The historic documentation phase for the proposed International Marketplace District is complete. Results reveal 11 potentially eligible individual properties, three potential historic districts and a potential conservation district within the defined project area.
Rosin Historic Preservation Consulting, LLC (RHPC) completed the historic documentation survey in conjunction with the Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Planning Department (MAPD) and Greteman Group, lead consultant for the International Marketplace District project. RHPC surveyed 187 resources within the initially defined project area, which encompasses the retail segments of the 21st Street corridor from Broadway on the east to the Thai Binh Asian Market at Somerset on the west and the Broadway retail corridor from 22nd Street on the north to 20th Street on the south.
Individual Properties
All properties eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places must retain sufficient architectural integrity to convey the period of time for which they are significant. Buildings that received an integrity rating of “Excellent” appear to be individually eligible for register listing.
“There were many buildings resided with aluminum, vinyl or asbestos shingles which automatically disqualifies them from National Register eligibility in Kansas,” said Elizabeth Rosin, owner of RHPC. “It is a wonderful ‘vintage’ neighborhood, though, that retains strong evidence of its historic appearance.”
Of the buildings surveyed, 11 retain excellent integrity, including the Nomar Theater at 2141 North Market Street and the Flat Iron Building at 2144 N Broadway. These and the nine other buildings appear to be potentially eligible for Register listing.
Historic Districts
Three potential historic districts have also been identified within the study area. These areas retain architectural integrity and significant historical associations under the National Register criteria.
Conservation District
The east section of the survey area, where there is the greatest concentration of historic buildings, and the residential neighborhoods that surround the survey area meet the criteria for a conservation district. A conservation district is defined as a group of structures, landscape elements, or any integrated combination of the two that retains some distinctive architectural and historical characteristics, but which has less integrity than a historic district.
Conservation districts can help to stabilize property values in older neighborhoods or to create a buffer zone for historic districts or individual landmark properties. In conservation districts, design review is limited to major changes (such as demolition and new construction) to encourage sympathetic alterations to existing buildings, as well as compatible new construction.
Recommendation
The results of this study are preliminary, and therefore somewhat limited. All of the properties recommended in the results are potentially eligible for listing in the National Register under one or more criteria. Additional research and assessment will determine which individual properties or districts will be nominated for potential listing in the National Register.
Benefits of Preservation
Preservation has proven value as a tool for economic development and environmental stewardship. Some benefits of historic preservation include:
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The physical appearance of its buildings and streetscapes reflect the community’s overall vitality and economic health.
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Maintaining the city’s older commercial and residential areas can attract larger commercial ventures to the community, even if these ventures do not locate in the defined historic area.
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The value of rehabilitated properties in a city’s historic core increases more rapidly than the real estate market in the larger community.
The State of Kansas and the federal government recognize the role rehabilitation of historic buildings can play in strengthening the local economy. To encourage rehabilitation, they provide various incentives, including the 20 percent federal and 25 percent state historic tax credits, which are available to owners and some renters of National Register listed properties.
In Wichita, there are over 600 structures that are listed in the local, state and/or national registers of historic places either as individually listed properties or as properties within an historic district. The Historic Preservation Office provides information regarding financial incentives for historic property owners and general technical assistance regarding appropriate maintenance procedures for historic buildings. For more information, contact Kathy Morgan, MAPD senior planner, at 268-4421 or kmorgan@wichita.gov.
The International Marketplace District, focused around a proposed indoor “mercado,” or public market, will be centered at 21st Street North and Market Street. Initial efforts will focus along the culturally diverse retail corridor along 21st Street North from Broadway west to the Thai Bin Asian Market at Somerset and along the stretch of Broadway that runs from 20th Street North to 22nd Street North. Sixteen percent of the district’s residents are foreign born, compared to 5 percent for the State of Kansas. The development project, outlined in the 21st Street North Corridor Revitalization Plan, officially launched in January 2006. The Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department (MAPD) contracted a multidisciplinary team, led by Greteman Group, to provide historic inventory, marketing and architectural “place-making” design services for the International Marketplace District.
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