agreements, purchase, easement, or donation to the City, NPS, or other entity
to ensure appropriate uses for this vacant land.

* Incorporate former street and rail alignments into an open space and trail
network but continue to define the historic alignments so that they remain
identifiable; interpret abandoned circulation systems as part of the ongoing
evolution of the neighborhood, city, and region.

Spatial Organization

+ Retain the existing urban street grid with its diagonal juxtaposition of two
intersecting street grid alignments.

* Retain the existing street, alley, sidewalk, and railroad alignment layout with
two exceptions: a. retain the alignment but close to vehicular traffic the


3-48 © Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

* Maintain an appropriate minimum clearance above the sidewalk for all
hanging signs; a minimum of eight feet should be sufficient.

+ Maintain a maximum projection of four feet for hanging signs.

+ Freestanding signs are most attractive when designed as a single, central post
with a wooden post or wrought-iron frame supporting a flat, painted sign
panel. Alternatives include a painted sign panel supported by two flanking,
painted wood posts, or a single wood post with a cantilevered arm that
supports a hanging sign.

* Use plantings at the base of freestanding signs to integrate them into the
streetscape.

Size and Number of Signs

* Generally avoid exceeding one square foot of total sign area per linear foot of
building frontage for all uses in any commercial building.

« Avoid developing more than two signs for any one business in a single
building. The primary sign should typically be a cornice sign, flat or wall
sign, transom sign, hanging or projecting sign, or awning sign.

Temporary and Portable Signs

* Avoid the use of commercially available, illuminated, changeable copy,
portable signs, even for temporary use. Avoid the use of plastic or other
translucent materials that were generally not available during the period of
significance.

* Consider using attractive portable signs to present changeable information,
such as menu specials, to announce special events and seasonal promotions,
and to identify upper-floor businesses.

+ Use stable supports for all portable signs.

+ Locate portable signs where they will not obstruct pedestrian access and only
display them during business hours.

+ Locate portable signs on private property unless permitted on the sidewalk by
the city (portable signs on city sidewalks may need a temporary sign permit).

Window Signs

¢ Window signs are appropriate as secondary signs or for very small businesses
that relate primarily to the pedestrian. The combined area of any window
signs should be smaller than the primary sign.

+ Avoid large window signs that block views from or into windows. Use
smaller lettering, more appropriate for closer pedestrian traffic near the
bottom of the window.

+ Consider using neon signs within a display window to add color and light to a
commercial window.

Standard Logos and Franchises

* Work with national manufacturers, distributors or companies to adapt their
logos and sign systems to create appropriate signs for the neighborhood.
Compatibility of scale and materials is especially important.



Design Guidelines ¢ 3-31

Vegetation

+See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood except where discussed
below.

+ Plant deciduous street trees along the edges of the vacant blocks formed
between 14th and 15th and Quincy and Monroe Streets to evoke the
traditional residential character and scale along these street edges (this will not
preclude developing parking on the interior).

Small-scale Features

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Buildings and Structures

«See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood except where discussed
below.

* Encourage preservation of existing buildings that date from the period of
significance. If existing uses are discontinued, encourage their preservation
through rehabilitation and adaptive uses that preserve their architectural
character.

+ Encourage new construction of buildings in the 2,500 to 16,000 square foot
range with traditional setbacks near the street edge (Exhibit 8).

SOUTHERN MIXED USE ZONE GUIDELINES (EXHIBIT 9)
Land Uses

+ If the current uses on 17th Street between Monroe Street and the abandoned
railroad right-of-way (where there is strong existing concentration of
commercial and industrial uses) are discontinued, encourage adaptive use of
structures surviving from the period of significance for visitor-oriented
commercial development. Although industrial uses occurred during the
period of construction and are permitted under current zoning, those that
depend upon or generate a significant degree of truck traffic would be
undesirable given the anticipated visitor uses and the potential for dangerous
pedestrian/vehicular conflicts. Light industries and technological industries
that are not generally associated with traffic would be more appropriate and
compatible with NPS uses.

Consider working with the city’s economic development strategists to
encourage low-scale hotel/restaurant development on the parcels fronting on
17th Street between Jefferson Street and the railroad east of Cushinberry Park
to provide an opportunity for visitors to stay in the neighborhood and to
provide an anchor and terminus at the eastern edge of the NHS neighborhood.


2-14 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Circulation and Parking

The overall circulation system present for the period 1950-1954 continued to
reflect the same pattern that had been established in the nineteenth century. The
eastern portions of 15th and 17th Streets were paved in brick; it is not certain how
far to the west the brick paving continued. Monroe Street had an asphalt surface
during this period, but Quincy Street was probably still brick. The alley behind
Monroe School was paved in concrete during the period of significance, and is
believed to have been covered with gravel at the beginning of the period.”
Trucks used the alley to make deliveries at the rear of the school. Coal for the
school furnace was delivered from the alley.” The alley in the interior of the
block between 15th and 14th Streets and Monroe and Quincy Streets may have
been paved in concrete during this period as well.

There was considerable pedestrian activity associated with the school
attendance and events. Former residents have related that automobile ownership
was not universal in the neighborhood and that residents were primarily
pedestrian. Marita Davis recalled that during this period, people “walked
everywhere,” and that almost everyone walked or rode the bus to school. There
was little need for parking for cars or bicycles, she said, although a few teachers
did drive and they parked along Monroe Street in front of the school.“’ Some,
including Linda Brown, traveled by bus for at least a portion of the trip between
home and school. No family is recalled to have owned more than one car
although one Quincy Street family, which was engaged in a lawn maintenance
business, stored vehicles and equipment behind their house. Private automobiles
were parked either in the rear garages, in back yards near alleys, or on the streets
in front of owners’ residences.”

There were still some brick sidewalks as well as some concrete sidewalks
during the period of significance although sidewalks had not been developed
along all neighborhood streets. There was a brick sidewalk on the north side of
15th Street and a concrete walk on the south side of 15th Street adjacent to the
school. There were sidewalks on 17th Street from Kansas Avenue to Monroe
Street. They were separated from the street by a narrow grass planting strip. It
appears that there were sidewalks on 17th Street near the park. It is likely that
there also would have been unpaved paths along 17th Street similar to those that
exist currently. There would also have been other informal neighborhood paths
but their locations are not known. By this time, most residences had concrete
paved linear walks connecting their front porches with the city street.

** CLI, p. 16. An attempt was made to interview the individual who provided this information for the CL} and other similar
. information, ‘but the informant, a city employee and former student of the Monroe School, is now deceased.

© Telephone interview with former neighborhood resident Marita Davis (Kansas City) by Genevieve Keller, February,
2 Telephone interview with former neighborhood resident Marita Davis (Kansas City) by Genevieve Keller, February,
* “Pope A.C. Paving, Monroe St. from 15th to Euclid," City of Topeka, Engincering Division, Topeka, Kansas, June

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Administrative Data + 1-1

ADMINISTRATIVE

The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (NHS) is located in DATA

the City of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas, the capital city of the state of
Kansas (Exhibit 1). Located in northeastern Kansas, the NHS is comprised of the
former Monroe Elementary School and its site (Figure 1) which are held by the
U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service (NPS) in federal fee simple
ownership. The current setting of the Monroe School is a declining urban
neighborhood with a mixed land use that includes a number of residences, light
industry, small businesses, and vacant lots.

