KCRag Forum

Streamlined streetcar motors through the West Bottoms on the elevated rail viaduct.


The railyards in the West Bottoms looking down from Quality Hill at the roundhouse next to the 12th St. Viaduct in 1891.



The shed over the railyards at Union Station.



The roundhouse and turnstile next to the 12th Street Viaduct in 1900.



The 9th Street Incline funicular railway carried people from Quality Hill to Union Depot in 1895.

The Sunshine Biscuit (formerly Loose-Wiles Biscuit) Plant in the West Bottoms in 1922.



The Swift Meatpacking Plant in Armourdale.



The stockyards next to the Kansas River in 1955.  The Armour and Swift meatpacking plants are west of the Kansas River on the left.



The West Bottoms Industrial District and part of Quality Hill in the 1950s.  The streets shown (from left) are 12th to 9th).

Quality Hill looking east towards Main and beyond in 1905.  One can make out the convention hall in the center. Look how dense Quality Hill used to be west of Broadway.  The area is around 13th and Broadway. One can make out part of Grace Cathedral on the right of the photo, which is completely surrounded by apartments and houses.



In the photo below looking to the NE over Quality Hill, one can make out the Cordova Hotel at 12th and Pennsylvania. To the right of it is the Mondran and Washington hotels. Across the street is Dr. Carson's Temple of Health building, where Cathedral Tower is now. To the left of the Cathedral is St. Teresa's Academy, which is now where The Clines and Normandy apartment buildings are now.

Looking east from the top of the Coates House Hotel down 10th Street towards Main Street in 1872.
See how the area is still primarily residential.



Looking northeast over downtown in 1949. The City is still intact and united before the onslaught of freeway construction.


After the fall of Pendergast's Machine, Kansas City is ending the era when it was Paris of the Plains.

City Market in the 1860s when western figures like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok held gunslinging contests in the market square near Frank's Hall at 5th and Main.

Truman & Jacobson's famous habadashery on W. 12th Street near Baltimore in the street-level space of the Glennon Hotel.   The Philips Hotel is there today.



Truman and Eddie Jacobson in the store.  The store failed to survive the Depression, but it cemented a life-long friendship. Jacobson, a Reform Jew, is credited with influencing Truman to recognize the State of Israel, which granted it instant legitimacy.   Israel named a small town after Truman. One of the major Jewish rabbis and leaders told Truman that "God put you in your mother's womb to bring about the rebirth of Israel, and fullfill a 2,000 year old prophecy," which caused Truman to choke up, and brought tears to his eyes.

Imagine someone telling you that!   :)  Few American presidents have overseen the creation of a nation, and Truman counts among them.



President Truman rides in an open car during a local parade.

That magical mystery tour that was Electric Park.  If anything should be recreated, it's this place--on the Riverfront.

A Fang unleashed. Cool. At least you are not locking this for the next month.

I'm building anticipation on that thread, and giving people time to dream well.

The Apollo Theater still stands south of Linwood on Troost. Here's an image of what it used to look like, and how it looks now.



Streetcars pass the Apollo Theater on Troost.





As the theater now appears.



The former Rockhill Theater at Troost near Brush Creek Boulevard.



All that remains of the Rockhill Theater.

Dixieland Barbeque, which I believe was on Troost.

FangKC wrote: That magical mystery tour that was Electric Park.  If anything should be recreated, it's this place--on the Riverfront.

That would look lovely on the riverfront.

FangKC wrote: Dixieland Barbeque, which I believe was on Troost.

This looks similar to a Spangles of today Except for the door in the front. Spangles has the doors on the sides of the Building.

I think Kansas City Power & Light should sponsor rebuilding of Electric Park structures, and completely power them using wind and solar energy.  It would be a demonstration project, which I'm sure they could get tax credits, or write off the expense associated with operating it.

The interior of the former Washington Street Station restaurant located on the SW corner of W. 9th and Washington.  The restaurant occupied a former building housing a garment enterprise that made overalls.  One example of a building that never should have been torn down.  A unique restaurant this was.  The restaurant took its' name from the former cable car power station and trolley barn across the street.  The one that operated the Ninth Street Incline.

I ate there. What happened to the streetcar?
Seems I remember someone out of town buying it long ago.

I've never been able to find out.

Screw light rail... let's look at the cost of returning heavily used bus routes into streetcars again.

They had a antique sale at Crown Center early this summer and I picked up 5 postcards that someday I will get around to having framed.



The only one to have been used. Note the "detailed" address.




The description on the back of the card is to the right.


The dscription on the back of the card is below. No TIF needed.

Those are some handsome postcards. They will look nice framed.