East Douglas Avenue Historic District -- Wichita KS
N 37° 41.141 W 097° 19.738
14S E 647341 N 4172255
This National Register Historic District is bounded by Topeka, Rock Island, 1st, and English Streets in downtown Wichita. It contains several grand buildings important to the development to this Kansas city.
Waymark Code: WMH087
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/01/2013
Views: 3
The East Douglas Avenue Historic District of Wichita KS was created in 2004 to encompass 39 contributing buildings, 5 contributing structures, and 6 non-contributing buildings in downtown Wichita.
The waymark coordinates take you to the old Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Depot next to Union Station. This 1887 late Victorian depot is itself on the National Register of its own right.
Several architectral styles are on display in this district, including Beaux Arts, late Victorian, Classical Revival, and Second Empire. Most the the buildings are commerce-related, but two are rail-related, and one is a historic hotel.
The link to the nomination form can be found here: (
visit link)
From that nomination form comes this more specific description of the district's boundaries:
"The East Douglas Avenue Historic District is located within the city limits of Wichita, Kansas, and comprises the extant core of historic commercial buildings along Douglas Avenue. The district generally extends along East Douglas Avenue from the 400 block through the 800 block, as well as part of the east side of the 100 block of N. Francis and part of the west side of the 200 block of Commerce Street.. . . Within the boundaries of this district are three buildings which are already listed in the National Register. There are an additional thirty-six contributing buildings, six non-contributing buildings, and five contributing structures within the proposed boundaries. The district as a whole retains integrity of location, setting, association, design, workmanship, and to a lesser extent, materials.
The East Douglas Avenue Historic District comprises the majority of extant historic buildings along East Douglas Avenue, which was the most significant commercial thoroughfare in Wichita for over one hundred years. As the most prominent commercial street in Wichita, several buildings within the historic district were also designed by architects, and thus have architectural features which distinguish them from the more utilitarian buildings in the warehouse/industrial areas of Wichita. Architectural styles in the proposed district range from those found in the late Victorian era through the early twentieth century.. . . " [end]