Sumner School -- What a relief
Covenant to protect historic building renews hope of
restoration
The
Capital-Journal Editorial Board
Published
Monday, June 25, 2007
Don't close the book on Sumner
School just yet.
It seems a covenant between the
city and the Kansas State Historical Society will stave off the wrecking ball
until at least 2012.
Anthony S.
Bush / The Capital-Journal
Sumner School
We're thankful.
Before news of the covenant
surfaced late in the week, Topeka City Council members directed city staff to
begin the process of demolition last week of the historic school in midtown
Topeka.
We think losing Sumner would be
a terrible blow to this community's rich heritage, so we were relieved to learn
the covenant was in place.
The agreement, signed in 2002,
appears poised to slow down any demolition work.
So does the historical society.
Sumner is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The council's action apparently
resulted out of concern for the cost of maintaining the school, and the failure,
at least so far, to find someone with the financial wherewithal to submit a
viable proposal for the school's use.
To set the record straight,
maintaining the site on an annual basis isn't likely to bankrupt the city.
City officials indicated that
annual maintenance costs don't exceed $8,000 — $2,200 out of the Parks and
Recreation budget for mowing, and $5,700 out of the general fund for facility
management.
Grand total: $7,900 a year.
The covenant, it seems,
guarantees Sumner will survive for at least five more years.
That will allow those who want
to save the school — two parties have shown significant interest in recent
months — time to generate support in crafting some sort of plan that utilizes
the site.
The biggest challenge, of
course, is the remodeling cost necessary if Sumner is to be operational. Some
estimates have placed that cost at more than $3 million.
Granted, that is a substantial
investment.
But if it is at all possible to
save the school, it would be best for all.
Sumner, the former all-white
school where Linda Brown was denied admittance, goes hand-in-hand with the 1954
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education ruling that outlawed school segregation.
Like Monroe Elementary School,
Sumner is an enduring symbol of an event that changed the course of American
history.
Not every community can say it
is home to such an important place. Topeka can.
This is who we are.
This is our legacy.
We should not dismiss any key
elements of our legacy easily, which is why we're glad the covenant will slow
down any plans for demolition.
We hope with time, Sumner will
be restored and will live on — as it should as part of the history of this city
and the nation.
We're looking forward to the
next chapter.
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