Figure 1.

The Monroe School,
Brown v. Board of
Education National
Historic Site, Topeka,
Kansas. LCA, 1998.

The NHS is about seven blocks south of the Topeka downtown; Quincy
Street, the westernmost street in the defined neighborhood, is one block east of
Kansas Avenue, a major north-south corridor through Topeka. The NHS is
located just south of the Topeka Central Business District (CBD) at the
intersection of 15th and Monroe Streets. The site is accessible to motorists via
nearby 1-70. The project includes the areas bordering Quincy, 15th and 17th
Streets; or approximately the block south of 15th Street from Quincy Street to the
eastern end of Cushinberry Park; the block along Quincy Street; the block north
of 17th Street from Quincy Street to the eastern end of Cushinberry Park; and
Cushinberry Park (Exhibit 2).

GOALS OF THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES
NPS intends to use these guidelines during interaction with representatives of

the City of Topeka and private property owners to help preserve the general
character of the Monroe School neighborhood. The design concept is based on a


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EXHIBIT 3

NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER ZONES

HES Monroe School NHS Zone
F===] Northern Mixed Use Zone
Southern Mixed Use Zone

West Residential Zone

Cushinberry Park and

Adjacent Open Space Zone

Brown v. Boarp or EpucaTION
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES

fa we e008

Fg/7

March 1999



ADMINISTRATIVE DATA



Figure 11. “Euclid Park, Topeka, Kansas,” drawn by J.P. Runcimann, April 12, 1922, revised 1934. (Color-reversed) City of Topeka Division of Parks and Recreation
files.

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Design Guidelines * 3-47

+ Consider timeless types of signs that may evoke the spirit of but not imitate
historic signs, such as painted wall signs, wood and metal signs, neon signs,
signs that identify a building’s original owner or the date of a building’s
construction.

* Use appropriate but durable materials and details for signs, such as marine-
grade exterior plywood, with banded or sealed edges; iron or pressure-treated
wood posts; and masonry (for low freestanding signs). All non-masonry
elements should be painted.

+ Use painted wood or painted metal for panel signs. Applied moldings or
routed edges can add additional character.

* Relate the colors of the sign to those of the commercial building. Sign colors
need not match architectural paint colors but they should be complementary.

* Choose simple color schemes for painted signs using no more than three
colors. Try to relate the colors to the overall color scheme of the building.

+ Avoid the use of ornamental metals such as brass, bronze or copper signs that
are too showy for the modest design character of the neighborhood.

* Choose simple lettering for commercial signs that is easy to read, appropriate
to the character of the business, and compatible with the architecture of the
building.

* Choose a sign type that relates to building features of the facade.

* Consider incorporating into window and other small-scale signs authentic
signs from 1940s and 1950s products that would have been available in the
neighborhood.

* Use the same type of signs for two or more businesses that may occupy a
single building.

Location and Attachment

* Use a sign panel that is freestanding or attached to a building. Appropriate
types include wall signs ~ attached to the exterior wall; hanging signs — hung
from a metal bracket or porch lintel; low (three feet high or less) freestanding
signs; and tall (about four-and-a-half feet) freestanding signs.

+ Locate signs on the building’s facade only when the building is set less than
fifty feet from the sidewalk. Signs located on buildings generally produce a
less cluttered streetscape and should be the predominant sign type in the
neighborhood.

+ Attach signs to buildings inconspicuously and in a manner that will do the
least permanent damage to building materials.

* Locate wall signs on the wall adjacent to the entry door. Buildings with
multiple tenants should have a directory sign with a listing of all tenants.

+ Use attractive supports and hardware to mount all signs, particularly hanging
signs.

+ Locate hanging signs at or below the ground floor cornice if there is one; if
there is no architectural detailing, hang signs no higher than fifteen feet above
the ground. Hanging signs may also be located in front of a recessed entry.
Avoid blocking the view of neighboring signs.


2-2 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Reproductions of
historic maps
occur at the end of
this chapter to
facilitate
comparisons
between and
among different
time-periods

land and that of other owners in the area, incorporated as a third class city known
as South Topeka.!

As early as 1868, lots on Monroe Street were purchased as a school site for
black children. Until the school could be built in 1874, it appears that the Board
of Education rented a nearby house to use as a school.’ The location of that
school north of the present NHS site at the southwest corner of Monroe and 15th
Streets is visible on an 1889 Sanborn map. Although the neighborhood
surrounding the school was primarily residential, neighborhood character and
development were also influenced by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, Kansas,
Nebraska & Dakota, and Missouri Pacific railroads that were routed through the
area. The Missouri Pacific developed both a freight depot and a passenger depot
just northeast of the current NHS neighborhood study area, and other railroad-
related and industrial uses began to be located in the vicinity of the tracks. In
addition, small neighborhood establishments, general merchandise and grocery
stores developed in a manner that was similar in scale to residential construction
although commercial setbacks varied from those of residences."

The NHS neighborhood was part of an area that had already been developed as
a series of streets and blocks by the early 1880s. It is depicted with most of the
area delineated in blocks on the part of the Needham’s Pocket Map of the City of
Topeka and Suburbs, c. 1882 (Map 1). Although the area was divided into
blocks, it is not likely that it was highly developed. The 1889 Sanborn Map,
which includes the school and the area closest to it, shows several undeveloped
lots in the school vicinity (Map 2). Located on the outskirts of greater Topeka
and sometimes known as “Mudtown,” the comniunity that developed on Ritchie’s
land was probably rural in character and lacking in such civic amenities as paved
streets and sidewalks. °

Needham’s map shows the entire area west of the railroad divided into blocks
while the depiction of the area east of the tracks appears to suggest that it still
represented a more dispersed and irregular layout indicative perhaps of less
intensive development. Even the eastern area, however, would not have been
completely developed with structures on each lot of the designated blocks.’ This

" Fitzgerald, Daniel, ed. John Ritchie: Portrait of an Uncommon Man. Topeka, Kansas: Shawnee County Historical
Society, Bulletin No. 68, 1976.

7 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Midwest Region, “Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) Level I
& Determination of Eligibility for Brown v. Board of Education National Histotic Site, Topeka, Kansas,” (hereinafter

__ referred to as CLD, July 1995, p. 8

+ Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 14, 1889.

* Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Enviconmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 34, 1896.

5 Sanbom Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc, Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 14, 1889,

© Rachet Franklin Weekley, "A Strong Pull, and a Pull Aliagether," Topeka's Contribution ta the Campaign for School
Desegregation, Historic Resource Study, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Topeka, Kansas, 1999,
(bereinafter referred to as Franklin Weekley).

7 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 14, 1889.

TORR RRR ERE EERE EERE EEE ERATE EEE EES


Administrative Data * 1-9

At the request of LCA, Richard Brau of Life Picture Sales researched the Life
photographic collection for photographs related to both Brown v. Board of
Education and Topeka, Kansas. This search did not identify additional
photographs of the neighborhood surrounding the Monroe School. In addition,
Brau contacted Carl Iwasaki, the photographer of the 1953 photograph of Linda
Brown in front of the Monroe School to inquire if Iwasaki had taken additional
photographs that were not in the Life archive. Iwasaki recalled that he had not
taken any photographs of the neighborhood. While there is good historic
photographic coverage of the Monroe School and its immediate environs, only
scant photographic documentation of the neighborhood has been found to date.
Aerial photography from the period is available and has been of some use in
determining historic character. Interviews with former residents and students
conducted for this project and the previous Cultural Landscape Inventory
conducted by NPS, however, have been helpful in describing neighborhood
character. Both Sanborn maps and aerial photographs from the period and years
immediately preceding and following 1950-1955, however, have been more
helpful than personal photographs in identifying cultural landscape character and
features for the period of significance.

