When Barbara Bescher bought a lot at the corner of 39th and Main in 1901, the home she built for herself was practically the only thing on the block. But just two decades later, in 1924, the savvy businesswoman sold the property for more than 20 times what she paid for it. The property she purchased for $3000 sold for $70,000 – a sign of how important Thirty-Ninth and Main had become as a commercial corner.
As part of our Uncovering History Project, the Midtown KC Post is examining each block in Midtown. A set of 1940 tax assessment photos is available for many blocks.
This week, we begin to document what is known about the block between 38th and 39th, from Main to Baltimore. The rest of the block will be featured in upcoming posts. Today, the northeast corner of 39th and Main.
Still undeveloped in 1907
This 1907 Tuttle and Pike map shows the growing Hyde Park area, with Bescher’s home (circled in red) standing in what would prove to be a strategic location at 39th and Main.
Although much of the area known as Hyde Park or the South Side had been developed in the prior two decades, in 1907, the northeast corner of 39th and Main held one house, and the entire block had only two homes.
The entire block had once been part of the “Mastin tract,” a large holding belonging to the Mastin family, who had large holdings in this area before development began. In 1901, the Mastins sold the property to Mrs. Barbara Bescher, an Austrian immigrant with a keen sense of real estate.
Bescher went from rags to riches after her divorce in 1896, which left her responsible for the support of seven children. She opened a stall at the city market and later bought land at Linwood and Baltimore and built Drexel Hall.
Main Street Homes Give Way to Commercial Business
By 1924, Bescher’s instincts about the property had paid off. C.H. Price, president of the Linwood State Bank and the owner of a chain of confectionary stores in Kansas City and several other cities, offered her $70,000 for the corner. One of Price’s candy stores was on the same block of Main Street, and he built a two-story building on the corner after Bescher’s home was razed in 1925.
The building has seen several uses over the years, with ground-floor retail and second-story office spaces. In the 1980s, the well-known Foolkiller bought the building and offered open mics, concerts, and discussion groups.
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