Historical Preservation

Historic District & Preservation

The Emporia Downtown Historic District includes 113 contributing and 54 non-contributing buildings with construction dates spanning from 1870 to 1965. The Emporia Downtown Historic District has been in place since 2012.

A historic district is a concentration of historic buildings, structures, sites, and/or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development. Any one of the properties in a historic district may not have particular historical, architectural, engineering, or archeological distinction, but the collection must have significance in one of these areas. A historic district can include historic resources beyond just buildings, including brick streets and sidewalks, entrance gates, landscape features, monuments, etc.

Historic Preservation Information:

The Planning and Zoning Office is the liaison between the City and the State for the review of work within the district. Any permitted work within the Historic District (for both contributing and non-contributing buildings) requires the completion of a local Historic District application, explaining the details of the project. This is a cost-free application that helps expedite the review process. This information is sent to the State Historic Preservation Office for their review. They have up to 30 days to provide comments and recommendations. No work can be started or completed until they have provided comments on the project.

The City of Emporia Requires a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Appeal Application for any appeals from the State's Recommendations within the Historic District or on a Historic Property.

Applications: