On one block of Westport around 1900, black families lived next to white families, and a church founded by a former slave and his brother stood just down the block from a grocery store in one of the oldest buildings in Kansas City. The block of Westport from Pennsylvania to Mill between 40th and Westport Road has seen […]
Black, White families, Shared Westport Block in Early 1900s Read More »
As well-to-do Kansas Citians moved south in the 1920s, several settled on a newly-developed block of the Rockhill neighborhood, from roughly Rockhill Terrace south to 45th Street. One of these new families, Alfred and Grace Schauffler, moved in around 1928, joining their well-off neighbors as commercial and civic leaders. All of the Rockhill neighborhood originally
How One Family Came to this Rockhill Block Read More »
Doctors, dentists and lawyers were among the first residents of the Westwood Park block from 50th to West 50th Terrace between Wyoming and Westwood Terrace. They settled in the neighborhood next to salesmen, bank presidents and undertakers in the 1920s as the development of Midtown moved south. The block is part of what is known today
Westwood Park Block Attracted Families in Early 1920s Read More »
(This post was originally published on June 18, 2017) Fewer than a dozen homes lined what was once known as Glen Airy Place in the North Hyde Park neighborhood, but the street still retains a tucked-away quality that sets it apart from other streets around it. Reader Dale Ealey recently asked what history is known
Glen Airy Place Tucked Away in North Hyde Park Read More »
Built when well-off residents of Kansas City were moving south of the Plaza and located right next to Loose Park, it is no surprise that this Countryside neighborhood block was built by prominent architects and attracted prominent families. The block from Wornall to Wyandotte between W. 54rd Street and W. 53rd Terrace is part of the
Female Architect Left Her Stamp On This Countryside Block Read More »
Today’s historical post looks at the block from Armour to 36th Street, from Main to Walnut, which undertook a radical transformation in a few brief decades. From an exclusive enclave of wealthy families like the Armours in the early 1900s, the block became a center of culture around the Conservatory of Music in the 1940s. Main
Mansions at Armour and Main Gradually Repurposed, Replaced Read More »
When residents began moving into this Manheim Park block (from Troost to Forest between E. 43rd and E. 44th) in the early 1900s, many were new immigrants to this country. The 1920 census shows people who had recently come from Scotland, England, Germany, Sweden, and Italy settling into homes alongside others born in the United
Manheim Park Block Attracted Immigrants in 1920s Read More »
A fiery explosion that leveled 11 homes and damaged 17 was not enough to drive away residents of the West Plaza neighborhood in 1962. The whole city was shocked by the story that year, with headlines detailing the devastating blast and the lingering impact on the lives of the impacted families. A year later, neighbors
Residents Rebuild in West Plaza After 1962 Gas Main Explosion Read More »
Much of the history we read celebrates outstanding architecture, elite families, and unusual lives. But it is equally interesting to study blocks like this one in West Plaza, between 45th and 46th Street from Fairmount to Wyoming. Perhaps its most unusual event was a gas explosion in 1962 that destroyed eleven houses in the neighborhood (more about
West Plaza Block: Immigrants, Births, Deaths, Weddings, Soldiers Read More »
If location is all-important in real estate, location along two boulevards must be even better. The intersection of Linwood Boulevard and The Paseo (now called Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard) historically attracted elite families who moved into substantial homes before the turn of the 20th century. However, the location also made the block a target
Block of Boulevards Shifts from Residential in 1920s Read More »