More Steptoe Homes Lost, Erasing More of Kansas City’s Black History

Homes at the corner of W. 44th Terrace and Washington Street in the Steptoe neighborhood in 1940. Steptoe has been gradually removed from history as homes have been demolished over the years. In June of 2022, three more homes on this block, ...

Homes Once Lined 39th Street West of Trafficway

Before it was a commercial strip, 39th Street between Summit and Roanoke was home to families who built new homes as Kansas City expanded to the south. Architect Louis Curtiss designed this house at 1020 W. 39th (seen here around 1980) for the ...

Newly-renovated Scottish Rite Temple Anchors Historic Linwood and Paseo Block

The Scottish Rite Temple at the northwest corner of Linwood and the Paseo, opened in 1930, has recently been renovated and is available as rental space for parties, weddings and conventions – an effort meant to allow the organization to keep ...

A 1920s Block Filled with Streetcar Workers

Small homes like this one on Campbell just south of Emanuel Cleaver Boulevard were once filled with streetcar workers, their families, and boarders who worked for the streetcar company. The homes on the block from 47th to 48th between Charlotte ...

Middle, Upper Class Families Were First Residents of Crestwood Block

The Nichols Company described this home at 5445 Cherry for sale for $16,000 as “one of Kansas City’s loveliest Dutch Colonials” in a 1945 ad. “Forest trees and abundant shrubbery are its decoration. Living, dining and breakfast rooms, ...

Plaza’s Nordstrom Block Has Seen Changes Before

Families headed up by a saddle maker, a stone mason and a wood worker once lived on this block of the Country Club Plaza, between 47th and 48th from Summit to Jefferson, now the site of redevelopment for a new Nordstrom store. In 1940, when ...

Family Once Owned This South Plaza Block

The shops on the southeast corner of 51st and Main were built in the 1930s, after the McDonald farm was sold and the areas was developed for both commercial and residential use. Some blocks of Midtown Kansas City offer more insights into history ...

Prohibition Raid Found ‘One of Finest Distilleries’ in South Plaza

The southwest corner of 51st and Main has been a popular eating spot for several decades. A 1917 map of the block shows only five houses on the block, including 5101 Main, which newspaper reports at the time described as a large and comfortable ...

Black, white families, church, businesses shared Westport block in early 1900s

Kelly’s Westport Inn, one of the most historically significant buildings in Kansas City, was built in 1850-1. It served the frontier community as Boone’s Trading Post, and was later used as a drug store, a grocery store, and a hardware store. ...

How One Family Came to this Rockhill Block

Alfred and Grace Schauffler, a prominent Kansas City family, moved onto this Rockhill neighborhood block in the late 1920s. They lived at 4460 Rockhill Terrace until around 1945. Like many of their neighbors, they were active in Kansas City ...