WHY IS OLD HYDE PARK SOMETIMES CALLED HANOVER PLACE?
How come Old Hyde Park gets listed on maps and in news stories as Hanover Place?
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Volker Developer Fred Bonfils Lived a Colorful Life
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
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Conversations with Scott Burnett
Scott Burnett, a longtime resident of the Roanoke neighborhood, is conducting audio interviews with interesting people in Kansas City. So far, he’s talked to the owners of Fric and Frac, a Volker gathering place, and Kerry Browne and John McClain, owners of Browne’s Irish Market, the oldest Irish business outside of Ireland. Follow the conversations here.
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New Demolitions Proposed in Valentine Neighborhood
Kansas City Life Insurance has recently requested demolition permits for four buildings in the Valentine neighborhood. These are in addition to the 23 buildings they tore down and are in the two blocks south of where the previous demolitions occurred. On Feb. 28, the Historic Preservation Commission will hold a hearing on new demolition permits
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Valentine Demolitions Part of Discussion on Vacant Land Tax
As demolitions of homes in Valentine continue, the mayor is stepping up talk about reducing the burden of privately owned vacant lots on neighborhoods. One idea – taxing vacant lots and buildings to encourage their use. The Kansas City Star reported on the issue on Nov. 25, 2024. “Something like a vacant land tax could
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Valentine Demolitions Continue
Updated Dec. 20, 2024 Demolitions continue in the Valentine neighborhood between 33rd and 35th from Pennsylvania to Southwest Trafficway. The Valentine Neighborhood says 23 homes and other structures are being demolished without a plan for what will replace them. According to a recent historical survey of the area, all of these structures would have qualified
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Demolitions in Valentine in 2024
Photo courtesy KCTV5. The Midtown KC Post is helping to document the loss of 23 homes and other structures between 33rd and 35th Streets from Summit to Pennsylvania that Kansas City Life Insurance is demolishing. On Oct. 28, residents of Valentine and others held a memorial service for the homes that are being lost. The Kansas
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Mansions at Paseo and Armour have been lost
While many blocks of Midtown have barely changed since the early 1900s, this block of Armour at the Paseo looks like a different place today. The heyday of the block began just after the turn of the 20th century, when wealthy and successful captains of industry began building along the Paseo. But the prestige of
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Gardeners Once Flocked To A Backyard On This Block Near Westport
In 1920, homes on this block from Westport Road to Archibald between Clark Street (Belleview) and Jefferson went on sale. The block was in a subdivision known as Whitehouse Place, which developers advertised as including 40 homes. In 1930, they were filled with bungalows, Queen Anne’s, and three-story houses. No two were alike, but they
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