Auburndale Phase I Historic Resources Survey

Rosin Preservation, LLC; Rosin, Elizabeth; Nugent, Rachel; Barnhart, Rachel; Finch, Brad

From Introduction: "The City of Topeka (City) contracted with Rosin Preservation, LLC to conduct the first phase of an intensive-level survey of historic resources within the Auburndale neighborhood. The survey area covers about sixteen city blocks and is located approximately 1.6 miles northwest of Topeka’s central business district. It contains several residential plats dating from 1882 through 1922, including most of the Auburndale subdivision, platted in 1888. The historic resources survey of Auburndale is a comprehensive project intended to document the neighborhood’s residential properties, gain an understanding of the historical development of the area, and identify resources or groups of resources that may be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Topeka Planning Department divided the Auburndale neighborhood into three phases for survey (Figure 1). Phase I of the survey was conducted by Rosin Preservation in 2017. The Phase I Survey Area is roughly seventy-five acres and contains 237 parcels and 222 primary resources (Figure 2). All but one of these resources are single-family residential buildings and all retain their historic function. Roughly 65% of the resources have an ancillary building such as a garage or shed. The primary resources represent a range of construction dates from 1880 to 2008, with the highest concentration of residences constructed during the 1920s (47% of the resources in the survey area were constructed during this time). This construction boom is reflected in the numerous bungalows, a popular early-twentieth-century housing form promoted by developers like the Garlinghouse Realty Company, identified within the survey area. Thirty-four resources designed by Garlinghouse were found in the survey area dating from 1913 through 1922. The Auburndale Historic Resources Survey encompasses two objectives: 1) to identify, record, photograph, and evaluate through architectural/historic survey those individual properties and potential districts in the Survey Area that, on the basis of age, integrity, and associations, meet the eligibility criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and 2) to substantiate such assessments; and to identify and characterize those portions of the Survey Area which, on the basis of insufficient age or integrity, exclude them from consideration for nomination in the National Register of Historic Places and to substantiate such assessments." Funding was provided in part by a 2016 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Topeka administered by the Kansas State Historical Society, Historic Preservation Office (project number KS-16-002, grant number P16AF00173) and the State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Topeka, Kansas is a Certified Local Government.

Auburndale Phase I Historic Resources Survey

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