The Collection of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund located at the Library of
Congress is a closed collection and was not available for research. Telephone
queries determined that there was little likelihood of photographs in the
collections of the Still Picture Branch of the National Archives and Records
Administration in College Park, Maryland.

LCA project staff involved in development and production of the Guidelines
has included J. Timothy Keller, FASLA, historical landscape architect; Genevieve
Keller, cultural landscape specialist and preservation planner; Frederick
Schneider, historical architect and urban designer; Matthew Tucker, cultural
landscape specialist, Ann Wanner, editor and research assistant, and Christopher
Reed, document layout and image handling.

SUMMARY OF GUIDELINES AND CONCEPT PLAN

The design guidelines are based on retention of the mixed residential,
commercial, and industrial use of the NHS neighborhood to evoke the spirit of the
1950-1955 period of significance. The guidelines provide guidance for
rehabilitation of cultural landscape features from the period of significance and
for development of new features that will provide visitors with physical amenity
and goods and services that will enhance their visit to the NHS and its
neighborhood. The guidelines are not intended to restore the neighborhood to its
1950-1955 appearance, but they are intended to encourage retention of the
features and qualities that were present during that period.

The design/development concept plan presented in these guidelines is based
on a recommended NHS neighborhood treatment approach of rehabilitation to



Figure 15. Wooden garage in rear yard adjacent to the alley. LCA, 1998... cesses 2-34
Figure 16. Low retaining walls. LCA, 1998 .....-..cccesssssceesssesessescsesesscseeecencsessaeseaseeeteaesees 2-34
Figure 17. Brick sidewalks. LCA, 1998 ......ccccsscsessssesseseenesesneesecsssncsssesseersaesecieseeecseseenane 2-35

Figure 18. Bungalows, with large shade trees. LCA, 1998 . 2-38

Figure 19. Surviving post and board fencing. LCA, 1998........cssssscssessesseceeeteseseensaesees 2238

Figure 20, Commercial/industrial land use in Northern Mixed Use Zone. LCA,
1998 ..... teeeteeeees

Figure 21. Armco Building. LCA, 1998 oo... ccccssceeeeeneseeseersteneteneesteesssesecseeeseneasetinens 2-41
Figure 22. Streetscape, Southern Mixed Use Zone. LCA, 1998 vcssssscsesecessseceeesessesseeseeevense 2-44
Figure 23. Industrial architecture, Southern Mixed Use Zone. LCA, 1998.......:ccceeeeseees 2-44
Figure 24. Jefferson Street through Cushinberry Park. LCA, 1998.......c:cccccssesceeseesereetees 2-47
Figure 25. Deciduous trees in Cushinberry Park. LCA, 1998......cc.ccsecssccseeeseseeeeteneteeetenenee 2-47

Figure 26. Picnic tables and benches, Cushinberry Park. LCA, 1998. LCA,

Figure 27. The eastern terminus of Cushinberry Park. 1998 0.0.0... ccccscsesescseneeeeesceeeteesee 2°48

Maps
Map 1. "Needham’s Pocket Map of the City of Topeka and Suburbs.” 1882...........:cceee 2-49

Map 2. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 14. 1889 ........cceseseesesseeseesteeeeeeeetcereiees 2°50

Map 3. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 34. 1896 .

Map 4. Map of Topeka, Compliments of Eleventh International Conference,

Railroad Department, Young Men’s Christian Association. 1903 .........ccsccesseeeseeseenerreeene 2-52

Map 5. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 70. 1913 ....c..cc:eccsecesecteescteerseetsecesenesesteseees 2°93

Map 6. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 82. 1913 occ ceeeeseeeccseceseetseeessenerteeeees 2-54
iit



Design Guidelines * 3-63

Furnishings and Small-scale Features

+ Upgrade park furnishings in a manner consistent with other city park and
recreation policies, using standard City lighting and furnishings. Avoid
adopting a historic period or neo-traditional approach to park furnishings.
Using furnishings that are interchangeable with other city parks will ensure
that replacements and repairs can be accomplished more easily and with fewer
delays. Repair and replace furnishings on a regular basis to keep the park in a
good state of repair and maintenance.

* Continue the policy of not providing structured play areas, play structures, or
play equipment.

+ Remove the deteriorated bison sculpture unless there is substantial local
sentiment for its retention. Consider commissioning a work of art or
sponsoring a competition for art in the park that is related to the themes
represented by the NHS.

« Consider developing several designed focal points within the park that can
serve as visual points of identity and gathering places for groups. Such places
can serve as meeting places for school and bus groups and for educational and
interpretive activities.

Signs and Interpretation

+ Consider the use of unifying graphic design features to reinforce visual
linkages between Cushinberry Park and NHS signs to encourage visitors to
use the park. Consider unifying all signs by the inclusion of a logo based on
the “M” relief panel on the school wall (see divider pages).

* Develop and install a new park entry sign. The current sign does not date
from the period of significance. If documentation becomes available for signs
used during the period of significance, consider using them as prototypes for
new identification signs in the park. Standard municipal signage is also
acceptable or a new sign that is less rustic and more appropriate to an urban
environment could be developed for Cushinberry Park.

+ Display park regulations on a separate sign.

+ Develop a neighborhood entry sign in conjunction with a standard NPS
directional sign at the east end of the park near the junction of 15th and 17th
Streets.

* Consider developing a kiosk where NHS, Cushinberry Park events, and other
Topeka events could be posted. Consider an electronic format to avoid the
clutter of loose fliers and out-of-date news if such a format can resist
vandalism. The kiosk could be designed and installed in conjunction with a
new entry sign.

+ Consider the potential for interpretation and memorialization within the park.

+ Consider using the railroad right-of-way to interpret the role of the railroad in
Topeka and neighborhood history.

SOHOHSHHHSHHHHHHSHHOHHHHHHHHHSHHHHHOHHHOHHOHOHOOOR


Design Guidelines * 3-31

New Construction

+ Adopt a style for new construction that is compatible with the traditional
character of older buildings in the NHS neighborhood yet reflects its own
time. Avoid replicating historic styles but choose compatible or similar scale,
massing, and detailing.

+ Encourage new construction to be in the 1,000 to 16,000 square foot range.

+ Avoid historical themes that give a new building a false historical appearance.

+ In planning new buildings, observe the same setback as adjacent or nearby
buildings.

* Choose exterior materials that are compatible with the neighborhood’s
character, generally wood and brick. Avoid materials and colors not
represented in existing buildings.

* Conform to the predominant height of existing buildings on a block.

* Maintain the predominant width and proportion of existing buildings on a
block; buildings on infill sites that are wider than most existing buildings
should be subdivided into bays that relate to the width of typical buildings.

* Choose a roof form that is compatible with other buildings in the block.

* Keep the proportion of window to wall area for both upper and lower facades
compatible to that of existing buildings.

Relocation and Demolition

+ Avoid relocation and demolition of buildings that existed during the period of
significance.

* To maintain integrity, avoid moving historic buildings from other
neighborhoods into the NHS neighborhood. Infill of vacant lots should be
accomplished through appropriate new construction to avoid creating a false
sense of history.

NHS GUIDELINES (EXHIBIT6)

The scope of services for these guidelines does not include recommendations
for the actual NHS; those recommendations are being made under other contracts,
through the GMP process, and by NHS personnel. Vehicular and pedestrian
circulation and parking concerns related to the portion of Monroe Street adjacent
to the school, however, are addressed briefly below.

Pedestrian and Vehicular Circulation and Parking

+ Retain the existing and historic vehicular circulation pattern of vehicular
traffic flow on Monroe Street.

+ Reserve the portion of Monroe Street directly in front of the Monroe Schoo! to
make this area available for visitor drop off.

+ Discourage long-term parking on Monroe Street so that individuals and groups
can circulate freely on the entire site.



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2-54 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines
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Map 6. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 82, 1913.



Character-Defining Features « 2-7

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES, 1950-1955

The neighborhood that surrounded the Monroe School during the 1950-1955
period of significance represented the evolution of the area from its initial
subdivision by John Ritchie through the changes of the post-World War II era. In
many ways, the physical neighborhood character had not changed significantly
from the previous decades. Much of the development pattern described above
endured through the 1950s and is present to some degree today in many parts of
the neighborhood. Most of the changes that occurred during the 1950-1955
period were incremental changes, changes that would have been largely
undocumented as neighborhood residents made alterations to their houses and
yards. In fact, there is very little discernible change apparent when comparing
Sanborn maps for 1950 at the beginning of the period of significance and those
for 1954-1955 at the end of the period (Maps 9-14).

The following characteristics have been adapted from National Register
Bulletin 30, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Rural Historic
Landscapes as the characteristics most applicable in defining and analyzing the
character of the NHS neighborhood for the period 1950-1955."

Land Uses and Activities

Sanborn maps depicting portions of the NHS neighborhood between 1886 and
the 1990s document the growth and development of the NHS over time. Some of
this growth occurred in the period between 1913 and 1950—-a significant thirty-
seven year gap in Sanborn map coverage—although the character of much of the
NHS neighborhood had already begun to develop by 1913. These four decades
saw the transition of the neighborhood from a sparsely developed, almost rural
community with unpaved streets and with modest railroad-related commercial and
industrial development to a more modern urban neighborhood with most of its
dedicated lots developed, city streets, a new school, a landscaped city park, and
well-established commercial/industrial uses that developed to take advantage of
railroad access.

Throughout the entire period from 1950-1955, the Monroe School remained in
operation as a segregated school serving African-American elementary students,
and was a focal point of the neighborhood and the African-American community
of Topeka. One of these students was Linda Brown, whose name would become
synonymous with the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision that would focus
the eyes of the nation on Topeka, Kansas.

* For a more complete view of the NHS neighborhood area, the 1954 and 1955 Sanbom Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka
must be used together,

