The Kansas State Historical Society officially notified the City of Wichita Historic Preservation Office of the designation for the Bitting, Park Place/Fairview, Topeka/Emporia, and East Douglas Historic Districts on the Register of Historic Kansas Places. These district nominations have now been sent to the National Park Service for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The Warehouse and Jobbers Historic District, known locally as Old Town, was designated in the Register of Historic Kansas Places in May 2003. In November 2003, the National Park Service officially designated this district in the National Register of Historic Places.
These districts represent intact collections of structures with minimal changes from the time of their original construction. They are significant because they represent residential and commercial architectural styles and building types of Wichita’s history between 1885 and 1950, and chronicle the bust and boom periods of Wichita’s early development. Many of the buildings within these districts were designed by well-known local architects - Elbert Dumont, C.W. Terry, U.G. Charles, Lorentz Schmidt, Fred McCune, and Glen Thomas, to mention a few.
In addition to the honorary designation, listing in the Register of Historic Kansas Places and the National Register of Historic Places provides state and federal historic income tax incentives to owners of residential and commercial properties. More information regarding the history and buildings of these districts, as well as state/federal historic income tax credit information is available in the City of Wichita Historic Preservation Office.
For additional information, contact: Kathy Morgan, 268-4421 or kmorgan@wichita.gov.