How does this block of Hyde Park come to have several formerly luxurious old homes mixed in with a 1950s, post-war apartment building? The answer lies in the changing housing trends that influenced the development, and redevelopment, of Midtown Kansas City. On this block, from Armour to E. 36th between Charlotte and Holmes, the earliest residents… Continue reading Hyde Park Block Responded to Changing Residential Trends
Category: Homes & buildings
One of Kansas City’s Finest Homes Razed in 1912; Replaced by Sunset Hill School
I can feel the pain of anyone who has to say goodbye to a long-loved home, so I understand how Judge A.M. Allen might have felt in 1912. He and his son had driven their buggy over to the northwest corner of 51st and Wornall to take a last look at Allen’s home of 45 years.… Continue reading One of Kansas City’s Finest Homes Razed in 1912; Replaced by Sunset Hill School
How Central Hyde Park Prepared for Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approached in 1927, it’s a pretty good bet that Effie Kauffman of Central Hyde Park was working on her holiday planning. Mrs. Kauffman’s prize-winning Thanksgiving menu was shared in the Nov. 22 Kansas City Star that year. It included a grapefruit cocktail, turkey with oyster dressing, peas in cream, leaf lettuce with Thousand… Continue reading How Central Hyde Park Prepared for Thanksgiving
Corner drugstore at 39th and Genessee served the neighborhood
Small corner stores with living quarters above are a feature of many neighborhood corners in Midtown, including the southeast corner of 39th and Bell in the Volker neighborhood. This corner shop housed several different drug stores in the early 20thcentury, and has also been used as a neighborhood tavern. These businesses have shared the block between… Continue reading Corner drugstore at 39th and Genessee served the neighborhood
Roanoke property owners took a stand against apartments in 1920s
In the 1920s, the owners of single-family homes in the Roanoke neighborhood took a stand against the growing number of apartment buildings being erected across the city. Their concern about development of multifamily housing has been a constant theme across the history of Midtown. The Midtown KC Post is taking a look at each block in… Continue reading Roanoke property owners took a stand against apartments in 1920s
1932 arson destroyed fine old Broadway residential hotel
On a block of Broadway known today as home of the Uptown Theater, the history of a home-turned-posh-residential-hotel has nearly faded from history. The Rochambeau, once the home of Valentine and Roanoke neighborhood “father” A.B.H. McGee, was called one of Kansas City’s finest luxury hotels. However, a fire in the 1930s has erased it from most… Continue reading 1932 arson destroyed fine old Broadway residential hotel
Walnuts apartments replaced famous mansion of the same name
Before the Walnuts, Kansas City’s most high-end apartments, were erected beginning in 1929, a large home stood on the same site at Fifty-first and Wornall. The mansion – also known as the Walnuts – became a famous venue for entertaining well-to-do city residents until a developer saw the site’s potential for as a luxury residential hotel.… Continue reading Walnuts apartments replaced famous mansion of the same name
Do you remember the Newbern Hotel at Armour and Cherry?
One of the former apartment hotels on Armour Boulevard, the Newbern, celebrated its grand reopening last week. The history of the Newbern tells a tale of the glory days of Armour Boulevard, its decline and its new role as Midtown’s major apartment corridor. MAC Properties, a developer which has renovated several apartments on Armour, spent… Continue reading Do you remember the Newbern Hotel at Armour and Cherry?
Do you remember the Belmont Hotel and the block of Linwood between Campbell and Harrison?
A hulking white building at 911 E. Linwood was in the news this week, with a developer successfully requesting assistance to overhaul it. The building – formerly a hotel, a nursing home and a government headquarters – is now slated to reopen as market-rate apartments in 2017. According to the Kansas City Star, developer Ted Sleder… Continue reading Do you remember the Belmont Hotel and the block of Linwood between Campbell and Harrison?
Drexel Hall, built by shrewd businesswoman, has seen a century of history
It would be easy to drive past Drexel Hall at the corner of Linwood and Baltimore day after day without any idea of the layers of history within its walls. Beginning with its unusual beginnings as a spur-of-the-moment purchase by a shrewd businesswoman, to its early days of concerts, dances and suffrage association meetings, to… Continue reading Drexel Hall, built by shrewd businesswoman, has seen a century of history