(The Midtown KC Post is profiling the buildings on the Historic Kansas City Foundation’s Most Endangered List for 2013. ) By Joe Lambe When Victor Beutner built his house in the Squire Park neighborhood in 1912, it was in a prosperous suburb. His architect was Louis Curtiss, a master at his craft who wore all white, […]
Endangered House Designed by Important KC Architect Read More »
Update: Despite efforts by neighborhood residents such as Chris Jordan, the second Knickerbocker was demolished after a fire in 2020. (The Midtown KC Post is profiling the buildings on the Historic Kansas City Foundation’s Most Endangered List for 2013.) The Knickerbocker Apartments, the half of them that remain, were once part of the largest and
Knickerbocker Apartments, Once Lavish, Now Endangered Read More »
Why is Valentine Road so curvy? Why are houses in Midtown so close together? Bill Worley, history instructor with Metropolitan Community Colleges, answered those questions and more on a Sunday walking tour of the Valentine Neighborhood. The Kansas City Museum sponsored the tour, which is one of a series. Worley said that City Beautiful Movement
Historian Calls Valentine a Neighborhood of Interesting Houses, Interesting People Read More »
Glenn Stewart asked the Westport Post Office staff if she could start a small garden in front of the building a few years ago because she lived in an apartment and missed digging in the dirt. Each year, her “Magic Garden” expands to offer fresh herbs to neighbors and bring a smile to those who
“Miss Glenn’s Magic Garden” Offers Up Fresh Herbs at Westport Post Office Read More »
Excerpted from the April 2013 Hyde Parker To survive after a quarter century in gumball machine vending, Alan Bitterman realized in 1980 that he needed a new business model, one focused outside Kansas City. Yet even as Bitterman Family Confections began to change, the company never left North Hyde Park. Today, with three buildings, 40,000
Bitterman’s: 160 years of History in Hyde Park Read More »
The heart of the Westwood Park neighborhood is the 9.3-acre park on the edge of its border. The neighborhood, tucked into the area behind Pembroke Hill School on Ward Parkway, is home to 300 families. They range from retired folks to families with young children and live in a variety of homes, from single-family bungalows
Westwood Park Neighborhood Life Revolves around Park Read More »
Valentine’s Day is a big deal in the Valentine neighborhood. But don’t let that fool you into thinking Valentine is named for the romantic holiday. The neighborhood takes its name from P.A. Valentine, a real estate developer who owned a lot of Midtown property at the turn of the century but who never actually lived
How Did Valentine Get its Name? Read More »
Republished from the Feb. 2013 Hyde Parker newsletter The large home at 301 East Armour Boulevard was demolished in 1967, but the legacy of the Lillis family who lived there remains an important part of Kansas City history. Irish immigrant and homeowner James Lillis built the first streetcars in Kansas City as a railroad contractor,
Lillis Family Legacy on Armour Boulevard Read More »
While folks in the suburbs sometimes complain about feeling isolated from neighbors, those who live in urban neighborhoods like Midtown’s Squier Park often feel they are truly living in an urban village. Squier Park Neighborhood Association President John Pajor said, “We do our best to get to know each other.” Pajor says he, his wife,
In Squier Park Neighborhood, “We Do Our Best to Get to Know Each Other” Read More »
This home at 3640 Tracy is one of five featured on this year’s Squier Park Homes Tour this Saturday. Squier Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April, making it only the second residential district east of Troost to be so honored. Photos courtesy Squier Park Neighborhood Association. According to the
“No one knows Squier Park,” but Homes Tour May Raise Profile Read More »