Midtown is constantly changing, but the buildings and homes we have lost shape what is here today. We need to consider what is important before we consider demolition.
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 »
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 »
As part of our Uncovering History Project, the Midtown KC Post is taking a look at the 1940 tax assessment photos of each block in Midtown. Today, we look at residences, businesses, and apartment buildings that were once considered part of the Valentine neighborhood but have since been demolished to make room for Penn Valley Community College. This
Homes Where Penn Valley Community College Now Stands 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 »
Today, this peaceful, tree-lined street doesn’t look much like it did when this scene was created around the turn of the 20th century. But it was one of the most celebrated streets in town, proudly featured in numerous postcards showing Kansas City’s new boulevard system. The street is Armour Boulevard, back before it became a
The Armour Family’s Short Stay on Armour Boulevard Read More »
(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 »