Monroe Elementary School opened in 1927 as a key part of Topeka's grand, million-dollar school construction program, reflecting the city's desire for a first-class educational system that would promote pride in its schools. The new school included classrooms, a kindergarten, space for manual training and home economics, and a large combined gymnasium-auditorium. Despite these improvements, Monroe and Topeka's other elementary schools remained racially segregated. In 1951, parents of students from Monroe School joined others from across the city as plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit, forever linking the site to one of the most important legal decisions in American history.