* This bulletin includes a detailed description of landscape characteristics that are often used in documenting and
evaluating both urban and rural historic landscapes.



~~~ TVTVTFTFTFTFVHSTHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHOHOOCOCE

Administrative Data * 1-3

park Euclid Park (renamed Cushinberry Park) east of the school. The City of
Topeka sold the school property in 1980, and it was privately owned until 1992.

The Monroe School was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1991 for
its significance in American history. The Sumner Elementary School was listed
as a landmark in 1987. The Sumner School was nearer the Brown residence than
Monroe. Sumner was the school in which Oliver Brown attempted to enroll his
daughter Linda as part of the NAACP plan for desegregation.

In 1990, the Brown Foundation began a two-year initiative to preserve the
Monroe School. The foundation worked in concert with the Kansas congressional
delegation, the Trust for Public Lands, and S/S Builders (then the owners of the
property). The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was
authorized by Congress (Public Law 102-525) on October 26, 1992. NPS
acquired the Monroe School property in the same year. The 1.85-acre NHS
consists of the Monroe School building, the lot it occupies, and the open lot (ball
field) just east of the school. The enabling legislation defines the purpose of the
site:

. to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit and
enjoyment of present and future generations, the places that
contributed materially to the landmark U. S. Supreme Court
decision that brought an end to segregation in public education;

. to interpret the integral role of the Brown v. Board of
Education case in the civil rights movement; and

... to assist in the preservation and interpretation of related
resources within the city of Topeka that further the understanding
of the civil rights movement.

The Monroe School is undergoing rehabilitation to be used as a visitor
center/education center/administration building for the NHS. The neighborhood
has undergone a gradual transition in the years following the Brown v. Board of
Education decision. The area has evolved into a mixed residential/light
industrial/commercial area; neighborhood residents seldom use the park today.
The General Management Plan (GMP) for the NHS recognizes an NPS interest in

and concern for the use and appearance of both the neighborhood and
Cushinberry Park.



2-12 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Figure 6.

Topeka High School
“Ramblers”
basketball team in
front of Monroe
School (ca. 1940's).
The school was a
focus for many
African-American
athletic and social
events. Merrill Ross
Collection. Kansas
Collection,
University of
Kansas Libraries.

According to former neighborhood residents and students of the school, the
Euclid Park (renamed Cushinberry Park following the period of significance) was
not heavily used during this period. The ball field opposite the school on Monroe
Street was used much more intensively than Euclid Park, as were the schoolyard
and its play equipment. Former residents recall that neighborhood girls
occasionally played in Euclid Park but boys rarely did.** If these reminiscences
are accurate, perhaps the park’s most important role during this period was as a
pleasant, but modestly developed, open space. Certainly, the portion of the park
along 15th Street opposite the various construction-oriented businesses located on
the north side of the street could not have been considered highly desirable as a
recreational destination. It is most likely that there was significant truck traffic
associated with all of the businesses located opposite the park on 15th Street.

Patterns of Spatial Organization

The neighborhood’s overall spatial organization did not change significantly
during this period although Euclid Avenue had been renamed 17th Street without
a change in configuration. The neighborhood continued to reflect the urban street
layout that had begun to develop during the nineteenth-century. The triangular
configurations of the park and open parcels of land adjacent to the railroad
alignments remained unchanged through this period. Small, detached houses
arranged in linear blocks and oriented to city streets remained the predominant
development pattern. With the exception of small corner neighborhood stores and
restaurants, nonresidential structures built for commercial/industrial purposes
were much larger in size and massing than residential buildings and were sited

% Telephone interviews of Marquis Brunett, former neighborhood resident who still resides in Topeka, Kansas, and his
sister Marita Davis (Kansas City) by Genevieve P. Keller, February, 1999.



80608 HOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHETHHHHHOOHHHOO

Design Guidelines * 3-19

Exhibit 16.
Appropriate signs
for residences
adapted for
commercial uses.

Exhibit 17.
Appropriate
locations for signs
on commercial
buildings.



3-12 + Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Former Railroad Alignments

+ Preserve the traditional rail alignments as a visible and interpretive element
through the neighborhood.

+ Continue to explore cooperative efforts to incorporate unused railroad right-of-
ways into trail networks.

* Consider retention of any features associated with the railroad, such as
crossing arms.

Pedestrian Circulation

Public Sidewalks

+ Retain the existing brick and concrete sidewalk system, attempting to use the
same or similar materials that appear to have been used during the period of
significance. Use brick walks only where there is evidence that they occurred
historically. Since the sidewalks were a combination of both materials
historically, attempts to develop a unified sidewalk system would be
inappropriate. Avoid imposing an overly uniform character that did not exist
during the period of significance. Also, avoid introducing specialty paving
that would create a landscape design character inconsistent with the
vernacular tradition of the neighborhood. Since the exact proportion of brick
to concrete for the period of significance cannot be determined, retain the
existing materials where possible unless an earlier paving material is still
evident. Repairs to existing walks should match the existing materials in
texture and finish, paving pattern, mortar joints, and color. Test samples
should be coordinated between NPS and the City of Topeka.

+ Retain the basic width of existing sidewalks; avoid any major widening that
will affect their current residential scale.

+ Restore uneven walks to a level condition where settling has occurred, resolve
drainage problems that contribute to frost heaving, shave or remove minor tree
roots that cause heaving, and/or relocate or divert the walk to avoid major tree
roots.

+ Extend the existing sidewalk system to provide safer, more convenient
pedestrian access in the neighborhood as necessary. Where the material for
the period of significance is not known or a walk needs to be provided in a
location where there was no walk during the period of significance, use
contemporary paving materials and finishes to avoid conveying the
impression that these walks existed during the period of significance.

+ Avoid using paving materials, such as cobblestone, that are out of character
with the neighborhood.

+ Consider the use of signalled crosswalks at major pedestrian crossings.

Private Entry Walks
+ Encourage repairs to existing walks to match the original in materials, texture

and finish, paving pattern, mortar joints, and color.
+ Encourage locating new walks to reflect traditional pedestrian patterns.
Typically, a linear front walk connects the front door with the sidewalk or the



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EXHIBIT 2
SITE PLAN

pet

Brown v. Boarp oF EpucaTion

D4 NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
| e CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES
e

e i LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
March 1999

@ ; f Yo e/ 20008 2/7



3-18 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

+ Develop and use a prototypical directional sign to help pedestrians find their
way within the NHS, particularly between such destinations as major parking
areas, the Monroe School, and Cushinberry Park.

* Develop and use a prototypical directional sign to help motorists and
pedestrians find their way to Sumner School, downtown Topeka, the state
Capitol, and other points of interest.

Interpretive Signs

NPS will need to install interpretive signs and markers as its interpretive plans
develop. These should include wayside exhibits that are essential for the visitor
to understand the relationship between the NHS and the neighborhood. Free
publications, such as walking tour brochures and annotated maps, may be useful
to supplement waysides.

+ Explore opportunities to use cultural landscape documentation such as the
1954 aerial photograph of the area and historic photographs such as those
documenting commercial activity at Laura’s during the period of significance.

* Consider incorporating comparative use of the excellent Sanborn map
coverage of portions of the neighborhood from the late nineteenth century
through the period of significance to illustrate the growth and development of
the neighborhood and Monroe School site.

Commercial Signs

+ To help maintain the neighborhood’s residential character, encourage new
signs that are low-key but attractive, and compatible with the architecture and
scale of the area. The type of sign used as well as its size, placement, and
design are important considerations. Use signs to add identity and vitality to
commercial buildings but avoid large or poorly placed signs that will
contribute to visual clutter or overshadow the prominence of the Monroe
School within the neighborhood.

Since there were few signs during the period of significance (other than the
large Coca Cola sign at Laura’s and the large Pure oil sign), use commercial
signs to signal the revitalization of the area and its new use as a visitor
destination. Explore opportunities to incorporate signs into existing
architectural space by considering painted window signs, signs attached to a
picket fence, signs that can hang from a porch, or signs attached to blank brick
