Downtown Wichita History Trail: Phase I Site Selection Survey

Site of Dockum sit-in of 1958, 104 S. Broadway Ave.

Its success led to desegregation of Rexall Drug Stores nationwide and a change in NAACP's policy on non-violent direct action. This is the site of the present-day Ambassador Hotel.

The Eaton Building, 517 E. Douglas Ave.

The site of Carrie Nation’s attack on Carey House annex bar in 1900, prior to the federal prohibition of alcohol. Spanning the 500 block of east Douglas Avenue, the Eaton Building is home to residences and retail, including The Workroom and Bubbles.

The Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway Ave.

It opened in 1922 as one of the first "atmospheric" theatres in the US. Notable performances include Harry Houdini, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bobby Bones. The Orpheum reopens on August 30 following a $10 million historic restoration.

Broadview Hotel, 400 W. Douglas Ave.

Opened in 1922, its basement was the site of Wichita's only speakeasy during the federal prohibition of alcohol. The ballroom features Wichita artist Blackbear Bosin's 1700 sq. ft. mosaic. The Arkansas Valley Interurban railway station on this site is now home to AVI Seabar and Chophouse.

The Chisholm Trail, active in Wichita from 1865 to 1876

From Native American trails to Jesse Chisholm's trade route and subsequent cattle drives stretching from Texas to Abilene, KS, Douglas Ave has always been the center of commerce in Wichita.

Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park, 205 E. Douglas Ave.

Lewis was a civil rights lawyer who fought for integrated swimming pools and schools and advocated for fair housing and hiring practices. He also mentored the young people involved in the successful Dockum sit-in of 1958.

Carnegie Library building (Wichita's original public library), 220 S. Main St.

Now a part of Fidelity Bank, the building was designed in 1915 by Louise Caldwell Murdock. It also served as Wichita's Science Center and Omnisphere prior to the construction of Exploration Place.

Finlay Ross Park, 123 W. Douglas Ave.

Finlay Ross, mayor of Wichita, was instrumental in obtaining riverfront property for parks.

Veteran's Memorial Park, 339 Veteran's Parkway

All branches of the military are honored with 20 memorials of various conflicts. The park includes a limestone sculpture representing the USS Wichita.

A. Price Woodard Park, 401 W. Douglas Ave.

Woodard was the first African American member of the Wichita City Commission and Wichita's first African American Mayor.

Travel Air Manufacturing Company, 535 W. Douglas Ave.

The first major factory founded by Beech, Cessna, and Stearman. The building now houses retail shops and other businesses.

Rock Island Depot (1887-1914) and Union Station (1914-1979), 700 block of E. Douglas

Union Station welcomed Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt during his 1936 presidential campaign tour. Today, the complex includes restaurants, a school, and a bank.

"The Palace of the Plains,” 204 S. Main St.

Wichita’s one-time city hall, designed by architects Proudfoot and Bird, is now the home of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. The Rotary Club of Wichita sponsored the construction of the tower’s large clock in 1917.

KFBI Radio Station, Corner of First Street and Market Street

Charlie “Bird” Parker made his first professional alto saxophone recording here in 1940 with members of the Jay McShann Orchestra. The sessions took place during late-night hours on November 30 and December 2, 1940, captured on lacquer transcription discs.

The Keeper of the Plains, 650 N. Seneca St.

A 44-foot-tall steel sculpture standing where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers converge. The sculpture was created by Native American artist Blackbear Bosin. This icon of Wichita was erected in 1974 to celebrate the United States bicentennial.

Ackerman Island, Arkansas River north of Douglas Ave. Bridge

This 50-plus-acre sandbar island hosted Wonderland Park (1906-1918), Wichita's first major amusement park. Severe flooding in the 1930s prompted the city to widen the river, permanently merging Ackerman Island into the west bank by 1934. Today, no physical trace of it remains.

Wichita's Historic Warehouse and Jobbers District, Old Town

Established in 1906, the Historic Warehouse and Jobbers District is a 33-acre area bounded by the elevated railroad tracks on the west, Washington Avenue on the east, Douglas Avenue on the south, and Second Street on the north. Today, this historic area is known as the vibrant Old Town district. The iconic Keen Kutter Warehouse at 830 E. 1st St. N. is now the Hotel at Old Town.

