Transition from Large Homes to Boarding Houses

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midtownkcposter
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Large homes in Old Hyde Park were well-suited to families around 1910, when many families still had servants who helped run their households. By 1940, this block between 36th and 37th, Wyandotte to Central, had become much more densely populated, with apartment buildings filling in vacant lots and large homes being converted to rooming houses.
Large homes in Old Hyde Park were well-suited to families around 1910, when many still had servants who helped run their households. By 1940, this block between 36th and 37th, Wyandotte to Central, had become much more densely populated, with apartment buildings filling in vacant lots and large homes being converted to rooming houses.

Kansas City changed a lot in the early 1900s. For example, in 1910, the block of Old Hyde Park between 36th and 37th, from Central to Wyandotte, was home to well-off families. Still, by 1940, some of the older homes on the block had been replaced by apartment buildings, and many of the homes had been converted to boarding houses to accommodate the city’s growing population.

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.

 Today, the block between 36th and 37th, from Wyandotte to Central. 

This chart gives a glimpse of changes between 1910 and 1940. In 1910, it was common for Midtown families to have servants. The servants came from various backgrounds and were listed by their race and nationality. After that decade, servants were no longer common. By 1940, many of the large homes had become boarding houses or where families had taken in lodgers to help with the city’s housing shortage.

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

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

Comments

2 responses to “Transition from Large Homes to Boarding Houses”

  1. R E Avatar
    R E

    Just a note, the 1940 tax photos shown are of the block just to the south (block 128), between 37th and 38th St. What it should be is block 123 of district 11.

    Reply
    1. midtownkcposter Avatar
      midtownkcposter

      Thank you so much for pointing that out. I will check it when I have some time.

      Reply

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