surfaces. Avoid painting signs on building walls since there does not appear
to be a precedent for painted wall signs.

Choose signs that reflect the slower pace of city traffic and pedestrians as well
as the historic character of the neighborhood. Avoid the kinds of large,
brightly colored or illuminated commercial signs that are found along a
typical commercial strip. Commercial signs in the neighborhood should be
smaller and more highly detailed than commercial strip signage (Exhibits 16
and 17).

TOU MEK ERERERER ERE ERE EERE EES


Design Guidelines + 3-23

Walls and Fences

Walls and fences were used to some extent during the period of significance to
delineate property lines, provide transitions from the street or sidewalk to an individual
property, and to separate public and private outdoor space. Several examples of walls,
and fences survive from the period of significance and contribute to the character of the
NHS neighborhood.

Exhibit 19.
HA | q q B q H Simple, low,
I i A ai i 8 wooden picket
I i} fi Ait iy fences are
6 appropriate for
front yards.

|
|

i

Ct

Exhibit 20.
Simple wooden
post and board
fences are
appropriate for
side and rear
yards.

Back Yard

OOOOH H0HHOHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHOOHHHHOHOOOHOEOO



| . 7 Retain and rehabilitate structures dating from Retain'street patterns
Re-establish period of period of significance. Consider future adaptive {
significance frontyard reuse for commercial and visitor related uses
system to provide

similar setback and
pedestrian access -——-+

Cl

1
Provide interpretive
waysides to highlight

> 15th Street

f ireets,
within zone/to the pi

}and/or restaurant ai

Monroe Street

EXHIBIT 8

NORTHERN MIXED USE ZONE
i DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT PLAN

Brown v. Boarp or Epucarion
WATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
«March 1999

ok

¥42fec008 (3907



2-50 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

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Map 2. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 14, 1889.

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2-56 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Map 8. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 70, 1950.


FEATURES

CHARACTER-DEFINING



3-20 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Exhibit 18.
Compatible and
appropriate
lighting for
commercial
buildings and
areas.

Lighting

Outdoor lighting—whether freestanding or attached to a building—affects
not only the safety and security of buildings within the neighborhood, but also
their daytime and nighttime appearances. The existing approach to municipal
street lighting is standard and utilitarian. This is appropriate given the modest
design character of the neighborhood and the lack of historical precedent for
specialty lighting. Historically, buildings in the neighborhood generally had little
exterior lighting other than a porch-ceiling fixture. Lighting fixtures should be
restrained in appearance to be in keeping with the simple character of the
neighborhood (Exhibit 18).

The most probable change associated with lighting will be the need for safety
and security lighting in association with newly developed parking areas that may be
used for evening events in association with the NHS. Nighttime lighting will also
help to promote the identity of any businesses that are open at night as well as street
vitality and security. Restaurants and shops with evening hours, and places that
hold evening events need exterior lighting. Even when businesses are closed,
effective and attractive display window lighting attracts the interests of visitors who
arrive during the evening to plan the next day’s itinerary.

Street Lighting

+ Continue to use City of Topeka lighting.

* Avoid adopting a “historic,” decorative, or neo-traditional approach to street
lighting.

+ Evaluate whether additional street lighting is needed once redevelopment and
NHS visitation begin.

00 OOOO OOOO OOOOHOHHOHOHHHHOHHOHHHHHHHOHOHHOHOO


2-4 ¢ Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

a-half-story dwellings, a one-story cobbler shop, and a long, narrow two-story
building identified as a store and “tenement” and depicted on the 1896 Sanborn
map as having an exterior stair on the north side.'®

The 1896 Sanborn map indicates that Quincy Street between 14th and 15th
Streets was not completely developed either. The northwest corner was depicted
as a block of four attached dwellings described as “Negro tenements.” The
tenement block was built tight to the street with no setback. There were three
vacant lots south of the tenements on the west side. Four of the next five lots to
the south were developed with one- and one-and-a-half-story dwellings. The
seven southernmost lots on the west side, however, had not yet been developed.
The east side of Quincy Street was more developed with a store on each corner
and seven houses on the sixteen lots laid out between the two stores. Only one
house was two-stories tall; the others were one- and one-and-a-half-story
dwellings. The block occupied by the Monroe School exhibited a similar
development character with small, primarily one- and one-and-a-half-story houses
occupying lots near the school. Monroe Street north of the school, however, was
sparsely developed with only three dwellings depicted on this block on the 1896
Sanborn map. That block located opposite the Missouri Pacific Railroad Grounds
may not have been particularly desirable for residential use. It appears that the
area east of the current NHS remained largely undeveloped through the last
decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. A
1903 map of Topeka varies little in its treatment of this area from the ca. 1882
me of the city although other areas of the city appear to have developed (Map

By 1913 when the Sanborn maps were updated, additional residential
development had occurred. Most of this development survived through the period
of significance. Apparently this part of Topeka experienced considerable growth
and development between 1896 and 1913. Kansas Avenue just west of the
designated NHS neighborhood was much more developed than it had been in
1913 (Map 5). Within the neighborhood, new dwellings had been built on the
west side of Quincy Street between 14th and 15th Streets. A larger store had
replaced a smaller store on the southeast corner of 14th and Quincy Streets, and
two attached dwellings had been removed from the northwest corner of 15th and
Quincy Streets (Map 6). In 1913, the east side of Monroe Street between 13th
and 14th Streets was almost completely filled with dwellings developed on former
railroad grounds. Only one new dwelling was built on the west side of Monroe
Street between 14th and 15th Streets. A store had been built on the southwest
corner of Quincy and 15th Streets and the rest of the block south to 17th Street
was being developed with houses although there were still a number of
undeveloped lots on the west side and six vacant lots on the east side. 17th Street,
which was still known as Euclid Avenue in 1913, was completely developed with

® Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 34, 1896,
"1.1, Jewett, Map of Topeka, 1903, University of Kansas Libraries, Lawrence, Kansas.



Character-Defining Features * 2-35

neighborhood does not exhibit a high degree of maintenance. Rear yards, in
particular, have substantial amounts of outdoor storage and lack maintenance.
Some of the commercial/industrial properties located in the neighborhood also
have considerable outdoor storage.

NHS Zone

This zone includes the 1.85 NHS acre site comprised of the former Monroe
School building, the lot associated with the school, and the open lot—the former
ball field——just east of the school. There are silver maples (that have replaced the
elms that were present during the period of significance) lining Monroe Street in
front of the school. No playground equipment remains on the school property,
but the former ball field east of the school on the opposite side of Monroe Street
retains a chain link fence baseball backstop at the northwest corner. The former
ball field is bounded by the abandoned railroad alignment; the tracks have been
removed.

The guidelines do not address
the school site in detail because
NPS is developing its plans for the
NHS through its regular planning
process. All alterations, additions,
and repair will be consistent with
the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties and Guidelines
for the Treatment of Historic

Landscapes.
West Residential Zone

This zone includes all parcels Figure 17.
fronting on Quincy Street between Portions of

14th Street to the north and 17th
Street to the south, all residential
properties fronting on 17th Street
from Kansas Avenue to the west to
Monroe Street on the east,
residential property on Monroe
Street, and the streets contained
within these limits.

brick sidewalks
survive along
neighborhood
streets.

LCA, 1998.

The existing land use of this zone is almost exclusively residential with the
exception of a portion of a parking lot and the vacant space that was occupied by
residential buildings that have been demolished. The spatial organization can be



Parcel Line Parcel Line

MULTIPLE ENTRIES SHARED ENTRIES

The use of access drives or shared entries is preferable to
multiple entry points for each site or parcel.

Consolidation simplifies vehicular access and reduces disturbance
of the natural environment.

EXHIBIT 15
SHARED PARKING OPPORTUNITIES

NOT TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp of Epucation
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999

4or[ Zo00d

567



2-16 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

fences in the neighborhood.”* There were at least two large, free-standing signs in
the neighborhood, the Coca Cola sign at Laura’s Coffee Shop and the Pure oil
sign. There may have been others.

The eastern edge of the ballfield along the current study area boundary was
defined with a woven wire fence similar to that used for the baseball backstop.
Often the sporting events at this field drew attendance from the neighborhood and
other areas of the city. Former residents and students, however, do not recall any