City Laundry, Market St. and Main St.

In the 1870s, Catherine McCarty (mother of Billy the Kid) purchased property along Main and Market Streets, supporting her two sons and operating a business known as City Laundry. On July 21, 1870, Catherine McCarty was the only woman to sign the document petitioning to formally incorporate Wichita as a town.

Dragging Douglas, Douglas Ave.

Beginning in the 1950’s through the ‘80s, thousands of teenagers would gather on Friday and Saturday nights to drive up and down Douglas Avenue – where they went to see Wichita and to make sure Wichita saw them. The classic route stretched roughly three miles across downtown.

The Coleman Factory, 235 N. St. Francis Ave.

The Coleman Company factory was the historic manufacturing hub for one of America's most iconic outdoor recreation brands. Founded by W.C. Coleman, the company moved its headquarters to Wichita in 1902 and spent the next nine decades as a defining pillar of the city's industrial identity alongside the aviation industry.

Victory Arch, Corner of Douglas Ave. and Broadway Ave.

The WWI Victory Arch was a massive, temporary triumphal arch built over Douglas Avenue at the intersection of Broadway Avenue to welcome home returning troops and honor fallen heroes. On May 9, 1919, an estimated 105,000 people packed the streets to watch returning military units march underneath the arch.

Delano District

On the western bank of the Arkansas River, the "Running of the Doves" was a notorious, rowdy Sunday afternoon spectacle in 1872 and 1873. Saloon keepers in Delano would drive saloon girls, (locally called "soiled doves”), in wagons to the nearby Arkansas River, where the women would strip naked, leave their clothes in the wagons, and race back to the saloons on foot at the sound of a pistol shot while cowboys and spectators cheered and placed bets.

Scottish Rite, 323 E. 1st St. N.

Designed by architects Proudfoot and Bird, construction began in 1887 to serve as the city's very first YMCA building. The ultimate cost ballooned and coupled with a local economic downturn, members could not fulfill their donation pledges, forcing the YMCA to sell the building to the Scottish Rite Freemasons just a decade later.

Mentholatum Company, 1300 E. Douglas Ave.

The Mentholatum Company was a global wellness company founded and originally headquartered in Wichita. Known for inventing the world-famous Mentholatum Ointment (and later brands like Softlips), the company was a pillar of early Wichita commerce. Today, its historic 1909 brick-and-stucco factory building stands as a beloved local landmark, famously home to The Spice Merchant & Co.

First White Castle, 201 N. Main St.

The very first White Castle restaurant – universally recognized as the birthplace of the modern fast-food industry – opened in 1921 at the northwest corner of 1st Street and Main Street. The original historic castle building is long gone; a branch of Sunflower Bank stands on that corner today and is being converted to the new home of The Kansas African American Museum (TKAAM).

Hockaday Auto Supply, William St. and Topeka Ave.

In the 1910’s, the U.S. lacked any numbered or organized highway systems. Operating as a cartographer, Frank Woodville “Woody” Hockaday took it upon himself to chart the land. He mapped out terrain, printed thousands of detailed road maps, and distributed them to drivers for free. Hockaday’s private road crews painted and erected distinct guideposts with the exact direction and mileage to the next town. His network eventually spanned roughly 60,000 miles of highway markers stretching all the way from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles.

The Forum, 200 block of South Water Street

Wichita's civic auditorium, convention center, and entertainment mega-complex from 1911 to 1965 before it was demolished to make way for Century II. The arena hosted iconic concerts by Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and more, and featured regular stops from major circuses, grand auto exhibitions, vaudeville acts, opera performances, WSU basketball, and professional wrestling. Major cultural and political figures also spoke on its stages, including presidential candidates and famed comedians.

Downtown Wichita History Trail: Phase I Site Selection

Question Title

1. Which historical sites are the most important to Wichita's past and future? Select up to 10 sites. (Required.)

Downtown Wichita History Trail: Phase I Site Selection

Question Title

* 1. Which historical sites are the most important to Wichita's past and future? Select up to 10 sites. (Required.)

1. Which historical sites are the most important to Wichita's past and future? Select up to 10 sites. (Required.)