History

Origins of a City

Kansas City was founded in the early 1800s by French fur traders who arrived along the Missouri River and established primitive huts along the river. Kansas was established in 1838, and a trail connecting the river landing to the Santa Fe Trail was established in Westport. Several years later, commercial structures began to spring up along the river’s cliffs. Because Missouri was a slave state and Kansas was a free state, the years leading up to the Civil War were volatile and deadly in Kansas City.

The Battle of Westport took place in what is now Loose Park and Forest Hill Cemetery, and was one of the bloodiest fights west of the Mississippi. The city remained split as the Union won. Northerners tended to dwell on Main Street’s west side on streets like Pennsylvania, Broadway, and Washington, while Southerners chose to live on the east side on streets like Oak, Walnut, and Locust. A downtown street grid had been created by 1870.

Cow Town and the Early Years:

After the Civil War, the city’s population grew dramatically as a result of the completion of several railways and the first bridge across the Missouri River. As the population grew, so did downtown development, and the wealthy constructed their mansions atop Quality Hill. The City Market at 4th and Walnut was the hub of commerce and where people met to purchase and sell products, whereas the West Bottoms was the epicenter of the booming cattle business, complete with stockyards, warehouses, and packing houses.

Prosperity and Building Boom:

After the Civil War, a number of railways and the first bridge across the Missouri River were erected, and the city’s population grew dramatically. With greater population came downtown development, and the affluent constructed their mansions on Quality Hill. The City Market at 4th and Walnut was the hub of trade and where people met to buy and sell products, whereas the West Bottoms was the center of the booming cattle business, with stockyards, warehouses, and packing houses.

Several modern skyscrapers were built in 1906, including the R.A. Long Building at 10th and Grand, the Scarritt Building at 8th and Grand, and the Commerce Bank at 10th and Walnut. Electricity was honored in 1907 with the opening of Electric Park, a huge amusement park at 47th and Paseo. The city grew south of 77th Street in 1909, resulting in a slew of new houses, businesses, roadways, and boulevards.

The Kansas City Zoo opened in Swope Park the same year, and the Boley Building, designed by Louis Curtiss, had the first “curtain wall” design. With more space to spread out, many working-class residents relocated to residential districts mostly consisting of bungalows and modest four-square houses accessible by cable car. J.C. Nichols created the County Club District south of Brush Creek for more affluent residents and was constructing shopping malls to serve these midtown residential subdivisions.

Roaring 20s

The 1920s witnessed even greater residential suburb development in the city’s southern outskirts, as well as significant business growth downtown, notably the Professional Building at 11th and Grand and the President Hotel at 12th and Baltimore. At this time, moviegoing supplanted burlesque, leading to the development of several downtown and neighborhood cinemas. As the city expanded south, so did amusement places like Fairyland Park, which was built at 75th and Prospect.

The Spanish-themed Country Club Plaza first opened its doors in 1923. The Plaza, designed by Edward Buehler Delk and developed by J.C. Nichols, was the world’s first planned suburban shopping center. It was built to accommodate and entice shoppers arriving by car, with plenty of gas stations and free parking. The Country Club District and Midtown areas were served by the shopping center, which immediately became a popular destination and hosted its first annual Christmas light display in 1925.

1930s: Jazz, Baseball and Corruption

Jazz reached its artistic and popular apex in the 1930s, with Kansas City at the epicenter of the action. Nightclubs arose along 12th Street and at 18th and Vine, becoming popular gathering places for many prominent and innovative musicians. The segregated 18th and Vine neighborhood, in particular, was a meeting spot for jazz and baseball. Blues Stadium for the Negro National League, the Mutual Musicians Foundation, and popular establishments like the Blue Room at the Streets were all within a half-mile radius.

During the Great Depression, when most other communities struggled, “Tom’s Town” grew. Mayor Tom Pendergast’s 10 Year Plan sponsored numerous large construction projects that kept the City’s economy afloat, including several notable Art Deco examples: the 29-story City Hall, the former Jackson County Courthouse, Fidelity Bank and Trust, and Municipal Auditorium. Taxes were half that of comparable cities, and the City Manager admitted to a sleight of hand while handling bills relating to these initiatives at the time. During Mayor Pendergast’s tenure, corruption was rampant, and Kansas City was known for its vices.

Post World War II Suburban Development and Modern Times

Kansas City absorbed further property to the south in 1947. In the 1950s and 1960s, the White middle class flocked to newly constructed suburban regions such as Prairie Village, Kansas, just across the state line. Blacks were no longer limited to live north of 27th Street, and many went south to residential areas east of Troost. Unfair housing and banking laws, as well as blockbusting and redlining in public schools, all contributed to the pattern of white flight and disinvestment in areas east of Troost.

Today, the city still feels the effects of these policies and habits. Our metro area’s southward expansion into suburban sprawl continues, while neighborhoods east of Troost continue to struggle. This suburbanization impacted downtown in the 1970s, which suffered significant disinvestment. The city has made significant headway in putting businesses and residents downtown during the last 20 years, which has helped to regenerate. Crossroads Arts District and City Market are popular and stylish areas nowadays.

Kansas City has made gains in presenting itself as a wonderful place to live and work during the last decade. The development of the Power and Light District and the Sprint Center in the center of downtown has done much to promote commerce and regeneration. The city has also gained international acclaim for various projects, including the award-winning Bloch addition to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

HERE KANSAS CITY

Would you like to add your business to our site?

Submit