Overland Park Claims Strang Depot Frontage for New Downtown Public Plaza
“I really think that this is the smart way to go about it,” Councilmember Logan Heley said as the city shifted its financial backing into brick-and-mortar civic space. Overland Park will take over a portion of the historic Strang Depot property in downtown Overland Park from the historical society to build a public plaza at a prominent intersection.
The deal leaves the Overland Park Historical Society in possession of the historic depot building near 80th Street and Santa Fe Drive. In exchange for the city taking ownership of the land fronting Overland Park Drive and 80th Street, the historical society will forgo its final $100,000 grant disbursement from a five-year municipal funding package originally designated for general site improvements.
From Interurban Railway to Community Gathering Space
Built in 1906, the original structure is older than the city itself. It served as the depot for William Strang’s Interurban Railway, a transit line connecting Johnson County to Kansas City, Missouri. It was the very first commercial building in what is now called Overland Park.
When the Strang Line shuttered in the 1940s, subsequent owners added onto the building until it was practically unrecognizable. The historical society purchased the property in 2019 after a flooring and paint store closed its doors for good. Brad Moore, the executive director of the Overland Park Historical Society, noted at the time that the purchase set the stage for the historical society to realize a “lifelong goal” for the group. Subsequent interior demolition revealed the stone facade of the original building.
Shifting City Investment From Renovation Grants to Capital Projects
Restoring the depot required considerable capital, prompting the historical society to sell both the 1910 Stanley Bank building in southern Overland Park and the iconic Strang Line Car Barn down Santa Fe Drive to fund the effort. Recognizing the financial strain, the Overland Park City Council agreed in 2022 to contribute $500,000 toward the renovation project, dispersed in $100,000 increments over a five-year period.
By November of last year, the historical society officially moved into the Strang Depot building, opening its Discover OP museum space. With $400,000 of the municipal commitment already distributed, assistant city manager Kate Gunja outlined the revised arrangement at the October Community Development Committee meeting, confirming the city will retain the final $100,000 installment.
“This is an important piece of property situated right in the middle between the Clock Tower Landing and Thompson Park, so it deserves to be done right,” Brad Moore told the committee.
Instead of flowing directly to the historical society, the remaining funds will remain under municipal control to construct a public plaza. The project will be added to the capital improvement project list for a future year, though exactly when is unclear. The project will still need to be designed.
What Comes Next for the Historic Corner
The Overland Park City Council formally approved the amended arrangement in October as part of a consent agenda. Alongside the funding reallocation, the city assumes ownership of the portion of the property where the public plaza will eventually be and secures the right of first refusal should the historical society ever face foreclosure or sell the Strang Depot building.
The public plaza project will still need to be designed. As city leaders weigh how best to activate the space between Clock Tower Landing and Thompson Park, the 1906 railway depot will remain a property of the historical society.