site furnishings, other than the backstop and fence separating the field from the
railroad tracks. Spectators would have stood or sat on the ground; some may have
brought their own chairs.”

Both field observations and comparisons of aerial photography indicate that
there is probably more street lighting apparent today than there was during the
period of significance. Areas, such as the triangle of land between the two sets of
railroad tracks, probably had no lighting in the 1950s although residents recall
that there was some street lighting during the period of significance. Standard
city lighting standards were always used in the neighborhood.

Vegetation

Examinations of current plant material, interviews with former residents, and a
review of period aerial photography indicate that the NHS neighborhood had
considerable deciduous vegetation during the period of significance. Historic
photographs of Laura’s Coffee Shop at the corner of 15th and Monroe Streets
show the residential style building shaded by large trees that appear to date from
the late nineteenth century when the neighborhood first developed (Figures 2, 3,
and 4). Both former residents’ recollections and aerial photography indicate that
there were more trees in residential lawns during the period of significance than
there are today.” It is likely that as trees have become diseased or damaged
through the years, few have been replaced. This pattern is consistent with
decreased residential uses, a decline in owner-occupied residences, and an
increase in paved parking and outdoor storage uses. It is likely that the climate
moderating effects of deciduous trees also would have been more appreciated in
the 1950s than it has been since air conditioning became readily available.

The 1954 aerial photograph (Figure 7) shows considerably more tree cover
than is present now or apparent in a 1991 aerial photograph (Figure 9). In 1954,
it would appear that most residential lots had at least one shade tree. Trees were
located primarily in backyards. Since most houses were sited on their lots in
locations near the street, there was more backyard space for trees. It is also
known that a considerable number of elms were removed from the school and

* Telephone interviews of Marquis Brunett, former neighborhood resident who still resides in Topeka, Kansas, and his
sister Marita Davis (Kansas City) by Genevieve P. Keller, February, 1999.

“Telephone interview of Marquis Brunett, former neighborhood resident who still resides in Topeka, Kansas, by _

Genevieve P. Keller, February, 1999.
© City of Topeka, Division of Engineering (ref, ZSG-2N-82), Topeka, Kansas.



3-64 * Brown ¥. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Public Utilities

+ As part of an overall park rehabilitation, work with the City of Topeka to
ensure that utility needs for special events such as concerts, memorials, and
other group activities can be met. Encourage installation of all new utilities
underground to the extent feasible in the park.

Lighting

* Work with the City of Topeka to make lighting decisions on nighttime lighting
needs for special events and neighborhood safety and security.

+ Avoid thematic, neo-traditional, or specialty lighting. Choose understated but
attractive, contemporary lighting standards if nighttime lighting is necessary;
design lighting as part of the overall park rehabilitation.


FEATURES

CHARACTER-DEFINING



2-46 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

used as overflow parking area for the graphic production company located on
17th Street to the south.

Park structures include the concrete pad with pressure-treated wood walls used
for the outdoor theatre area. No remnants of the filled wading pool are apparent.
Historically a plantation of elms, some of which no longer survive, bordered the
15th and 17th Street edges. There is a deciduous border of volunteer trees that
have grown up along the railroad right of way forming the western boundary of
the park. They appear to post date the period of significance, and are probably
less than twenty years old. A very large cottonwood tree stands near the edge of
the drainage swail and probably predates the development of the park. Other trees
including elms, pines, several cottonwoods and several sycamores appear to date
from various periods (Figure 25). No flowering perennials or annuals were
observed. Park furnishings include benches and picnic tables as a well as the
primitive, painted plaster sculpture of a bison (Figure 26). Park identification
signs are painted wooden signs with inscribed lettering with an attached metal
sign giving park hours. There are traffic regulatory signs at the street edge and
metal street identification signs on metal posts. Electric and telephone lines
extend along the south side of 15th Street and present some threat to park trees
that may be pruned to prevent interference with the power lines. The eastern
terminus of the park is poorly defined and offers few amenities (Figure 27).


Upgrade picnic and play furnishings.
Retain large mowed areas.

Retain and improve brick sidewalks,
remove grass and other vegetation
from brick joints.

Improve lighting along walkways
and at group gathering areas.

Consolidate utilities to reduce visual
clutter at park entrance.

Potential commercial development
area.
(Southern Mixed Use Zone)

Remove existing sign; add Historic
Area/ Park entrance sign. Develop
visitor wayfinding and information
signs in addition to entrance sign.

Retain vegetation dating from period of
significance. Remove coniferous
and volunteer vegetation.

Develop both family and group picnic areas.

Potential commercial development area.
Retain and rehabilitate structures dating
from period of significance.
(Northern Mixed Use Zone)

EXHIBIT 31

CUSHINBERRY PARK AND
ADJACENT AREA ENHANCEMENTS

Brown v. Boarp oF EpucaTion
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES



Develop infill housing on
vacant traditional
residential lots. Utilize
appropriate single-family
residential architectural
styles and street setback.

Encourage the selection of
compatible and harmonious
paint schemes.

Retain existing decidious
trees dating from period of
significance in residential
yards.

Retain and maintain
boundary definitions such
as hedges and fences.

Retain grass as dominant
ground cover. Encourage
use of perennials and
annuals.

of

Existing Finish Grade —®- F ae:

Retain existing topographic

Existing Sidewalk .

1g —o variations. Retain and
rehabilitate existing steps,

Existing Street/Curb —6- 2 was 2 oo foe Z : Hg o Sie eee sidewalks and walls.

Line

Property Line|

Property

Existing "Bungalow" Housing Style Infill Housing Site Existing "Shotgun"|Housing Style

EXHIBIT 28

PRESERVATION OF RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER
AND APPROPRIATE INFILL REDEVELOPMENT

' ELEVATION VIEW
! NOT TO SCALE

Brown v. Boarp oF EpucaTIon
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

CULTURAL LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES

LAND AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATES
December 1999

fo 2/ 20008 “yet



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Design Guidelines + 3-41

Walls and Fences
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Vegetation
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Small-scale Features
* See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Buildings and Structures

¢ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.
+ Encourage construction of one-and-a-half-, two-, and two-and-a-half-story
buildings in the 1,000 to 2,500 square foot ranges.

NORTHERN MIXED USE ZONE GUIDELINES (EXHIBITS)
Land Use

- Encourage development of NHS-related parking and NPS visitor services and
interpretation on the vacant block bounded by Quincy, Monroe, 14th, and 15th
Streets.

+ If the current uses on 15th Street between Monroe and Madison Streets (with
the neighborhood’s largest existing concentration of commercial and
industrial uses) are discontinued, encourage adaptive use of structures
surviving from the period of significance for visitor-oriented commercial
development (Exhibit 30).

* Consider appropriate economic development opportunities, such as
encouraging low-scale hotel/restaurant development on the parcels fronting on
15th Street east of Madison Street. Development would provide an
opportunity for visitors to stay in the neighborhood and provide an anchor and
terminus at the eastern edge of the NHS neighborhood.

Spatial Organization
* See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Vehicular Circulation
* See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Alleys

+ Consider using the traditional alignment of the alley between 14th and 15th
Streets as north and south access and ingress and egress for the potential
parking to be developed in the two blocks north of Monroe School.


Map 7. Sanbom Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 84, 1913 ......ccscsesssesseseresetesetenerenetsnersenteenes 2-55

w. 2-56

Map 8. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 70. 1950 ..
Map 9. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 82. 1950 .....ccsecssssssecsecsecsesssesesessessetscersesee 2ST
Map 10. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 84. 1950.00... :.ccsesssessecesseeseercessssseressteeree 2°58
Map 11. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 114. 1950......ccsccsssceessessceseseseseseneneesreeee 2-59
Map 12. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 70. 1954.......ccsseecsessessseesseseseertessssesesses 2°60

Map 13. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 305. 1954.. we 2-61

Map 14. Sanborn Map, Topeka, Kansas, Sheet 102. 1955... ececscssceeeseseerseetseeseeneeereees 262

Exhibits
Exhibit 1. Site Context and Location... cccceceessecesesseeiesseseteensssssecstecssntissssetestsesteeetesees £4

Exhibit 2. Site Plan

Exhibit 3. Neighborhood Character ZOmeS ........cccccseessstessteeseseeneecseseaseessersssrassescsseesssrscens 2729
Exhibit 4. Integrity Analysis and Historic ViewS.......c.cccccsssessssssecsecesseessensseesecesereseseaeseneess 2-31
Exhibit 5. Design/Development Concept Plan..........ccceceseceeeeeteieresteestenetenetenstensssesetenetsees S70)

Exhibit 6. NHS Zone, Design/Development Concept Plan.......ccccceceesseeeetetteesteceeees 3933,

