Leavenworth Downtown Historic District - Leavenworth, Kansas - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The proposed Leavenworth Downtown Historic District is located within the boundaries of the City of Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, Kansas. The city's business district is a level area in the narrow valley of Three Mile Creek. The District is part of a larger commercial neighborhood generally bounded by Three Mile Creek to the south, the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the Missouri River to the east, Seventh Street to the west and Seneca Street to the north.

The 39.95-acre District is an irregularly-shaped area generally bounded by Cherokee Street on the south, Fourth Street on the east, Shawnee Street on the north and Sixth Street on the west, with a one-block extension to the west along the north side of Cherokee Street. It includes properties on both sides of Fifth and Sixth streets between Shawnee and Cherokee streets, and both sides of Shawnee and Delaware streets between Fourth and Sixth streets. The area includes the buildings on the north side of Cherokee Street between Sixth and Seventh streets, as well as the two corner buildings on the east side of Fourth Street at the intersection with Delaware Street. There are two buildings already listed on the National Register of Historic Places (429 Delaware Street and 500 Delaware Street), 65 contributing buildings, 14 noncontributing buildings, and 10 vacant lots/parking lots.

The District's setting reflects its late nineteenth and early twentieth century riverfront commercial land use and its historic buildings underscore this as well. The 65 contributing properties include buildings constructed between 1865 and 1945. Of these properties, 13 date from 1864-1880, 18 date from 1881 to 1900, 24 date from 1901-1920 and 10 date from 1921-1945. Approximately 94 percent of the extant buildings were historically commercial buildings. Other historic functional buildings are a meeting hall, one recreational/cultural building (theater), one government building (city hall), one educational facility (high school) and one domestic residential building. The commercial buildings are on rectangular lots, generally measuring 24-feet by 125-feet, platted in a grid system and, with few exceptions, facing north and south. They usually occupy the full width of the lots, sharing party walls with buildings on neighboring lots. Alleys run east-west through the blocks.

The majority of the buildings are two stories in height, with the exception of buildings constructed later in the period of significance. With few exceptions, a large percent of the buildings have dark red or brown brick cladding. Light-colored terra-cotta and pressed metal are common materials used as decorative architectural elements. In addition, many have awnings sheltering the first-story commercial space. With the exception of City Hall, the setbacks are the same throughout, a treatment that contributes to the cohesiveness of the District.