History of Downtown Topeka

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Established in 1868 St. John AME Church remains one of the most essential institutions within Topeka’s African American community. The congregation assisted former slaves as they traveled west in search of farmland prior to and during the 'Exodus' of 1879 that saw twenty thousand African American sharecroppers abandon the South after the failure of Reconstruction. The church continues to play a central role in the community, offering everything from from religious services to a forum to address civil and social issues. Construction of the current church building began in 1908 and it was completed in 1926. The St. John AME Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

2. Charles Curtis House Museum

Charles Curtis was an influential member of Congress and Vice President under Herbert Hoover. He was the first Native American to hold the office, and also the last Vice President to remain unmarried for the entire duration of his service in the office. His home in Topeka is now a public museum that offers artifacts and displays related to his life and era.

3. Historical Marker: The Kansa Tribe

Kansas is named after the Kansa tribe, whose traditional territory was located in the northeast part of the state. This marker, which is located on the grounds of the State Capitol building, provides a brief description of the tribe's culture and history. The Kansa's situation slowly began to change once European traders first made contact with them in the 18th century. By the turn of the 19th century, the tribe's situation worsened. A treaty signed in 1825 decreased the size of the Kansa's territory. The tribe also suffered from disease and the constant arrival of white settlers, who often encroached on Kansa lands. The federal government relocated the Kansa to the Upper Neosho Valley in 1844 and, later in 1863, ordered all tribes to move out of the state into Oklahoma. The Kansa made this move in 1873.

4. Pioneer Mother Memorial

Located on the southwest quadrant of the stunning Kansas State Capitol’s grounds, the Pioneer Women Memorial pays an essential tribute to an often overlooked facet of westward expansion in the United States: the woman, mother, and pioneer. Women pioneers were central to the success of westward settlement, and without these courageous women, many who held several roles in both traveling caravans and small settlements, newfound communities west of the Mississippi would have encountered eventual destruction and abandonment. The sculpture on the capitol grounds features the image of a pioneer woman, who is said to represent the artistic embodiment of all Kansas pioneer women. Aside her on the marble pedestal includes a dog by one of her feet, a pre-teen son by the other foot, a baby cradled in her arm, and a large rifle sitting across her lap. According to the statue’s inscription, the symbolic pioneer mother is too well-fed to be a pioneer woman, but it nonetheless represents the hardships, struggles, and ideals these women met settling into the Kansas territory. Sculpted by acclaimed Topeka resident, Robert Merrill Gage, the Pioneer Women Memorial was dedicated on May 11, 1937, the Mother’s Day of that year.

5. Kansas State Capitol

As an architectural landmark that took more than 30 years to complete and cost $3,200,588.92 over a century ago, the Kansas State Capitol stands out even among state capitols. The beautiful copper dome (which is taller than the dome of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.) and the Ad Astra statue, which stands atop the dome, are visible even from distances in Topeka. Built between 1866 and 1903, visitors to the statehouse will find both a window into the past and a chance to see the current state government at work.

6. Historical Marker: Governor Landon's Acceptance

This historical marker indicates the spot on which then Governor Alf Landon (in office from 1933-1937) accepted the Republican Party's nomination for the presidency on July 23, 1936. Unfortunately for him and the party, not only did he lose to the incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt, he lost by a whopping 523 electoral votes to 8. Landon only won Maine and Vermont. However, despite this loss, Landon remained a strong figure in the party in the coming years, helping to strengthen the party for the 1940 presidential election. He did not run for office again and returned to the private sector, where he had previously made his millionaire fortune in the oil industry.