Exhibit 7. West Residential Zone, Design/Development Concept Plan .
Exhibit 8. Northern Mixed Use Zone, Design/Development Concept Plan.........cs.scesesevee 3-43
Exhibit 9. Southern Mixed Use Zone, Design/Development Concept Plan...........:seeseseee: 3-53

Exhibit 10. Cushinberry Park/Open Space Zone, Design/Development Concept
PUAN oe eceeccceseceeseeecssseescsescsecseseeacsessssesscsssssssecasessesesseasseeeessesissssasansnensrssesiseteesicesseeteeeesaes 3-57

Exhibit 11. Inappropriate large scale development .........c:.csscsseceeerecteesessesesseacarseeeaeseeaeee 328

Exhibit 12. Appropriate large scale development...

iv

00000 OOOOOHHOHOOHHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHOCHHHOOO8D


3-14 » Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

driveways instead of paving large areas. Where possible, avoid gravel
driveways and parking areas that are visible from city streets. Gravel
driveways and parking are more appropriate adjacent to alleys.

* Use plantings to decrease the visual effect of the edges of driveways, but avoid
creating hedges and other strong linear alignments.

+ Avoid development of new driveways at the street edge of corner lots.

+ In general, discourage parking from overwhelming the relationship between a
building and its landscape setting.

Commercial Parking
+ Continue on-street parking where it is convenient and does not create

congestion since it was not prohibited during the period of significance.
Monitor the effects of increased visitation when the NHS opens and as new
commercial uses develop.

+ Design unobtrusive off-street parking areas that preserve the relationships
between buildings and site.

+ Where possible, locate new parking areas behind a building rather than to the
side or front to reduce its visual effect (Exhibit 14). Design parking areas so
that they enhance the appearance of a building’s rear facade. Provide rear
access to parking where possible.

+ Consolidate the entrance and exit of a parking lot in a single location at a
sufficient distance from street intersections to avoid traffic and pedestrian
conflicts.

* Use small identification signs and plant materials to identify and define the
entrances and exits of large parking lots. Ensure that all entrances and exits
have adequate lines of sight for entering and exiting vehicles.

+ Use appropriate signs to identify public or private parking lots and to inform
motorists of restrictions, hours, applicable regulations, and fees.

+ Do not develop parking areas in a way that would severely limit or preclude
future building construction or other land uses for adjacent parcels.

+ Provide clearly defined pedestrian areas and handicapped accessibility within
parking areas.

* Provide adequate lighting for visibility in off-street parking areas but ensure
that lighting is unobtrusive, especially in residential areas. Use appropriate
lighting at the entrances and exits and within parking lots to provide adequate
nighttime visibility and security for vehicles and pedestrians.

TORR RRR ERR ER ES ER ERE EERE REZ EERE EEE EEE SES


Character-Defining Features * 2-21

the 1955 Sanborn shows the “low land” triangle as park, but does not show the
rest of the parkland to the west.** A 1954 aerial photograph, however, shows the
park covered with a number of mature trees that appear to be in locations
consistent with those shown on the Runcimann drawing and its revisions. The
large deciduous trees, believed to be elms, obscure most other details of the park
design. In the smaller triangle of land (the former “low land”) the three tennis
courts and the meander of an intermittent spring believed fo have been present
earlier in the century are not apparent. The former “low land” triangle appears as
open land in the photograph. Its rough appearance may indicate the presence of
earth fill over a culverted spring. The fill would have brought this area to the
elevation of Monroe Street and would explain the absence of the stream.
However, the area may simply be exhibiting the signs of wear associated with
outdoor play or heavy foot traffic. Regardless, there is no indication of the three
tennis courts depicted in the 1922 plans and its revisions nor is there the stream
meander that existed prior to the period of significance.

An examination of park files with city and NHS personnel did not reveal the
exact chronology of implementation of park improvements apparently first
planned in 1922. Euclid Park, as drawn by J. T. Runcimann in 1922 and revised
in 1934, was a long triangular parcel of land formed by the intersection of 15th
Street and Euclid Ave (now 17th Street)."” The Missouri Pacific Railroad formed
the western end of the park area. The other triangle of land further to the west and
bounded by 15th Street, Euclid Avenue, and the two railroad tracks (and
identified as “low land” on the Runcimann drawing) appears to have been
considered a portion of the park at this time. The park plan accommodated
Jefferson Street bisecting the park to connect Euclid and 15th Streets.

The features identified on the Runciman drawing as revised in 1934 (Figure
11) included a tennis court in the northwest comer of the current Cushinberry
Park with a backstop fence at the north and south ends of the court and three
tennis courts in the “lowland” triangle. The plan also included a wading pool
situated roughly parallel to Euclid Avenue and located southeast of the tennis
court, and a small structure identified as a toilet east of the tennis court and north
of the wading pool.

The Runcimann plan also proposed a diagonal walk extending from the
northwest portion of the park to the southeast and intersecting with the sidewalk
parallel to Jefferson Street as it crossed Euclid Avenue and continuing through the
park. A circular area located approximately in the middle of the diagonal walk is
shown as connected to a water line. It is not known whether the circular design
was intended to be an ornamental flowerbed or a fountain. Since other early
twentieth century parks in Topeka had showy planting beds during this period, a

* Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Topeka, The Sanborn Library, LLC; Environmental Data Resources, Inc. Southport,
Connecticut. Sheet 102, 1954.

“ Park files provided by the City of Topeka Department of Parks and Recreation files were examined and copied during a
visit to the department by Genevieve Keller of LCA and Tyrone Brandyburg of NPS.



3-52 * Brown V. Board of Education Cultural Landscape Guidelines

Spatial Organization
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Vehicular Circulation
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Pedestrian Circulation
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Parking
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Signs

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.
Lighting

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.
Utilities and Outdoor Storage

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Utilities for Industrial/Commercial Properties
See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Walls and Fences
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Vegetation
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Small-scale Features
+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood.

Buildings and Structures

+ See Guidelines for the Entire NHS Neighborhood except where discussed
below.

+ Encourage new construction of buildings in the 2,500 to 16,000 square foot
ranges with traditional setbacks near the street edge (Exhibit 8).



Design Guidelines * 3-21

Lighting for Parking Areas

+ Consider lighting as a utilitarian need rather than as an opportunity for
omamentation in keeping with the traditional approach to lighting that has
always characterized this neighborhood.

+ Choose light fixtures that are appropriate to the scale and character of the
landscape and parking areas and that are compatible with adjacent buildings.
Consider non-decorative, low-mounted aluminum standards that do not imitate
historic styles.

* Select and encourage the use of appropriate commercially available lighting
fixtures for use in the neighborhood.

+ Avoid adopting a decorative, or neo-traditional approach to parking lot lighting.

+ Use standards and poles that are less than twenty feet in height for general area
lighting.

+ Avoid the use of high-intensity security lighting.

+ Iuminate walkways and specific areas in need of security; avoid general area
lighting if possible.

+ Control glare by using light fixtures with parabolic reflectors or louvers to direct
light downward rather than outward.

+ Avoid lighting systems that would cause unreasonable glare to any residences
adjacent to public parking areas.

Residential Lighting (for both residences and residences adapted for business

uses)

+ Encourage retention of light fixtures that are original to or compatible with the
dwelling, such as individual porch lights.

+ Discourage residents from lighting the exteriors of residences unless necessary
for safety. In most instances, traditional porch lighting is adequate.

* Encourage selections of exterior lighting fixtures that are in scale with and
subordinate to overall building character. Simple and unobtrusive light fixtures
are most appropriate.

+ Encourage site and landscape lighting that is low in scale and unobtrusive in
design.

* Install security lights at the perimeter of a house only when necessary. Limit
motion-sensitive and dusk-to-dawn security lighting to areas not visible from
the street frontage. Use only low-voltage lights close to the house to avoid
harsh shadows.

¢ Avoid the installation of lighting fixtures that obscure or damage important
features of a building.

+ Avoid the use of exterior flood lights to illuminate buildings, building features,
or vegetation.

* Encourage the use of ground-based low-voltage lighting at paths and steps
where illumination from porch lights alone is insufficient for safety and
convenience.



Ay

TOPEK

sauyapmy advospunT [o.inijna uonwonpg fo pAvog 4 UMOUg « $2-T

Figure 12. “Euclid Park, Topeka, Kansas,” drawn by J.T. Runcimann, April 12, 1922, revised 1940. (Color-reversed) City of Topeka Division of Parks and Recreation
files.

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