Manhattan Historic Resources Board
Week of July 28, 2026
Historic Resources Board approves Seven Dolors elevator addition
Sunset Cemetery historic district nomination moves forward
Sexton's House excluded from cemetery historic district proposal
Historic Resources Board approves Seven Dolors elevator addition
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Manhattan Historic Resources Board unanimously approved a building permit and setback exception for a new elevator addition at Seven Dolors Catholic Church on South Juliette Avenue. The project requires demolishing the north facade of the 1920 building's original baptismal and confessional space, but the church, which is leading the project, plans to preserve and relocate its historic arched stained-glass windows to the new addition. As a condition of the 7-0 approval, the board required the church to provide photographic documentation of the original facade for the city's archives before demolition.
Sunset Cemetery historic district nomination moves forward
MANHATTAN, Kan. — A proposal to create a historic district around Sunset Cemetery will head to a Manhattan City Commission work session in September. Park Planner Alfonso Leyva reported that the Cemetery Board recently voted to support the historic designation, marking a significant step forward for the yearslong preservation effort. The commission will review the Cemetery Board's recommendation next month and may subsequently refer the item back to the Historic Resources Board for a formal vote in October.
Sexton's House excluded from cemetery historic district proposal
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The proposed Sunset Cemetery historic district boundary will exclude the historic Sexton's House due to lingering legal questions regarding its ownership. Cemetery Sexton Mike Mohler revealed that an old deed for the land mandates the property must revert to the original Kimble family if it is no longer lived in by a sexton. Because the house has sat vacant for years, the city is uncertain if it legally owns the building, prompting the Cemetery Board to recommend its exclusion from the historic nomination until ownership is resolved.
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