Sumner – Beginning of end?
City takes initial step to demolish landmark building in desegregation case
By Tim Hrenchir
The Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Without taking a vote, the Topeka City Council authorized the
city staff Tuesday evening to begin the process of demolishing the historic
Sumner School building, a symbol of the Brown v. Board of Education
desegregation case.
No council members objected as Deputy Mayor Brett Blackburn
directed city manager Norton Bonaparte to have the city initiate the process and
inform two groups seeking to use the school at 330 S.W. Western Ave. they have
five months to show they are financially capable of acquiring and renovating it.
"We do not take this lightly," Bonaparte said. "It is a
historic structure. However, it continues to cost the city to maintain."
City attorney Brenden Long told council members state approval
would be necessary for the city to raze Sumner.
"Most likely, I would suggest they probably would not approve
demolition," he said.
Sumner School was a segregated, all-white school when Oliver
Brown, a black minister and one of 13 local plaintiffs in the Brown case, tried
to enroll his daughter, Linda, there in 1950.
The Browns were turned away and filed a lawsuit that resulted
in the Supreme Court's historic Brown v. Board of Education desegregation
decision in 1954. The former all-black Monroe Elementary School, which Linda
Brown attended, was dedicated as the Brown v. Board of Education National
Historic Site in 2004.
Sumner School was placed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1987. It remained open until 1996, when Topeka Unified School District
501 closed it as part of a desegregation plan. The Topeka and Shawnee County
Public Library bought the building for $40,000 the following year and used it
for storage. In 2002, the library sold the school to the city for $45,000.
In a work session run by Blackburn preceding Tuesday's regular
council meeting, Randy Speaker, deputy city manager, gave a progress report on
city efforts to find someone to use the school.
The city had proposals from two applicants, Pioneer Group Inc.
and Community First Inc. Speaker said both offered viable ideas for using the
building but fell "very short" of showing they are financially capable of
renovating and operating it.
Ross Freeman is owner and president of Pioneer Group, which
seeks to use the building for housing. Former USD 501 principal Sandra Lassiter
is executive director of Community First, which hopes to use it for various
purposes that include housing a charter school.
Council and city staff members alike said Tuesday they would
prefer not to raze Sumner School.
'We'd rather save the building than demolish it," said Kevin
Rooney, deputy housing and neighborhood development director.
"But there is a point at which you have to look at other
options," Speaker said.
Councilwoman Lana Kennedy, whose district includes the
building, urged council members to tour it before deciding its fate."
"It would just be total devastation to tear it down," she
said.
Speaker told council members one of the city's options was to
begin the demolition process while giving applicants an additional five months
in which to improve their financial standing.
Bonaparte asked Blackburn if the council supported granting
both groups a five-month extension.
"I think that's probably what the council's pleasure is right
now," Blackburn said.
Bonaparte then asked whether the council would be amenable to
beginning the long process to have the building demolished.
Blackburn noted that a formal council vote would be necessary
in order to actually have the school torn down if that turns out to be the
city's only option.
"I don't know that there'd be any objection to starting
paperwork for demolition," he said.
Tim Hrenchir can be reached at (785) 295-1184 or
tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com.
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