Burlingame, Kansas Downtown Historic Preservation Survey: Project Report

Nimz, Dale; Ford, Susan

This project report consists of seven sections: methodology; historic context statement and architectural analysis; recommendations; bibliography; list of surveyed properties; maps; historic photos. From the introduction: "Susan Ford carried out the historic preservation survey and Dale Nimz carried out the historical research, interpretation, and writing. Mike Houts provided the survey area maps. Ford began field work in Burlingame in October, 2009. Nimz led a public meeting in City Hall on October 28 to explain the proposed survey and solicit information. Research was carried out in October, property inventories were prepared in November and December, and the project report was written in December, 2009. Generally, the survey covered the buildings on Santa Fe Avenue between Delaware and Dacotah Streets. Additional properties were surveyed on Topeka Avenue north of Santa Fe Avenue and Dacotah Street south of Santa Fe Avenue. Buildings in the survey area were recorded with digital photographs. Individual buildings were inventoried and building locations were recorded on a survey map. Approximately 42 buildings (historic and modern) were inventoried in the survey area. All survey inventories and digital photo images were entered online at the Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (http://khri.kansasgis.org/). Except for the Schulyer School (now Schuyler Museum) none of the properties in the Burlingame Downtown survey area were identified in the KHRI. The consultant carried out archival research at the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS), Kansas Collection and Spencer Research Library (see bibliography). Other information for the historic context statement came from secondary sources on Kansas history and architecture. Relevant Sanborn Insurance Company maps for Burlingame (1885-1923) were copied from originals in the Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas. The consultants also searched for and identified historic photographs available in Special Collections, Wichita State University. Because historic building permits and city directories are not available for Burlingame, specific dates of construction for many buildings were difficult to determine. For the other properties inventoried, analysis of the Sanborn maps was used to determine approximate construction dates. To develop additional specific information on construction dates, the significant businesses and prominent people associated with downtown Burlingame, the consultant recommends future interviews with knowledgeable Burlingame residents (long-time business operators and property owners.) Then, newspaper research could be focused by estimated dates of construction and occupancy. For a limited number of significant buildings, additional research in county property records could confirm property owners and their tenure." $5259.29 in funding for this project was provided by a fiscal year 2009 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Burlingame, Kansas (project number KS-09-005) administered by the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 20-09-21822) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.