What Is the United States Post Office & Court House!?
This combo government office still serves as a post office but was once the court house where the first hearings in the Brown vs. Board case took place!
What Makes It Historical?
Funded by the Keyes-Elliott Act of 1926, this Classical Revival-style building went up between 1932 and August 20, 1934 with James A. Wetmore as supervising architect! Fun fact, though! Mr. Wetmore wasn’t an architect but a law student when he joined the Department of the Treasury. Since that Department oversaw the execution of the Keyes-Elliott Act, Mr. Wetmore’s name appears on over 2,000 federal buildings!
This court house and post office gained national attention in 1951 when Oliver Brown and 13 other plaintiffs appeared before District Judge Walker Huxman with a complaint about Topeka’s school segregation policies. Their legal team consisted of the local firm of Scott, Scott, and Scott, and Thurgood Marshall’s assistant, Robert Carter of the NAACP, and the reason they started here in Topeka was because segregation was allowed under Kansas law, but not required! While Judge Huxman turned them down based on the precedent of Plessy vs. Ferguson, their defeat on August 3, 1951 paved the way for their Supreme Court victory on May 17, 1954!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Kansas Historical Society!
- Become a member of the Kansas Historical Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
424 S Kansas Ave
Topeka, KS 66603
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The post office is still open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM and Saturdays from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM!