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 »
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 »
A recent Google Maps view of the 4300 block of Walnut. One important name stands out in the history of a block of the Southmoreland neighborhood from Warwick Boulevard west to Walnut and from 43rd to 44th, that of architect Albert Turney. Perhaps best known for the design of Kansas City Fire Department Building #2 in 1905, Turney
Architect Saw Value in Southmoreland Read More »
The heyday of the 4500 block of Warwick Boulevard lasted from the early 1900s to the 1940s, when the “old timers” moved on south to newer parts of Kansas City. For that period, however, this block was home to captains of industry and their socialite wives. Even after they left, the street retained an air
The Heyday of Warwick Boulevard Read More »
Warwick Boulevard 1894. Looking north from 41st Street. Last week, our Uncovering History story featured a block of the Southmoreland neighborhood around 43rd and Main. That prompted a reader to ask what history might be available on the 4100 block of Warwick. I’d like to tell you more about that shortly, but first the story
A Neighborhood Dispute Over a Cow Read More »
The Karnopp Building at 43rd and Main in 1930. Today’s block includes residences and apartment buildings in the Southmoreland neighborhood, from 43rd Street south to 44th Street and Main Street east to Walnut Street. The Karnopp Building, at 43rd and Main, is pictured. The building still stands on the corner. In 1930, it housed Paul
Main Street Drug Store Served the Neighborhood Read More »
William Rockhill Nelson is best remembered as the founder of the Kansas City Star, but Nelson once said he enjoyed nothing more than building houses. Nelson the journalist was also an avid real estate developer and planner. He was among the first of the Kansas City elite to move south – helping start the movement
Nelson’s Country Mansion Became Site of Nelson-Atkins Museum Read More »
The earliest residents of Kansas City’s Southmoreland neighborhood were wealthy businessmen looking to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown. Even though many of the mansions they built in the late 1880s have not survived, their confidence in the area set the stage for the neighborhood as it stands today. Historians credit the move of
History in Stone Walls Read More »