Jefferson City

Do a trip report here....go to another city and want to relate it to what KC is doing right or could do better? Give us a summary in here.
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TheLastGentleman
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Jefferson City

Post by TheLastGentleman »

Went to Jeff City and was blown away by how beautiful and interesting it was! Spent most of the time touring the penitentiary and the capitol, but also had time to wonder around the high street a bit. Lots of wonderfully maintained storefronts and solid streetscapes that made it feel like Massachusetts street in Lawrence, which surprised me. Highly recommend a visit. Here's a ton of pictures

Old state penitentiary

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Gas chamber

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City visitor center in the commissioner's old house across the street from the penitentiary.

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Capitol Ave

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Governer's mansion

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Supreme court

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Nice church nearby

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I hadn't seen the capitol since I was little, but it left a huge impact on me and I've been meaning to come back to it. The place is stunning. The inside was clear of construction, but the outside is partially covered in scaffolding and the front lawn appears to have been completely dug up. Oddly enough, the juxtaposition of the big ornate building with its picturesque small-town surroundings reminded me a bit of a disney park, only with a massive neoclassical dome instead of a gothic castle!

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Some of the stone used had fossils. Examples can be found throughout the building

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Some of the original plasterwork was exposed. They'd whitewashed much of the hallways long ago and have recently been doing studies for a full restoration. Unfortunately, my guide told me, they concluded it would be too expensive at the moment. Maybe someday.

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The house chamber

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The senate chamber was locked, but the doors had generous windows.

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Thomas Hart Benton murals in the house lounge, featuring our very own city, complete with Pendergast himself. Apparently his controversial inclusion nearly compromised the entire set of murals!

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Here's St. Louis' section

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Other walls

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Some shots around town

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Their token commercial high-rise. They appear to be very proud of it, and rightfully so. It's maintained beautifully.

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Probably my favorite shot of the trip

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Thanks for looking!
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normalthings
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by normalthings »

Wow! Thank you for sharing the photos and memories with us. Felt like I was there with you.
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DaveKCMO
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by DaveKCMO »

That Benton mural is really something.
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Roanoker
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by Roanoker »

As I looked through your photos, I would think, "I need to comment on that beautiful one," and then I'd come across another and another. All I can say now is that all of them are wonderful. Excellent. Thank you so much for taking the time to upload and post them. I bet you enjoy looking at your pictures as much as seeing the subjects in person.
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grovester
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by grovester »

Really impressive. Beats the hell out of Topeka!
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by empires228 »

grovester wrote:Really impressive. Beats the hell out of Topeka!
Topeka has quite a few interesting things to look at and do such as the North Topeka arts district, you can also tour the beautifully renovated state capital, they have a railroad museum in their old depot north of the river, they have several beautiful churches that can be toured in the downtown area, including one where several organ CD's have been recorded, the Topeka Presbyterian church has the only set of Tiffany stained glass windows in the state, and even Topeka High School, which is also a beautiful historic building, can be toured.
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grovester
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by grovester »

Good to know, it has been a number of years since I spent any time there.
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by auntbigdog »

empires228 wrote:
grovester wrote:Really impressive. Beats the hell out of Topeka!
Topeka has quite a few interesting things to look at and do such as the North Topeka arts district, you can also tour the beautifully renovated state capital, they have a railroad museum in their old depot north of the river, they have several beautiful churches that can be toured in the downtown area, including one where several organ CD's have been recorded, the Topeka Presbyterian church has the only set of Tiffany stained glass windows in the state, and even Topeka High School, which is also a beautiful historic building, can be toured.
There's also the Kick Start Saloon, which features a life-size Harley made of animal bones. It calls itself Topeka's friendliest biker bar, which makes me wonder how hostile the others are (ymmv).
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by empires228 »

grovester wrote:Good to know, it has been a number of years since I spent any time there.
Topeka just can't ever catch a break when it comes to any situation, even when they're trying to prevent the worst from happening. It's honestly not a horrible town. Two of the suburban school districts are good, and one of the cities high public schools (Topeka West) isn't bad at all, especially when you compare it to the other two in Topeka, or anything public in KCK/KCMO and Wichita South, West, Southeast, and Heights (Northwest and East are OK schools and Goddard Eisenhower, Andover High, and Maize South serve parts of Wichita too). Their downtown has a lot more potential than any other downtown in KS outside of Wichita (KCK and Olathe demolished far too much and Manhattan has never had a large downtown area) and projects are finally starting to happen down there.
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TheLastGentleman
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by TheLastGentleman »

KCK's demolition was ridiculous. They demolished their Carnagie Lirbary. Like, who does that?!

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StL_Dan
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by StL_Dan »

Awesome pix. Thanks!

Did you discover Central Dairy and their ice cream store front?
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wahoowa
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Re: Jefferson City

Post by wahoowa »

TheLastGentleman wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 12:09 am KCK's demolition was ridiculous. They demolished their Carnagie Lirbary. Like, who does that?!

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:cry:
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