Some KCK Postcards

[DeadendLafayette]

Here's the Huron Building. The postcard says "Elks Club" AFAIK, the Elks built the building to support their club on the top floors.





Here's the gazebo (?) in the rose garden behind the library:





Here's a view of how it looks now:





The Katz Drugstore was in the 3 story building- look close and you can see the Blackcat sign:





Here's a more recent view of that building:





The name lives on!

[PumpkinStalker]

I was just driving all around KCK today, up and down Minnesota, Quindaro, Central, around Strawberry Hill.  Saw some neat old houses and took some pictures which I'll try to find an appropriate thread about.  I admittedly don't know much about the rise and fall of downtown KCK, but I see these old postcards and even own some of them in my collection, and I can't find any of the old structures.  The streets have completely lost their "feel" to them.  Did KCK go through and selectively destroy buildings on streets or what?

Thanks for sharing the updated real life pictures.  Nice to see the Katz name still being used!

[DeadendLafayette]

I was just driving all around KCK today, up and down Minnesota, Quindaro, Central, around Strawberry Hill.  Saw some neat old houses and took some pictures which I'll try to find an appropriate thread about.  I admittedly don't know much about the rise and fall of downtown KCK, but I see these old postcards and even own some of them in my collection, and I can't find any of the old structures.  The streets have completely lost their "feel" to them.  Did KCK go through and selectively destroy buildings on streets or what?

Thanks for sharing the updated real life pictures.  Nice to see the Katz name still being used!

How's about a "Random Pictures of KCK" thread? I want to see those pictures! I've got a few more I'd add to it. Maybe some others would be encouraged to add theirs.

[PumpkinStalker]

I put a couple of Strawberry Hill here:

http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=13303.100

The rest didn't turn out great...it's a new camera and we're still getting acquainted.  I'm going to have to go back and retake them all.   

Edit:

One turned out ok!

[AllThingsKC]

How's about a "Random Pictures of KCK" thread? I want to see those pictures! I've got a few more I'd add to it. Maybe some others would be encouraged to add theirs.

Last July, I did a photo thread of downtown KCK. - http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=12484.0

After seeing these postcards, it's amazing to me how much downtown KCK has lost. 

[PumpkinStalker]

Here are the only ones I have in my collection.  I mostly stick with KCMO but I'll pick up suburbs if they're cheap enough!





Is this Library still there?  Where is/was it?  A stately building!  I included the back on this one.



This is apparently the same building, except it's orange now!  This one is postal stamped 1954 on the back.  The two postcards show different numbers of windows, so either one is the side view or the artist exaggerated a bit (not uncommon with these older postcards for the artist to add their own "flavour".


Is there still an airport?  My instincts say no since the downtown KCMO airport is running...

Check out the bragging on the back!

[DeadendLafayette]

Is this Library still there?  Where is/was it?  A stately building!  I included the back on this one.



Here's an interesting history of the Downtown Carnegie Library:
http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/kscoll/lochi ... w/TN75.htm

And check out these!!!:
http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/KSCOLL/libhist/libphot1.htm

There was a park to be proud of surrounding that old library- all gone now, except for a remnant on the south side.

[FangKC]

The Fairfax Airport was closed and demolished and the GM Plant built there I think.

[DeadendLafayette]

View from the Huron Building:



Here's that fire station tower. Looks like it could use a little resoration. I don't know what its function was supposed to be, other than decorative.



The green roof in the bottom of the postcard is the library. The brown structure just beyond it to the right is the Grund Hotel which sat on the southeast corner of the block. Tho it was still there when I was a kid, I have absolutely no memory of it:

[PumpkinStalker]

Here's that fire station tower. Looks like it could use a little resoration. I don't know what its function was supposed to be, other than decorative.

I drove by this weird tower today and had to do a double take!  If it's just decorative, it sure isn't very...decorative!  I'm sure it had some purpose.  I should have just stopped in and asked.

[Sportster]

I drove by this weird tower today and had to do a double take!  If it's just decorative, it sure isn't very...decorative!  I'm sure it had some purpose.  I should have just stopped in and asked.

More than decorative, towers on fire stations actually served a purpose.

Following a fire call, hoses were strung up in the tower to dry. Much like tobacco barns, there were racks in the "hose towers" where the long hoses were draped from allowing them to air dry.

In many cases, old photos and postcards will show vents in the hose towers, much like a vents in a bell tower, thus allowing the wind to come through and dry the hoses prior to them being rolled back up and stored. Canvas and galvanized rubber have a way of holding moisture, leading to mildew. Hence, hose towers were built in to every fire station in order to allow hoses to dry naturally.

In this case, it looks as if the vents in the tower were replaces with windows.

Sportster
...just hangin around tonight

[DeadendLafayette]

If I owned this postcard the bidding on Ebay would start at $100,000. It says "Minnesota Avenue Looking East". Nope- it's looking west. Upsidedown airplane stamp- pooey.

[bbqboy]

I think the ill fated Dale Eldred Minnesota Avenue project hastened the demise of Minnesota Avenue. I am coming up blank trying to find any pictures, though I did find this notation:
http://jph.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/4/331
  and this entry or two:
http://www.cultureport.com/cultureport/ ... index.html
 
this had nothing to do with anything, I just thought it was cool

[grovester]

View from the Huron Building:



Here's that fire station tower. Looks like it could use a little resoration. I don't know what its function was supposed to be, other than decorative.



The green roof in the bottom of the postcard is the library. The brown structure just beyond it to the right is the Grund Hotel which sat on the southeast corner of the block. though it was still there when I was a kid, I have absolutely no memory of it:

Not sure of the original use of the fire tower, but it was used for fire dept training.  Boss is ex-KCK firefighter.

[DeadendLafayette]

The Fairfax Airport was closed and demolished and the GM Plant built there I think.

It looks like they just superimposed the plant right over the old runways:

[LenexatoKCMO]

It looks like they just superimposed the plant right over the old runways:

That's where they drag race the Saturn Aurii before loading them on the truck. 

[DeadendLafayette]

[quote="PumpkinStalker"]
Here are the only ones I have in my collection.  I mostly stick with KCMO but I'll pick up suburbs if they're cheap enough!



Same view, different time:

[moderne]

Both Fairfax terminal and the Carnegie Library had grand fish and lily ponds.  I remember having Sunday dinner at the white tablecloth restaurant at Fairfax.  The library pond was where the current building now stands.  Minnesota Avenues demise was probably more due to the opening of Indian Springs some few miles to the west.  Wards and Penneys migrated there to large modern spaces and did not keep the DT stores open.  The drive thru scupture garden should have been moved to a park.  Eldred was a great KC artist and what remains in town of his installations?

[DeadendLafayette]

I linked to this in a previous post, but this is a prime example of things lost:



though it's been filled in, remnants of the south wall still stick out of the ground at 11th & Minnesota Avenue.

[FangKC]

It's sad to have lost the sunken garden. Does anyone know why it was filled in?