As Midtown grew, its streets and boulevards bloomed with homes and businesses, connecting us to other neighborhoods and other parts of the city.
The Karnopp Building at 43rd and Main in 1930. Today’s block includes residences and apartment buildings in the Southmoreland neighborhood, from 43rd Street south to 44th Street and Main Street east to Walnut Street. The Karnopp Building, at 43rd and Main, is pictured. The building still stands on the corner. In 1930, it housed Paul […]
Main Street Drug Store Served the Neighborhood Read More »
A reader named Natalia asked us about her 3500 block of Pennsylvania. Since that’s right down the street from Midtown KC Post headquarters, and we are currently working on a book on Valentine neighborhood history, we’re happy to oblige. Today’s slideshow photos feature 35th Street south to Valentine Road and Jefferson Street east to Pennsylvania
Broadway Block Changed from Residential to Commercial Read More »
Today, we examine residences and businesses in the Squier Park neighborhood, from Armour Boulevard south to 36th and Troost east to Forest. As you can see from the photos in the gallery below, Troost was packed with small local businesses that served the neighborhood, including the Lee Yun Laundry at 3535 Troost. Squier Park also
Armour and Troost Offered Neighborhood Businesses Read More »
The photos we have posted below show the structures that existed that year. A Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the Troostwood area developed after the turn of the century. Today, we look at residences and businesses in Troostwood, from 49th Street south to 49th Terrace and 51st Street, from Troost Avenue east to Forest and
A Corner Store on Troost Read More »
Today, we look at residences, businesses, and apartment buildings in the Volker neighborhood, from 38th Street south to 39th Street and State Line Road east to Bell Street. Johnson Hardware, at 1800 West 39th, and Rainbow Grocery Company, at 1802 West 39th, are among the buildings pictured. But we would like your help. Do you remember this block in 1940 or in the years since? What special memories do you
West 39th Street Business Served Volker Neighborhood Read More »
For many years, the Ragan farm at what is now the corner of Armour and Locust was a well-known landmark. But like many things in today’s Midtown Kansas City, things were about to change forever when this photo was taken in 1886. Family and friends had gathered to say goodbye to the old homestead where
Life on the Farm at Armour and Locust Before 1880 Read More »
Before it became a major city park, Penn Valley was a deep ravine with 300 homes scattered across its hillsides, as seen in this photo from 1890. Photo courtesy of the Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners, as seen in the new book “Kansas City’s Parks and Boulevards.” Midtown would be a completely different place
Book Details Lessons from Park and Boulevard History Read More »
Like other commercial corridors in Midtown today, Broadway started as a residential area. But in the 1920s, it evolved into the commercial corridor it is today, with businesses and apartments taking the place of stately homes that had once stood along it. The photo above shows Broadway in 1917, right where the Kansas City Life Insurance
Former Mansion on Broadway Boulevard Read More »
Postcards from around 1900 offer a glimpse of how proud Kansas City was of its new grand boulevard, the Paseo. The Paseo takes its name from the “Paseo de la Reforma” in Mexico City. Kansas City Parks and Boulevards designer George Kessler meant for Kansas City’s Paseo to be a great street. He envisioned it
Postcards of The Paseo Read More »
A century ago, Kansas Citians often headed outside on hot summer nights like these. And one popular spot was always Armour Boulevard, a place where people from all walks of life were likely to show up. The Kansas City Star in 1905 described the scene. “The boulevards are the most popular breathing spots at night
Armour Boulevard Was the Place to Beat the Heat Read More »