Midtown has more than two dozen unique neighborhoods and several commercial and cultural districts. No two are alike. They are all interesting.
The Rockhill neighborhood is known for its significant historic homes, which are built on spacious lots and are close to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Art Institute, and UMKC. Once renowned for its stone walls and crimson rambler roses, Rockhill began when William Rockhill Nelson built his mansion, Oak Hall, in the south part of […]
The Neighborhood Around the Nelson-Atkins Museum Read More »
A home on the 3100 block of Summit in 1940. Before Penn Valley Community College was built, several hundred homes filled in the area between 31st and 33rd Streets, from Broadway to Southwest Trafficway. In the late 1960s, communities across the United States formed community college districts fueled by changes in society that seemed to
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3820 Baltimore in 1940 In 1918, Mrs. Pensa Davis died in her home at 3820 Baltimore, in the neighborhood now known as Old Hyde Park. Mrs. Davis was the widow of Francis Napoleon Davis, an early Kansas City resident who bought a large tract of land. The Davis farm later became the Rockhill area. According
Block Held Mixture of Apartments and Homes Read More »
Homes in the Center City neighborhood at 33rd and Troost around 1900. In the early 1900s, developers such as the Cowherd Brothers were building “modern” middle-class homes across what is now Midtown. One area where development was occurring was today’s Center City neighborhood, from 31st to Armour Boulevard and Troost to the Paseo. Center City’s strategic
Jewish Immigrants Settled Around Synagogue 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 »
A reader asked us to feature the Countryside neighborhood, so today we look at some of the homes in that neighborhood south of the Brush Creek that started out as a farm. When Countryside was platted in 1908 as the Country Side District, it became a prime location for development. That year, the Country Club
Countryside Historic District Began as a Farm Read More »
Today, we look at some homes in Westwood Park, a Kansas City neighborhood just across the state line from Westwood, Kansas. Developed beginning in 1913, J.C. Nichols stepped in in 1921 to help sell lots and boasted he sold 25 percent of the home sites in the first week. This Sanborn Fire Insurance map (above)
J.C. Nichols Helped Sell Westwood Park Read More »
Today, we feature the 3900 block of Central in the Heart of Westport neighborhood. Central Street is just one block east of Broadway. Here’s what we know about the block so far. Reader Janet Pickett says she grew up on the block. “I watched the city tear down 8 or 10 houses and build the
How One Westport Block Has Changed Read More »
Warwick Boulevard 1894. Looking north from 41st Street. Last week, our Uncovering History story featured a block of the Southmoreland neighborhood around 43rd and Main. That prompted a reader to ask what history might be available on the 4100 block of Warwick. I’d like to tell you more about that shortly, but first the story
A Neighborhood Dispute Over a Cow Read More »
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 »