Trying to find photos and history of 1417 Linwood

[Chiro75]

I am working on a paper on the history of the various locations where Cleveland Chiropractic College was located and the Clevelands spent some years at 1417 Linwood Blvd.

My best estimation is that they were there from about 1924-1932 or so. The only photo I've been able to find is on a CCC brochure from the time they were there, showing a BIG mansion-like house on what appears to be a nice lot.

I know very little about how to do this type of research. On Google I see the address come up once in a while for various offices and such so I THINK it may have been a large residence that got "converted" over to business use and then that's when the Clevelands bought/rented it?

Is there any way to figure out for a building like this who occupied it when, etc in some sort of city record? Where would I go to get that information? Thanks in advance!!!

[DaveKCMO]

http://www.kchistory.org/

[WSPanic]

The temple I grew up going to - B'nai Jehudah - was located on 68th and Holmes during my childhood. And, its own right, was a beautiful, iconic KC building.

Prior to the Holmes location, I believe the temple was located at Linwood/Flora. Is this the one?

http://www.edwardvictor.com/2005/Kansas%20City.htm

[AlbertHammond]

1925 survey

[Chiro75]

DaveKCMO, it doesn't show up in that archive at all.

AlbertHammond, thanks for the map. Where did you find that?

WSPanic, it would've looked like big house. The next block over was what would become the Scottish Rite building in the 1930's I think.

[Chiro75]

DaveKCMO, it doesn't show up in that archive at all.

AlbertHammond, thanks for the map. Where did you find that?

WSPanic, it would've looked like big house. The next block over was what would become the Scottish Rite building in the 1930's I think.

[Chiro75]

AlbertHammond, I'm having trouble interpreting that map. Any idea which lot may be 1417 Linwood Blvd?

[Chiro75]

Attached a copy of the only photo I have found from a Cleveland Chiropractic College brochure of the time.

[loftguy]

Chiro75-your attachment did not post

[AlbertHammond]

AlbertHammond, I'm having trouble interpreting that map. Any idea which lot may be 1417 Linwood Blvd?

This map comes from my personal collection. I own this large KC survey book.
1417 Linwood is not a current address, but would have been one of the lots facing Linwood on the SE corner of Paseo between the Episcopal Church & the Synagogue.

[FangKC]

1417 Linwood would have been an address for a house that existed before the construction of the Greek Orthodox Church building in 1939. After the church was constructed, the address for the parcel appears to have changed from 1417 Linwood to 1423-25 Linwood. The older Sanborn map indicates a 2 1/2-story half-brick shirtwaist house on a large corner lot with a cupola tower on the NW part of the house, and a large wrap-around front porch, a side porch on the east, and another back porch on the south.

Since the 1417 Linwood house was demolished prior to 1939, it wouldn't appear on the 1940 Jackson County tax photo archive. I looked for it on the Kansas City Library's history database, and I couldn't even find the plat for the block among the 1940 tax photos. That could mean two things: the page hasn't been scanned yet; or the page was removed or lost over time while at the courthouse.

The 1417 Linwood house appears to be owned at one time by John Crawford James, and his wife Fanny. John was the son of china dealer T.M. James and Sons, which had a store downtown. It also appears that the house was owned prior to that by his father, Thomas M. James.

Link to Sanborn map of the parcel prior to the church being built.

http://tinyurl.com/qa6qp3y

Sanborn map after the church was built.

http://tinyurl.com/qgocp6k

John Crawford James and Fanny James history, and their daughter, Vassie James Ward Hill.

Mention of John Crawford James.

http://tinyurl.com/o5fl3uv

Mention of Fanny James at that address.

http://tinyurl.com/qersaz6

Mention of Vassie James Ward Hill, their daughter.

http://tinyurl.com/qasplkv

Mention of Thomas M. James at that address.

http://tinyurl.com/nwoud9u

Mention of Mrs. T.M. James at that address.

http://tinyurl.com/pgvt9sn

Here is an advertisement for the clinic (under another name) at that address.

http://tinyurl.com/p3t47m7

[grovester]

Is there an official position of "Archivist of Kansas City"?

