Do You Remember this Block of Westport Road from Broadway to Central?

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by

midtownkcposter
in , , ,
The bank at the corner of Westport Road and Broadway looks much the small today as it did in this 1940 photo. The block it occupies looks much the same as well. Although businesses have come and gone, the block has retained much of the same appearance it had in the early 1900s when most of its structures were built.
The bank at the corner of Westport Road and Broadway looks much the same today as it did in this 1940 photo. The block it occupies looks much the same as well. Although businesses have come and gone, the block hasn’t changed much since the early 1900s when most of its structures were built.

Although Westport is best known for its role as a frontier trading outpost, few remnants of that pioneer past remain standing. The Westport we know today, including this block from Westport Road to Archibald and from Broadway to Central, was mostly built in the early years of the 20th century, with Westport Road making the transition from an important trail leading west to a commercial shopping area for surrounding neighbors.

This map of old Westport shows the main cluster of businesses at Westport Avenue and Pennsylvania. The only building shown in this week’s featured block was the home of physician Joel Morris.

As part of our Uncovering History Project, the Midtown KC Post is examining each block in Midtown. A set of 1940 tax assessment photos is available for many blocks.

As the 1920s began, the block along Westport Road began to take on a more commercial face. While Archibald remained a residential street, businesses along Westport Road became more densely packed as the surrounding neighborhood was built up, and streetcars made the block an easy-to-reach destination.

 In this 1895-1907 map, the same block contained scattered brick buildings (in pink) as well as frame business and residential structures.
In this 1895-1907 map, the same block contained scattered brick buildings (in pink) as well as frame business and residential structures.

Like much of Midtown, the rising popularity of automobiles led to major alterations in business areas. By 1940, a gas station had replaced older frame residences at the corner of Broadway and Archibald. The Westport Avenue Bank, which moved to the corner of Westport and Broadway in 1920, in 1942 bought neighboring Weatherproof Products Company, which sold linoleum, in order to expand bank parking.

A recent aerial photo of the block with its remaining buildings and parking lots.
A recent aerial photo of the block with its remaining buildings and parking lots.

Historic photos courtesy Kansas City Public Library/Missouri Valley Special Collections.

The photos below show the rest of the homes on the block as they looked in 1940.

Comments

3 responses to “Do You Remember this Block of Westport Road from Broadway to Central?”

  1. Elaine Avatar
    Elaine

    I would be interested to learn how the streets in one section of Westport became angled.

    Reply
    1. midtownkcposter Avatar
      midtownkcposter

      Elaine:
      Westport and Kansas City were originally two separate towns. Westport was laid out on a different grid than Kansas City. When Westport was annexed into the large Kansas City, its streets did not fit neatly into the east-west grid, but went off at an angle.

      Reply
  2. Luann Heshion Avatar
    Luann Heshion

    My father, Wyatt Jenkins and Merle Fowler owned and operated the Westport Printing Co at 411 Westport Rd from about 1942 to 1950. I, and my brothers and sisters, worked there part time while attending school., as did the Fowler children. Dad banked at the Westport Bank. My husband-to-be, unbeknowns to me, worked part time at the Westport Hardware – East of the Westport Bank – during the same time-frame. We all have many fond memories of that area known as “Westport”.

    Reply

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