The Emil Rohrer Home: A Landmark of Concrete Construction

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4425 Terrace today, viewed from the west. Captured March 2025. Like most American cities, Kansas City suffered a lull of private home-building throughout the decade of the 1930s. Outside of the impressive public construction projects associated with the Ten-Year Plan, a scant few neighborhoods saw extensive development during this period, and many commercial and industrial […]

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Conversations with Scott Burnett

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Scott Burnett, a longtime resident of the Roanoke neighborhood,  is conducting audio interviews with interesting people in Kansas City.  So far, he’s talked to the owners of Fric and Frac, a Volker gathering place, and Kerry Browne and John McClain, owners of Browne’s Irish Market, the oldest Irish business outside of Ireland. Follow the conversations here.

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New Demolitions Proposed in Valentine Neighborhood

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Kansas City Life Insurance has recently requested demolition permits for four buildings in the Valentine neighborhood. These are in addition to the 23 buildings they tore down and are in the two blocks south of where the previous demolitions occurred.  On Feb. 28, the Historic Preservation Commission will hold a hearing on new demolition permits

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Valentine Demolitions Part of Discussion on Vacant Land Tax

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As demolitions of homes in Valentine continue, the mayor is stepping up talk about reducing the burden of privately owned vacant lots on neighborhoods. One idea – taxing vacant lots and buildings to encourage their use. The Kansas City Star reported on the issue on Nov. 25, 2024. “Something like a vacant land tax could

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More Steptoe Homes Lost, Erasing More of Kansas City’s Black History

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It’s been a while since the Midtown KC Post shared any new stories, but here today is a new one. This block history was inspired by the fact that three buildings on the block – part of the historic but increasingly endangered – Steptoe neighborhood have been demolished. Steptoe is one of the most important places

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