Historic Preservation in Olathe

The need to pursue Historic Preservation efforts in Olathe aligns with the City's current Comprehensive Plan to encourage historic preservation and neighborhood conservation efforts throughout the city.

The City's Original Town Enhancement Plan also identifies the importance of Historic Preservation and outlines specific objectives including, develop a program to promote historic preservation and the historic resources of Olathe.

Similar preservation efforts have also been identified throughout the Original Town Neighborhood Action Plans, as well as the Envision Olathe Downtown Plan.

Olathe Historic Preservation Board (OHPB)

• Application
• Members
• Meetings
• Preservation Ordinance

Significant Individual Properties

Four properties in Olathe’s Original Town are currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places and three properties are currently listed in the Register of Historic Kansas Places. Several of these properties were designated as historic landmarks subsequent to the recommendations of register eligibility published in the 1979 and 1984 survey reports.

National Register of Historic Places:

• J. B. Mahaffie House (1865) - 1100 Kansas City Road
• Albert Ott House (1894) - 401 South Harrison Street
• Martin Van Buren Parker House (1880) - 631 West Park Street
• I. O. Pickering House (1869) - 507 West Park Street
• Frank Lanter House (1901) - 562 West Park Street (Processing)

Register of Historic Kansas Places:

• George Hodges House (1892, altered 1921) - 425 South Harrison Street
• Hycrest (1881, altered 1919) - 505 East Cedar Street
• Frank Lanter House (1901) - 562 West Park Street

Historic Resources
In 2004, the City hired Historic Preservation Services (HPS), Inc., a firm from Kansas City, Missouri, to undertake an architectural survey of Olathe’s Original Town area to identify potential historic landmarks and potential historic districts. The purpose of the study was to determine if Olathe had significant historic resources not already listed on the state or federal registries. HPS identified 25 potential historic landmarks, nine potential historic districts, and six potential conservation districts. These results were more than expected from the survey and indicate great resources from which to build a program.

There are currently 24 properties in Johnson County that are listed on the federal or state register of historic places. Seven of those properties are located in Olathe, all within Original Town. Olathe has more historic properties than any other Johnson County city, and more historic properties than Lenexa, Leawood, and Overland Park combined.

• Historic Preservation Management Recommendations
• Map of Historic Properties

Additional Historic Resources

• Olathe Historical Society
• Johnson County, Kansas History Museum
• Kansas Preservation Alliance, Inc.
• Kansas State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
• Kansas State Historical Society
• National Parks System
• National Trust for Historic Preservation