Salina, Kansas –The Paul Laurence Dunbar School, a longtime landmark in Salina’s history, has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its vital role in the city’s past and its renewed place in its future.
Built in 1922, the school was more than a place of learning, it served as a hub for community events, youth programs, and lifelong friendships. Its inclusion on the national register affirms what so many have long believed: Dunbar is a symbol of connection, strength, and shared story.
CKF Addiction Treatment, the building’s current owner, led the nomination process and is restoring the site to serve once again as a community cornerstone. The building will soon reopen as the Pathfinder Community Center—a welcoming space designed to support individuals and families on their path to wellness through treatment, education, connection, and hope. The center will offer recovery services for both adolescents and adults and will also serve as a training hub, creating space for community education, professional development, and normalizing conversations around addiction and recovery in everyday life.
“This recognition affirms the importance of preserving not just a structure, but a spirit of service that has lived in these walls for generations,” said Jessica Eckels, Chief Operating Officer of CKF Addiction Treatment. “We are honored to continue that legacy by transforming this historic site into a place of healing and possibility.”
The designation has also been celebrated by the Dunbar School Alumni Association, whose members are alumni and descendants of students, faculty and staff of the school. The Association has long advocated for the building’s preservation and renewed purpose.
“The membership of DSAA is forever grateful of the widespread support of local community leaders as well as local and state government officials that played a role in seeing this distinguished honor come to fruition. This historic site truly represents the progressive leadership and dedication of many of Kansas’ early Governors in its rich history who determined that education was the path to close the equality gap for its black population migrating from the South starting with the post-Civil War Reconstruction era in the late 1860s. In many ways, Kansas was a trailblazer for the entire nation should have emulated under the difficult circumstances of that time period!” said Kirk L. Holt, President of the Dunbar School Alumni Association.
Now with national recognition, the site will continue to evolve as both a tribute to the past and a beacon for the future, honoring the stories that shaped it, while writing new ones centered around community, recovery, and hope.