![row-house-main-](https://midtownkcpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/row-house-main-.jpg)
This block of row houses is a one-of-a-kind in Midtown.
There are several reasons for that. First, it predates much of the architecture in this part of the city, built in the early days of the southward development. And its style – Queen Anne with some Eastlake elements – is also uncommon in Midtown.
The block is at 34th and Main, peeking out from behind a streetscape of commercial businesses but still giving the feeling of the days it was built in 1887-8.
The block is on the National Register of Historic Places, but little is known about it. According to the national register application, the block is one of the rare surviving examples of Kansas City row house architecture, as most of these buildings have not survived.
![](https://midtownkcpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/row-house-detail.jpg)
There’s also not much information about who built the row houses. Records show George W. Craig, a laborer for the Metropolitan Streetcar Railway Company, as the builder. But, the historical application points out, it’s unlikely that a laborer for a streetcar company would have had the financial means to build such a structure, so it’s presumed he was a representative for an out-of-state speculator.
When the row houses were built, four buildings along Main Street and seven along 34th created an L-shape with a courtyard in the rear.
If anyone knows more about the buildings, we’d love to hear from you.
![rowhouse-3](https://midtownkcpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/rowhouse-3.jpg)
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