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 about this unique block. The Kansas City Star noted […]
Glen Airy Place Tucked Away in North Hyde Park Read More »
An important homestead once stood where the south edge of the Valentine neighborhood touches Westport, near what is now the parking lot of the Sunfresh grocery store. The home of Westport pioneer George Schaefer proudly occupied the corner of Pennsylvania and Schaefer Street (now known as West 39th Street Terrace). The family built the home
Valentine Mansion Once Housed Pioneer Family, Children of Working Mothers Read More »
In the early 1800s, the graves of a riverboat gambler, a rugged Indian agent, and prominent early settlers shared space in a small plot of land now in the middle of the Westport Entertainment District. According to the Kansas City Times of May 30, 1970, “The Westport cemetery was established in 1835, when Edgar Price,
A Memorial Day Look Back at the Westport Cemetery Read More »
The block between Main and Walnut from 36th to 37th Streets has seen many changes since it attracted its first residents in the late 1800s. Its history reflects the movement of people from the north to the new “south side” around the turn of the century, which brought new homes, businesses, and a church to
Famous “Bachelor Retreat” Once Stood at 36th and Main Read More »
The block between 38th and 39th between Main and Baltimore was a key location, in part because of Main Street’s importance as a commercial corridor and also because of the easy access to streetcar lines on both Main and 39th. Development began in 1901, when savvy businesswoman Barbara Bescher bought a lot at the corner
A President Spent the Night on this Block Read More »
This post from our archives (originally posted in March of 2016) features homes on the 3900 block of Central in the Heart of Westport neighborhood. Central Street is just one block east of Broadway. Reader Janet Pickett says she grew up on it. “I watched the city tear down 8 or 10 houses and build
Resident Watched Homes Disappear in Westport Read More »
In the 1930s, while most of their 3800 Main Street block was being saturated with storefronts—the Madrid Theater and a garage that would become the Unicorn Theater—it was still the long-time home of the Dunn family. And they heard a suggestion that they were “losing money in their front yard.” The Dunn’s home at 3820 Main
West Side of 3800 Block of Main Thrived in Developing Midtown Read More »
When Barbara Bescher bought a lot at the corner of 39th and Main in 1901, the home she built for herself was practically the only thing on the block. But just two decades later, in 1924, the savvy businesswoman sold the property for more than 20 times what she paid for it. The property she purchased
The NE Corner of 39th and Main Holds Layers of History Read More »
The block of Midtown that is today’s focus has always been a mystery to one of our readers. “On the NW corner of 35th Terrace and Genessee is a nice, solid red brick four-unit apartment building,” Diane Capps wrote. “Near the top, on the front of the building is a limestone slab that is engraved with W.P.
The W.P. Cherry Block of Volker Read More »
When Midtown began to develop in the late 1800s, it was a posh residential area where well-to-do Kansas Citians built mansions to escape the crowded downtown. They settled along streets such as Broadway, Troost, and Main. However, by the 1920s, rapid development in the area and the streetcar lines along those major streets caused a rapid
Midtown Mansion Converted to Business, Moved to Main Street Read More »