It must have been quiet on this Summit Street block when D.P. and Sophia Thomson moved in around 1900. Although the Roanoke subdivision had been platted and laid out, it had been slow to develop. When the Thomsons moved in, theirs was the only home on the block that is today’s focus: Summit Street (now […]
Pioneering Photographer Was First Owner of This Roanoke Block Read More »
The Southmoreland block between Warwick and McGee from 39th to 40th Streets has seen a lot of history – huge social events packed into its fine homes, a flu epidemic that impacted a funeral, and the ups and downs of pioneer families. Like many areas of Midtown, the block’s heyday came in the early 1900s, when expansion south
Dinner for 100 on this Southermoreland Block Read More »
If old houses hold the memories of those who have lived in and visited them, this home at 3959 Warwick would have had more stories to tell than most. The home—now replaced by an apartment building—was the long-time residence of lawyer and prominent philanthropist Sanford Ladd, and in his waning years, it was the frequent
Scores of Schoolchildren, Judges and Bishops Visited this Southmoreland Home Read More »
In the late 1800s, a popular entertainment site at Thirty-Ninth and Roanoke was called one of the most beautiful spots in Kansas City. For many years, German immigrant Frederick Esslinger’s house, vineyards, and wine garden were popular destinations for many Westport and Kansas City residents. After the wine garden was closed around 1900 and the house
A Westport Wine Garden at 39th and Roanoke Read More »
A popular fairground that lasted for only five years left a lasting mark on the development of Midtown. In the 1800s, fairs that showcased agriculture techniques and equipment and offered wildly popular horse races were held all over the United States. From 1882 to 1887, the Kansas City Inter-State Fairgrounds operated on land stretching from
Map Shows Fairground Racetrack That Became Curve of Valentine Road Read More »
Like many neighborhoods in Kansas City, the large homes on this North Hyde Park block (from Charlotte to Campbell between 33rd and 34th) suited the extended families, servants, and boarders who lived there at the turn of the 20th century. Over the next few decades, families often moved on to smaller homes or the modern new residential
North Hyde Park Block Was Home to Early Kansas City Police Officer Read More »
Small corner stores with living quarters above are a feature of many neighborhood corners in Midtown, including the southeast corner of 39th and Bell in the Volker neighborhood. This corner shop housed several different drugstores in the early 20th century and has also been used as a neighborhood tavern. These businesses have shared the block between
Corner Drugstore at 39th and Genessee Served the Neighborhood Read More »
A well-known spiritualist, a pioneering druggist, and a grocer were among the early residents of the 4100 block of Oak Street in the Southmoreland neighborhood. Records indicate the home at 4120 Oak was for rent as early as 1894 by the Whipple Loan and Trust Company. By the 1900 census, grocer William Crute and his
On Southmoreland’s Oak Street, Grocers, Railroadmen, and Salesmen Raised their Families Read More »
Railroad engineers, carpenters, and schoolteachers made up the middle-class neighborhood along the east side of the 4100 block of McGee in the early 1900s. Most of the block’s families had been born in the United States, although a handful had recently come from Ireland, Sweden, or Germany. Children attended the nearby Rollins school. One house
Middle-class Families Settled in Southmoreland on Hyde Park Avenue (McGee Street) Read More »
Waverly Way – once a street lined with residences and apartment buildings in a thriving Midtown – has now disappeared. Even its name is gone. The street is now called W. 34th Terrace, sandwiched in between the vacant MGE Building at 34th and Broadway and the Metropolitan Community College Health Sciences Institute just to the south.
Valentine’s Waverly Way Has Disappeared Read More »