Visiting Leavenworth City Hall
Leavenworth's City Hall is a classical revival style building at the corner of Fifth and Shawnee Streets. It is open to the public 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, excluding holidays. Public entrance is on the Fifth Street side. A handicapped-accessible entrance is on the north side. Visitors may park in the marked spot in front of the building and walk to the north entrance, which has a ramp and push-button doors. Please call us at 913-682-9201 as these doors are locked during business hours and staff will be happy to assist you in using the accessible entrance. Handicapped restrooms and a drinking fountain are also available.
The current building serving as Leavenworth City Hall was constructed in 1924-25. It originally housed fire services, police services, engineering, city clerk's office and recordkeeping and many other administrative functions. The building was constructed by Feth and Feth Architects. It is constructed of terra cotta exterior, a clay brick with the outside having a decorative stone. Roof slabs and floor slabs are concrete.
As of its 100th anniversary in 2024, services located in this building include:
- City Clerk's office
- Human Resources
- City Manager's office, Assistant City Manager's office and Public Information Office
- Leavenworth Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Finance Department
- IT Department
- Public Works Department
- Planning and Community Development Department
- Mayor's office/commission office available by appointment
We invite members of the public to visit us anytime during business hours. Leavenworth City Hall features some beautiful landscaping, including a large Gingko biloba tree that turns gold in late October/early November on the north side of the building.
South Lawn Statues
On the south lawn are two statues that celebrate the history of the First City of Kansas. The miniature Statue of Liberty was part of a Boy Scouts of America project across the United States that provided 200 statues to those who wanted them in the 1950s. Leavenworth's statue was sponsored by Edward J. Mura, a banker who grew up in Leavenworth, for $400. The statue was dedicated on the City Hall lawn in 1950.
The Abraham Lincoln statue honors Lincoln's visit to Kansas in 1859 during his run for office to become U.S. President. Lincoln spent several days in Leavenworth in December of that year, providing a public address directly across the street from the current City Hall at a building that is no longer standing. The statue was dedicated in 2009.
City Hall Everhard Photo Collection
Just inside the front entrance to Leavenworth City Hall is a self-guided historical photograph collection. The City Hall Everhard Photo Collection was added in 2006 and features the work of five photographers throughout Leavenworth history -- Mary Everhard, Harrison Putney, Richard Stevenson, Horace Stevenson and Ebenezer "E.E." Henry. These high-quality, sharp resolution photos give viewers a feeling of being up-close in a Kansas 1850s pioneer town. Mary Everhard is known throughout our community as the archivist of a fine collection of glass plate negatives that depict much of Kansas history. She was a photographer in her own right, but also collected the historical photos of artists mentioned above to help preserve our past. Larger parts of this collection are available through the Leavenworth County Historical Society. This photo exhibit gives a few samples of what it was like to live in the First City of Kansas from pioneer days to the 1920s.
Building history video
This video was recorded in 2021 with the City's former Public Works Director Mike McDonald discussing the architecture of the building.
