Midtown has more than two dozen unique neighborhoods and several commercial and cultural districts. No two are alike. They are all interesting.
by Joe Montanari (reprinted from the West Plaza neighborhood newsletter) Traveling east or west on 39th Street, on the southwest corner of 39th and Roanoke Road, one notices a handsome old building known as “The Loretto.” It’s a little tricky to see out the car window as you drive by, but if you approach from […]
Loretto School Faced Desegration Fight in 1947 Read More »
Midtown’s Norman School is one of 12 sites nominated for the National Register of Historic Places by the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation this month. The application document offers a glimpse of the history of Kansas City and the relationship between its schools and neighborhoods around the turn of the century. The nomination prepared
Norman School Historical Nomination Highlights Role in Community 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 »
Why is Valentine Road so curvy? Why are houses in Midtown so close together? Bill Worley, history instructor with Metropolitan Community Colleges, answered those questions and more on a Sunday walking tour of the Valentine Neighborhood. The Kansas City Museum sponsored the tour, which is one of a series. Worley said that City Beautiful Movement
Historian Calls Valentine a Neighborhood of Interesting Houses, Interesting People Read More »
Glenn Stewart asked the Westport Post Office staff if she could start a small garden in front of the building a few years ago because she lived in an apartment and missed digging in the dirt. Each year, her “Magic Garden” expands to offer fresh herbs to neighbors and bring a smile to those who
“Miss Glenn’s Magic Garden” Offers Up Fresh Herbs at Westport Post Office Read More »
Excerpted from the April 2013 Hyde Parker To survive after a quarter century in gumball machine vending, Alan Bitterman realized in 1980 that he needed a new business model, one focused outside Kansas City. Yet even as Bitterman Family Confections began to change, the company never left North Hyde Park. Today, with three buildings, 40,000
Bitterman’s: 160 years of History in Hyde Park Read More »
The heart of the Westwood Park neighborhood is the 9.3-acre park on the edge of its border. The neighborhood, tucked into the area behind Pembroke Hill School on Ward Parkway, is home to 300 families. They range from retired folks to families with young children and live in a variety of homes, from single-family bungalows
Westwood Park Neighborhood Life Revolves around Park Read More »
Valentine’s Day is a big deal in the Valentine neighborhood. But don’t let that fool you into thinking Valentine is named for the romantic holiday. The neighborhood takes its name from P.A. Valentine, a real estate developer who owned a lot of Midtown property at the turn of the century but who never actually lived
How Did Valentine Get its Name? Read More »
While folks in the suburbs sometimes complain about feeling isolated from neighbors, those who live in urban neighborhoods like Midtown’s Squier Park often feel they are truly living in an urban village. Squier Park Neighborhood Association President John Pajor said, “We do our best to get to know each other.” Pajor says he, his wife,
In Squier Park Neighborhood, “We Do Our Best to Get to Know Each Other” Read More »