The block between 38th and 39th between Main and Baltimore was a key location, in part because of Main Street’s importance as a commercial corridor and also because of the easy access to streetcar lines on both Main and 39th.
Development began in 1901, when savvy businesswoman Barbara Bescher bought a lot at the corner of 39th and Main, which she sold in 1924 for 20 times what she paid for it two decades earlier. In those intervening years, Main Street transformed into a bustling commercial corridor of movie theaters, restaurants and automotive garages.
Along 38th, 39th, and Baltimore, a few single-family homes were mixed in with small apartment buildings. While some of these structures remain, several were torn down in the 20th century to make room for parking lots.
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 continue to document what is known about the block between 38th and 39th, from Main to Baltimore. Previous posts have covered the southwest corner of 39th and Main and Main Street from 38th to 39th. Today, Baltimore, 38th and 39th Streets.
A recent view of the block.
Several single-family residences, some of which were later broken up into apartments, stood at the north end of Baltimore (seen below as they looked in 1940). Residents have moved in and out of these homes since the early 1900s, leaving little recorded history except for this – in 1920, when Senator Warren G. Harding was the Republican candidate for president, he stayed at 3815 Baltimore (on the right) with the Reily family when he came to Kansas City.
The photos below show the remaining buildings on the block.
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