Layered perovskites can be classified in three major groups: Dion-Jacobson AA′n-1BnO3n+1, Ruddlesden-Popper A2A′n-1BnO3n+1,and Aurivillius phase (Bi2O2)A′n-1BnO3n+1. (A: Alkali metal, Alkali-earth metal; A′: Lanthanides and Bi; B: Ti, Nb, Ta; n: thickness of slabs). For more than two decades researchers have shown much interest in this series because of their magnetic and electrical properties. Tuning synthesis parameters such as temperature, time, and host structure can be used to direct such properties. Low temperature synthetic methods (topochemical methods) allow the preparation of compounds not accessible by traditional high temperature reactions. This dissertation mainly considers the topochemical methods of ion exchange and reductive and oxidative intercalation to build new low temperature or metastable layered perovskites. The two-dimensional Dion-Jacobson ALaNb2O7 layered perovskites were intercalated reductively to produce A2LaNb2O7 andthen oxidized with water or hydro-chalcogenides (H2Ch, Ch: S, Se) to produce the novel alkali metal hydroxide, (A2OH)LaNb2O7, and alkali metal hydro-chalcogenides, (A2ChH)LaNb2O7, respectively. The synthesis and characterization of these compounds are presented in Chapters 2 and 3. In another set of studies, high temperature ceramic methods lead to the new host APrNb2O7. When this reaction is followed by ion exchange, (CuCl)PrNb2O7 can be prepared. The structural refinement, magnetic properties, and thermal stability of new phases have been studied in Chapter 4. The utility of praseodymium niobates for the formation of other metal oxyhalides was also developed; the series (MX)PrNb2O7 (M: Mn, Fe, Co, Cu and X: F, Cl) were prepared by the ion exchange of LiPrNb2O7 and the obtained phases characterized (Chapter 5). Further, to expand the library of materials and because of interesting properties of lanthanides (Ln: La, Pr, Nd, Sm), lanthanide tantalates have been explored for the preparation of oxyhalides and resulted in the compounds (CuCl)LnTa2O7 (Ln: Pr, Nd) (Chapter 6). Manipulation of Dion-Jacobson layered perovskites are not limited to lanthanides, other hosts with interesting properties have been examined (e.g. ABiNb2O7) (A: alkali metal, CuCl) and their crystal structures characterized along with thermal stability and magnetic response.