Preserving Black History Legacies: Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Quinn Evans has been involved with a series of extraordinary projects to preserve the invaluable legacy of African Americans whose experiences and achievements have enriched our country, often at a great personal sacrifice. Protecting these places enables immersive visitor education and engagement with the past, perpetuating the immeasurable impact these events have had on our continued quest for equality.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, is a registered National Historic Landmark associated with the breakthrough 1954 US Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. This case became a cornerstone of the mid-20th-century civil rights movement when the justices unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This verdict overturned the precedent of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case, which had previously established the flawed concept of “separate but equal” public facilities.

In commemoration of the verdict’s 50th anniversary, Quinn Evans renovated the school building's masonry exterior and sensitively rehabilitated the interior, transforming it into a dynamic interpretive visitor center and regional resource for scholars of desegregation.