As Midtown grew, its streets and boulevards bloomed with homes and businesses, connecting us to other neighborhoods and other parts of the city.
One of Midtown’s most historical corners is the intersection of Linwood and Troost, where a distinctive terra cotta structure, open on the street level, stands on the northeast corner. The area was once part of a very exclusive section of Kansas City known as Millionaires Row, where families tired of living in the crowded city moved […]
Changes at Linwood and Troost Read More »
The east side of the 3800 block of Broadway is dominated by Walgreens and a couple of popular local bars, the Blarney Stone and Chez Charlie, that we wrote about last week. But there’s a sweet, sad story about the history of the block – once the home of a Kansas City mother who lost her
Changes on the East Side of Broadway Read More »
The heyday of the 4500 block of Warwick Boulevard lasted from the early 1900s to the 1940s, when the “old timers” moved on south to newer parts of Kansas City. For that period, however, this block was home to captains of industry and their socialite wives. Even after they left, the street retained an air
The Heyday of Warwick Boulevard Read More »
Today, we call the area around 31st and Oak Street “Martini Corner” in honor of the bars and restaurants that fill it. A look back to the 1940s shows that the buildings in this area have housed a constantly changing array of local businesses that serve Midtown since they were originally built. While not much
Martini Corner Has Always Been a Neighborhood Business Center Read More »
Last week, the 3400 block of Broadway was in the news as the city council took action to advance a proposed project on the MGE site at 34th Street. That area has undergone significant changes over the years. Like other major Midtown thoroughfares such as Main Street and Troost Avenue, Broadway began as a residential street
Broadway Saw Major Changes Over the Decades Read More »
Seen from above today, this block of Kansas City – Linwood Boulevard to 31st Street – from Campbell to Harrison is fairly deserted. But a hundred years ago, the block was home to a grand hotel, an essential women’s club and a row of businesses along 31st Street. Our historic tour of the block begins with the
Linwood Boulevard Had a Grand Hotel and More Read More »
The businesses that once lined the southeast corner of Armour and Troost are mostly gone now, with the remaining ones boarded up. But in earlier days, the block from Armour south to 36th Street, from Troost to Forest, was a lively part of Armour Boulevard’s apartment hotel district. And the corner of Armour and Forest
A Shootout on Armour Boulevard Read More »
It is history day at the Midtown KC Post, and we’ve got a new map that shows how Troost Avenue changed between 1880 and 1920, transforming from millionaire’s row into Kansas City’s premier shopping street. The best way to see the transition is by studying old maps of 29th to 32nd Streets and Troost. The map
When Troost Was Millionaire’s Row Read More »
In 1940, the O’Reilly family lived at 3100 Broadway, today the site of a commercial office building. Today, the 3100 block of Broadway is comprised of office towers and commercial, office, medical, and community college buildings. But as recently as 1940, the block looked utterly different. It was then dotted with large family homes, like
North Broadway Once Had More Homes Read More »
We’ve already featured the north side of West 39th Street between State Line and Bell, but a reader whose grandfather used to own some buildings there asked us what we knew about the south side of the block, where Jimmy’s Jigger sits today. Records were sketchy before the 1950s, but the establishment was called Bigger
Business Boomed on West 39th Street Read More »