Although many of their homes don’t survive, the turn-of-the-century residents of Armour Boulevard included many civic and business leaders of the early 1900s. It was news in 1902 when E.H.L. Thompson took out a permit to build a home on the northeast corner of Armour and Kenwood, seen here as it had been designed. The house […]
Large Homes Once Stood on Armour Read More »
A Midtown Memorial Day tribute goes to George Sedgewick, a Kansas City pioneer who lived at Armour and Virginia before his 20 acres were platted as Sedgewick Place. Like many pioneers, Sedgewick wasn’t born here but was attracted to the growing railroad hub and potential for Kansas City’s growth. When Sedgewick, born in 1823, was
Pioneer George Sedgewick and his Block of Armour and Virginia Read More »
One of the former apartment hotels on Armour Boulevard, the Newbern, celebrated its grand reopening last week. The Newbern’s history tells a tale of the glory days of Armour Boulevard, its decline, and its new role as Midtown’s major apartment corridor. MAC Properties, a developer who has renovated. ts on Armour, spent more than a
Luxury Hotels Dominated Armour Boulevard Read More »
Much has changed along Armour Boulevard since the early 1900s, but one block, the north side of Armour to 34th Street from Campbell to Charlotte, remains much the same. One of the Armour mansions is no longer there, but the remaining homes of the block look pretty much the same as when they were built.
Some of Armour Blvd.’s Mansions Remain Read More »
Many blocks of Midtown look much the same today as they did 100 years ago, but this corner of Armour and Main is wholly changed. In the early 1900s it was a peaceful street lined with new mansions built for wealthy Kansas Citians who were moving south. Today, the mansions on the block are gone,
Armour Boulevard and Main Street, Then and Now Read More »
Every block of Midtown Kansas City has a unique history, and the block between Armour and 36th, McGee and Gillham is steeped in Catholic history and the transformation of Armour Boulevard from a boulevard of mansions to a busy street lined with luxury residential hotels. Sanburn map from 1909-1950 showing the block and surrounding areas
A Grand Home on Armour Boulevard Read More »
The businesses that once lined the southeast corner of Armour and Troost are mostly gone now, with the remaining ones boarded up. But in earlier days, the block from Armour south to 36th Street, from Troost to Forest, was a lively part of Armour Boulevard’s apartment hotel district. And the corner of Armour and Forest
A Shootout on Armour Boulevard Read More »
For many years, the Ragan farm at what is now the corner of Armour and Locust was a well-known landmark. But like many things in today’s Midtown Kansas City, things were about to change forever when this photo was taken in 1886. Family and friends had gathered to say goodbye to the old homestead where
Life on the Farm at Armour and Locust Before 1880 Read More »
A century ago, Kansas Citians often headed outside on hot summer nights like these. And one popular spot was always Armour Boulevard, a place where people from all walks of life were likely to show up. The Kansas City Star in 1905 described the scene. “The boulevards are the most popular breathing spots at night
Armour Boulevard Was the Place to Beat the Heat Read More »
Today, this peaceful, tree-lined street doesn’t look much like it did when this scene was created around the turn of the 20th century. But it was one of the most celebrated streets in town, proudly featured in numerous postcards showing Kansas City’s new boulevard system. The street is Armour Boulevard, back before it became a
The Armour Family’s Short Stay on Armour Boulevard Read More »