Homes in the Center City neighborhood at 33rd and Troost around 1900.
In the early 1900s, developers such as the Cowherd Brothers were building “modern” middle-class homes across what is now Midtown. One area where development was occurring was today’s Center City neighborhood, from 31st to Armour Boulevard and Troost to the Paseo.
Center City’s strategic location made it attractive to people looking to buy a home outside of the crowded downtown area.
31st and Troost was still known as “millionaire’s row,” with huge mansions dominating the street. By the 1920s, Troost, with its popular streetcar line moving people from downtown to the new suburbs to the south, was being reborn as a major commercial artery.
In 1900, a popular publication showcasing Kansas City homes featured the O.D. Woodward residence at 3324 Troost.
As Jews immigrated to Kansas City in the early 1900s, many settled in and around the Center City area. Jewish synagogues and social services followed. In the 1920s, Beth Shalom, in the 3400 block of the Paseo, had a 1,500-member congregation. Another temple, B’nai Jehudah, was located on the southeast corner of Linwood Boulevard and Flora Avenue.
Photos courtesy Kansas City Public Library, Missouri Valley Special Collections.
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