A reader named James Brumwell recently sent us this photo of his aunt and her husband in front of their Crestwood home in 1922. Valerie and Clare Chapman, seen here in another 1922 photo, lived at 5510 Crestwood Drive when the neighborhood young. Crestwood has a unique history as a Midtown neighborhood; it was intended […]
Crestwood Has Remained The Same Over the Decades Read More »
Anyone who knows Midtown Kansas City will encounter some pretty familiar places and things with slight twists when reading the book Of Stones and Feathers. There’s the barely-disguised Nelson Museum of Art with its shuttlecocks and sheep sculptures; Gillham Road and Penn Valley Park; Martini Row with its Never-Sleeping, Three-Headed Velvet Dog-Jaws of Death; the
Coleman’s book invites rediscovery of Midtown – and reimagining of Kansas City Read More »
In 1910, as the desire for new “modern” homes in Midtown Kansas City continued, an “old fashioned, two-story” frame home at 39th and Gillham was being prepared to be moved. The Kansas City Times published this sketch and told the story on Feb. 4 of that year: An Old House Being Moved: Henry C. Flower
A Dairy Farm Became Notre Dame de Sion Read More »
There was a day in Kansas City when almost every kid could walk to an ice cream parlor like this one at 4338 Troost. That memory is preserved in a series of 1940 photographs showing every home and commercial business on the 4300 blocks of Troost and Harrison that year. This area of South Hyde Park developed in
South Hyde Park Became a “Streetcar Suburb” Read More »
The heyday of the 4500 block of Warwick Boulevard lasted from the early 1900s to the 1940s, when the “old timers” moved on south to newer parts of Kansas City. For that period, however, this block was home to captains of industry and their socialite wives. Even after they left, the street retained an air
The Heyday of Warwick Boulevard Read More »
Around 52nd and Brookside, the area was known for its rustic pedestrian bridges that people used to cross a brook to catch the streetcar. It was also the home of Visitation Parish – and the site of the second home that its developer, J.C. Nichols, built for his own family. Visitation Church around 1920. Indeed, the Visitation
Early Days in Brookside Read More »
Today, we call the area around 31st and Oak Street “Martini Corner” in honor of the bars and restaurants that fill it. A look back to the 1940s shows that the buildings in this area have housed a constantly changing array of local businesses that serve Midtown since they were originally built. While not much
Martini Corner Has Always Been a Neighborhood Business Center Read More »
Last week, the 3400 block of Broadway was in the news as the city council took action to advance a proposed project on the MGE site at 34th Street. That area has undergone significant changes over the years. Like other major Midtown thoroughfares such as Main Street and Troost Avenue, Broadway began as a residential street
Broadway Saw Major Changes Over the Decades Read More »
When J.C. Nichols developed the Crestwood neighborhood in 1919, it was advertised as a “garden home” district. The neighborhood offered large lots that took advantage of the natural topography and attracted wealthy residents who moved south as the older, more mature parts of Midtown became crowded. These two blocks of Crestwood are a good example
Crestwood Homes Became Part of UMKC Read More »
On the corner of 43rd Street and Tracy, the renovated Bancroft School is bringing new life to the Manheim Park neighborhood. With plans for new infill housing in the area and residents rehabbing older homes, people are rediscovering Manheim, a neighborhood with a lot of history. The Bancroft School has been converted into apartments. It
Bancroft School Area Full of Memories Read More »