This photo shows 4118 Mercier in 1940.
When the developer of Bonfils Place in the Volker neighborhood died, the Kansas City Journal called him “one of the most colorful survivors of the Old West.” Fred Bonfils, who gave the subdivision his name, started a lottery in Kansas to buy property in Kansas City and helped to start the Denver Post and the Kansas City Post. He plays a huge role in the history of the 4100 block of Mercier in the Volker neighborhood, and helps to prove there is fascinating history on every block of Midtown Kansas City.
In the late 1800s, the area now known as the Volker neighborhood developed around the Kansas City Interstate Fairgrounds. The popular entertainment venue and racetrack operated from 1882 to 1887. This 1887 map from the Atlas of the Environs of Kansas City shows the present-day Volker neighborhood shaded in orange. At that time, it was considered part of Westport and consisted of large holdings owned by a few individuals. The 4100 block of Mercier, represented as a red line just west of Westport, was owned by S. Adams.
Soon after this map was made, plating of Volker began. This was a period when much of Midtown was built out, but in this 1891 map from the Complete Set of Surveys and Plats of Properties in Kansas City, we can see that only five homes had been built in this section of Volker, indicated by the red line.
By 1901, lots in Bonfils Place were being advertised in the Kansas City Star as “high and beautiful…with no holes, ravines, shacks or shanties.” The suburb was getting its first sidewalks and had city water. It was close to the streetcar stop, near a school,“and a 13-minute ride to the post office downtown.
The Colorful Mr. Bonfils
Bonfils Place takes its name from a fascinating figure from Midtown’s early development. Fred and Belle Bonfiles platted the area. When Fred died, the Kansas City Journal referred to him as one of the most colorful survivors of the old West.
His grandfather came to the United States from Corsica, where it was reported that he played with Napoleon as a child. During the real estate boom of the 1880s, Fred Bonfils drove around Kansas City in a wagon looking for lots he thought would be desirable to those who wanted to build a home. If he saw one, he’d put his real estate sign on it. It didn’t matter whether he owned the lot or not: Bonfils figured if he found a buyer, he could make a deal.
Needless to say, this led to conflicts with other real estate agents, such as those who had the rights to sell the lot. Bonfils would do what it took to win the deal, whether it took a fight or even the use of a gun.
As Indian territory opened up to the west, he used the same technique there.
The next time we hear of Bonfils from the newspapers of the day, he had started a lottery in Kansas. However, there were rumors that the lottery was perhaps not on the up and up. The winners were usually his friends, and they often did not get much of the money they had “won.” Bonfils used a significant portion of that money to purchase property in Kansas City, particularly downtown.
And we find him again when he spots another way to make easy money. Bonfils and a partner saw the potential to profit from advertising and started the Denver Post. In 1909, he bought the Kansas City Post.
All of his business dealings seem to have paid off for Bonfils. Upon his death, he left an estate valued at $5 million.
The 4100 Block of Mercier Gets Filled In
By 1909, the block had begun to fill up with homes. Building was brisk over the next few years. According to the 1910 census, the first residents included several individuals who worked for the railroads and others who worked in the meatpacking industry. It was common for unmarried daughters to be employed as stenographers or bank tellers. Two of the new families had immigrated directly from Canada or Ireland, while more were the children of immigrants from Ireland, Denmark, or Sweden. (Left: a 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance map of the block).
These slides from a recent Midtown KC Post Powerpoint highlight some of the pioneer families of this part of Mercier Street.
John Curry got a building permit for 4107 Mercier in 1908. He was the son of Irish immigrants who became a policeman. The large Catholic family included seven children. One son died in WWI when hit by sniper fire in Germany. Another was killed in France in 1921. A daughter died in 1936, and another son died in a fire in 1948. By 1975, only one daughter was still alive, and she lived in the Mercier Street home.
A few doors down at 4121 Mercier, the Osborn family moved in around 1920. William Osborn founded the W.T. Osborn Electrical Company. He installed the first wiring and generators in many important Kansas City buildings, including the Coates Opera House, Gillis Theater, and Oak Hall, the home of William Rockhill Nelson.
The Lutz family moved into 4106 in 1912. Fred Lutz was a pioneer in the meat-packing industry. Like most homes in Midtown, these Mercier residences were divided into apartments or used as boarding houses during the housing shortage around World War II. By 1951, this home was being advertised as suitable for a rooming house. It was for sale again in 1973, when it was listed as a great investment.