News Release

Renovations at Brown v. Board of Education NHS

Date: September 25, 2017

Would you spend $400,000.00 on a face lift? We did! In order to meet ADA compliances and have more sensory engaging elements for visitors, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service has incurred a $400,000.00 renovation expense. The face lift includes a full on redesign of gallery layouts and exhibit designs. This includes panels, video content and schematic design.

Phase 1 of the project occurred the week of September 11, 2017 and lasted for 5 consecutive days. This means that if you’ve visited the site before 9-11-17, you may want to revisit, since our gallery designs have changed.

While started by the Brown et. al. v. Board of Education 1954 Supreme Court case, the nation’s civil rights movement has not yet reached its end. The new exhibit designs offer a preview of the ramifications of school desegregation and was warranted after a decade of events have occurred related to the civil rights movement. Phase 2 of the renovation is expected to take place in calendar year 2018.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas and is free of charge. The site is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/brvb and www.facebook.com/brownvboardnps or call [phone].