Postcards From the Edge of Time

A place to post and request pictures of Kansas City.
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FangKC
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

I have found a clear photo of the entrance to Annie Chambers' bordello on W. 3rd Street.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... ISOPTR=152

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Last edited by FangKC on Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:18 am, edited 3 times in total.
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zonk
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by zonk »

Fang can you orient us on this photo?  Photo looking north?  Is that 3rd St. in the distance?
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by bbqboy »

nice Asian influences on the columns. I don't think KC ever had a Chinatown. Am I wrong?
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by PumpkinStalker »

Fang how did you come across this?  I had looked through the vertical file and searched a long time trying to find some other pictures.  I just know of the one inside the vestibule that has the victorian fretwork and her logo...I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about since there are so few of Annie Chambers bordello. 

Did they just uncover it recently?
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

The door is facing north onto 3rd Street. That is Wyandotte in the background (looking east), and the building you see across the street has been demolished, and is now a parking lot behind the Delaware St. buildings.

Pumpkin, I was researching an article I'm writing to submit to the KC Rag blog on the City's Victorian Era architecture, and while I was looking through photos, I found one under "unidentified building," and I recognized the Asian pagoda entrance as that of Annie Chambers' bordello from the earlier, but faded newspaper photo that I had posted earlier on this forum.

In my reading about Annie Chambers, I found she like Asian design and that's why she had that entrance added to her building. Apparently, it was sort of a signboard of sorts for people looking for her building since it didn't say "Annie Chambers' whorehouse." :D

It was really serendipity that I came across it.  I sent an email to the library history person telling them to check the Annie Chambers file to verify that unidentified building photo was indeed Chambers' bordello entrance.

I also found another unidentified building drawing as that of the Midland Hotel, and told the library history person to compare the drawing to the Midland Hotel photos.
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FangKC
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

The Kansas City Public Library is running an article about Annie Chambers in their "Today in Kansas City History" blog.

http://www.kclibrary.org/blog/week-kans ... s-chambers
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by loftguy »

Fang, I can hardly express how much I appreciate your efforts. 

Both in digging up these treasures and your watchdog efforts to keep physical assets from being demolished.

Cheers!
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

studestevo wrote:
PumpkinStalker wrote: One that I had always been intrigued about is the Webb Country Home across from Mt. Washington Cemetery in Independence.  Here is an actual scan of a postcard in my collection, and a somewhat current picture from this past February.

Library Link:
http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_view ... OX=1&REC=3

Guy in the photo is my friend that explores with me sometimes.

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A few crumbling footings and part of wall and entrance are about all that's left of the once magnificent place.

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And just for fun, here is the backside of my postcard.
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I explored the Webb Castle sometime about 1989 or 90.  I even called the property owner about it.  He was quite defensive.  Even though he was, I managed to get him to tell me a little about the history of the place.  He wanted to restore it but found that every time he tried something, the city would yell at him about what he was doing wrong with his property, or vandals would completely undo everything he tried.  He finally gave up and let the thing fall in on itself.  I imagine it was torn down to make it less of a liability.  There was a more traditional building right behind the castle which was burned.  The boy scouts used to run a haunted house in there, and eventually when safety became a factor, they found a new location downtown, which I believe still operated up until a couple of years ago, or maybe it still operates every year.  I also talked to the city about the Webb castle, and they seemed to be very adament that the property owner was negligent and they mentioned he wanted to operate a junk yard on the property without a license.  All in all, I was left with the impression that the property owner was really the victim in the matter and the city interfered with his efforts and didn't help him at all.  Either way, an interesting piece of the metro's history is gone.
I am posting a couple of new photos of Webb Castle.

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PumpkinStalker
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by PumpkinStalker »

I'm still very intrigued by this place. Not a lot of information is out there on it, sucks that it's gone. It's awesome how the landscape is still the same and you can compare the postcard to my picture. I haven't seen those pics before Fang, good find!
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

Photo of Jim Pendergast's Climax Saloon in the West Bottoms.

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KC Star article about release of new Pendergast family photos for Terence O'Malley's new film, Tom and Harry: The Boss and the President.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/18/38 ... proof.html
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by WSPanic »

Looking forward to catching that. Saw Blackhand Strawman (also O'Malley) and enjoyed it. Not the best made documentary, but if you want to geek out about KC history, it's pretty cool.
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FangKC
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

The Black Hand Strawman book is good as well. Lots of photos.
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

If you have ever wondered what used to be in this building, on the northeast corner of 16th and Baltimore, when it was constructed, I can answer that question.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.094706,- ... ,,0,-12.32

The building was constructed as a showroom for Allied Motors Chrysler Plymouth.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=4
Last edited by FangKC on Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

If you have ever wondered what used to be on the Northwest corner of 11th and Wyandotte, now the large surface parking lot next to the Lyric Theater. I have the answer.

The parcel used to be the site of the Buena Vista Hotel.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... OX=1&REC=3
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

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If you have ever wondered about the building at 1706 Baltimore, I have an answer for you.

1706 Baltimore was once home to United Artists and part of Film Row.

However, it also has another interesting history. It was the site of a succession of nightclubs including Paramount Club, the Eighty-Five Club, and the Stork Club.

http://paris-of-the-plains.blogspot.com ... date=false
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by moderne »

Postcard exhibit at central library big disappointment. None of the actual postcards are exhibited, just color facsimiles.
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

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Photos and descriptions of rooms at the former Hotel Baltimore which stood on the west side of the block bounded by Main, Baltimore, 11th and 12th streets. Clickable links at the bottom of the page show individual rooms.

http://www.vintagekansascity.com/hotelb ... hotel.html
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FangKC
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

FangKC wrote:I went to the library today and looked at the Annie Chambers folder in the Special Collections room.

I found this. It's a drawing of Madame Lovejoy's bordello. It was a Victorian-style structure located on the northwest corner of 4th and Wyandotte--where HOK Sports is now.  Annie Chambers' bordello is the non-descript-looking building to the right.

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Looking through the 1940s tax assessor's photos, I think I found a photo of Madame Lovejoy's bordello. It was on the NW corner of W. 4th and Wyandotte. You can see the back of Annie Chamber's bordello in the photo. I wish that tree wasn't in the photo so we could see more of the features of the house.

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FangKC
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by FangKC »

FangKC wrote:I have found a clear photo of the entrance to Annie Chambers' bordello on W. 3rd Street.

http://kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.p ... ISOPTR=152

Image

I also found another photo of Annie Chambers' bordello--taken from a different angle that shows more of the building. One can see the back of Madame Lovejoy's Victorian-style bordello behind it. This is the corner of W. 3rd and Wyandotte looking southwest.

Image
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Re: Postcards From the Edge of Time

Post by slimwhitman »

Wyandotte is in the center of the image. 1925 survey

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