[FangKC]

There are some old books in the Missouri Valley Special Collections section the Central Public Library downtown that have a lot of old drawings and photographs of houses and buildings that don't appear in the KCHistory.org photo database. I've seen in those books photos and drawings of houses of prominent past residents of Kansas City. One could look there to see if a photo exists of the house when the James family lived there, or if they ever ran a photo of it when it was the clinic. Be sure to look for it under any name before it became the Cleveland Chiropractic Clinic. It was not uncommon for the names of these institutions to change several times over the years as they evolved.

Those old books I mentioned haven't had the photos scanned because of risk of damaging them, or because the library doesn't have a scanner than can handle the job without breaking the binding. I will say I have seen photos of buildings in them that I have never seen on the library's history database, any historical books on Kansas City, or other online historical databases.

[Chiro75]

I don't know why that attachment didn't post. Let's try this instead...

[Chiro75]

And, according to the dates I've located off of bills, mail, checks, etc etc so far, the Clevelands would've been occupying this location as early as 30 June, 1924 and was there at least until 1928. They may've been there for several years after 1928, too, it's hard to tell yet, but this brochure that the photo came from is dated August 8, 1928.

Interestingly, the 1417 Linwood address was stamped over with the next location, 3724 Troost, but they could've used this "1928" brochure for YEARS after it was printed, presumably after August 1928. Hope that makes sense.

[Chiro75]

FangKC, do you think the photo above matches the description you gave of the structure with the cupola and wraparound porch? Certainly looks like it matches up to me. Thanks so much for finding this! Thanks for all the info!

[flyingember]

FangKC, do you think the photo above matches the description you gave of the structure with the cupola and wraparound porch? Thanks for all the info!

there's no wraparound porch or cupola visible in that photo

[Chiro75]

To me, looking at the photo and comparing it to the map you provided, it looks plausible.... The detail in the photo that is obscured by the tree looks like it could be a round turret that could be capped with a cupola. It looks flat in the photo and that tree doesn't help, but I get the sense that corner is round and not flat. Looks to me like the front door, on the left side of the photo, is the front of the wraparound porch which would wrap around to the side of the house that we can't see at all.

Matching the facing side of the building we can see, it looks like it matches the contours drawn on the map, so I would say this looks like the house, to me.

[Chiro75]

So, part of the fuzziness of this story is that a lot of what I "know" about the Cleveland family history and the early years of the school is stuff that has been passed down by the family in speeches and things, as well as in published documents that aren't necessarily totally correct (i.e. they probably reference oral history from people rather than actual documents).

The medical clinic from the 1920 medical journal pre-dates the Clevelands and is unassociated with them. Legend says they incorporated Central Chiropractic College in 1922 at 436 Prospect and were there until they moved to 3724 Troost in the 1930's. Central Chiropractic College changed names to Cleveland Chiropractic College by 1924 and before the first class graduated. That part is probably pretty accurate.

It looks to me like the Clevelands were practicing at 403 in the Lillis Building (11th and Walnut) in 1923 and had probably bought or rented 436 Prospect. They received mail at "Central Chiropractic College" at both locations around the same time. I highly doubt any schooling could've been done from one room in the Lillis Building, even in those days, LOL

As far as I can tell they were only really at Prospect for like 1-2 years, and then they moved to 1417 Linwood where they were running the school until they moved to Troost in the early 1930's. Funny how all that time at Linwood has been cut out of the speeches and things, but it's only REALLY interesting to history nerds like me.

I'm trying to put together a list of the Clevelands' movements from their first practice in Webster City, IA (1917-1919) to where we are now in Overland Park for the Association for the History of Chiropractic. Nerd alert!

[FangKC]

Chiro75, I agree with your assessment. If you compare the house in the photo to the drawing on the Sanborn map, it lines up. Yes, the cupola appears to be hidden by the tree. However, you can see some sort of mass behind the tree on the roofline that indicates a cupola. If you look at the corner windows and foundation behind the tree, it does appear to be a rounded structure, which also matches up with the drawing. The porch does appear to wrap around the house. The porch extends out past the edge of the upper floor if you look closely. There is also an angled board going back under the porch roof that indicates an extension on that side. The other clue is the bump-out extension (with windows) on the right side of the photo that matches up with the drawing. Another clue is the porch on the back of the house. The drawing also indicates that it is brick on the 1st story, which matches up with the photo. Finally, the drawing indicates a one-story front porch, with a bump-out second-story porch, which also matches the photo.