7. GAR Memorial Hall, (The Memorial Building) Topeka

Known formally as the Memorial Building, the GAR Memorial Hall is a historic building located in downtown Topeka near the State Capitol. Although the building currently houses the State of Kansas Office of the Secretary State, Memorial Hall is significant as its construction was a dedication to the soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War. The building itself dates back to 1914, though movements to build a memorial began in 1908 by the Grand Army of the the Republic (GAR). It also stands as an excellent example of French Renaissance style architecture that was favored among government buildings during the early 20th century. From its construction in 1914 until 1995, Memorial Hall’s main purpose was to house the Kansas State Historical Society. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

8. Mariachi Divina! - Mariachi Estrella de Topeka Musical Tribute

Topeka has long been renowned for its contributions to music in every genre. However, throughout the history of the United States as well as Kansas, few musical groups have been as influential as Mariachi Estrella de Topeka. Consisting of seven women, Mariachi Estrella de Topeka rose to Kansas statewide prominence throughout the 1970s and especially in 1980 and 1981. More importantly, this group was the first all-female mariachi group (a musical genre typically dominated by males) in not only Kansas, but quite possibly the United States. Just as the group was taking off, they met a horrible tragedy in 1981 when the walkways at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City collapsed, killing four members and 110 other people. An eight-foot bronze statue of a female mariachi player rests in front of the Topeka Performing Arts Center, memorializing the musical pioneers. This story captures the importance of preserving Kansas’s Mexican American communities and culture, which are a crucial part of democracy in the United States.

9. Thacher Building

The Thacher Building is a three-story Richardson Romanesque commercial building in downtown Topeka. Built in 1888 at a cost of about $40,000, the stone structure is a two-part commercial block form. The stone balustrade capping the building contains a nameplate inscribed "THACHER." The Thacher Building was constructed for Timothy Dwight Thacher, a local businessman, using cottonwood limestone. Thacher settled in Topeka in the 1850s and helped establish the Kansas Republican Party in 1859. The original architectural plans for the Thacher Building by John Gideon Haskell survive; Haskell also designed the Kansas Statehouse. Not many other commercial buildings downtown from the Topeka building boom era survive so intact. The building was listed on its own in the National Register in 1975 and as a contributing building in the South Kansas Avenue Commercial Historic District in 2015.

10. The Jayhawk Theatre

Completed in 1926, the Jayhawk Theatre was created to show both moving pictures and live, primarily, vaudeville shows. The Jayhawk was designed by the prominent Kansas City architectural firm of the Boller Brothers, which was responsible for designing almost 100 theaters across the country. Twenty of their theaters are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Jayhawk.

11. Historical Marker: Site of the First State Capitol

This historical marker indicates the location of the state's first capitol building, constructed between 1857-1858. It wasn't built purposely to house the state capitol offices; these were established in the building in 1861. The building was called the Ritchie Block. Just a few years later, the current capitol building was constructed. Fidelity Bank has been located here since 1922. The present structure was built in 1967.

12. Old German-American State Bank

The old German-American State Bank building is a two-story commercial block clad in white glazed brick and terra cotta ornaments. It was built in 1910 and designed by Leeper & Smith. The longer side of the building faces south toward SW 5th Avenue and features two-story arched bays and a stepped parapet. A recessed modern, two-story addition on the building's west end contains a stairway and elevator. The building contained the bank on the first floor until the 1950s; in 1917, the bank changed its name to Guaranty State Bank. The old German-American State Bank building was listed in the Kansas Register in 1979 and in the National Register the following year.

13. Constitution Hall-The Free State Capitol

Constitution Hall was the first stone building in the city of Topeka and served as the headquarters of protest government formed by anti-slavery settlers in the early years of the Kansas Territory. Between the creation of the territory in 1854 and the start of the Civil War, Congress recognized a pro-slavery government based out of Lecompton as the legitimate government of the territory. In response, settlers representing the majority of Kansans who opposed the extension of slavery into their territory created their own government which was headquartered at this location. After statehood was granted in 1861 (without slavery) this building also served as the official meeting place of the new state government during construction of the East Wing of the Statehouse, five blocks to the south.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

History of Downtown Topeka

Created by Clio Admin on February 2nd 2017, 9:04:43 pm.

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Description

This short walking tour includes a dozen historical sites including Constitution Hall, the home of the Free State Legislature that stood against the pro-slavery legislature at Lecompton. The tour reveals the diversity of Topeka's people and history with stops related to Hispanic culture and African American history. The tour also includes the current seat of government, monuments to Kansas women, historic buildings that were home to important businesses, theaters, and other historic sites, landmarks, and institutions.

Entries on This Tour

History of Downtown Topeka

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