Old NE, a KC hood that tries to make a comeback, will it?

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 12:38 am

This urban hood has it all, and I mean it all. After exploring the area for less than an hour with a camera, I came away not knowing what to think. It's just urban I guess, that's the only way to describe it. It's not totally ghetto, it's not anything, just urban grit with a too much diversity to really get a grip on it. It's such a cool area with so much potential, but I think it will stay the same as it is now, just a little bit of every aspect of urban living and life you can dream up.

Some photos:

I took this shot on the fly from my car to avoid attention. I assume this is a muder scene. All too often for this area. Sad, this street is actually very nice.

rxlexi · Post by **rxlexi** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 3:10 am

Excellent pics! The last scene, whatever it may be, is certainly a sobering reminder that the Northeast still has a ways to go. I think it will comeback, though it is happening slowly and will take quite some time. The residential areas in Pendleton Heights, down Gladstone Blvd. etc contain some beautiful, very old homes and buildings. I went on a homes tour in this area last year (recommended to everyone, I think it's in late spring/early summer) and many of the homeowners I met seemed intent on changing things for the better. Really a house by house attempt at revitalizing the neighborhood. Also, is it me or could Kessler Park really be better utilized and more accesible. It's incredibly pretty in places and Cliff Drive is one of the few, if not the only scenic byway in the city, but I rarely see people enjoying the park or drive. Oh well...

tat2kc · Post by **tat2kc** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 8:35 am

NE has some great places, and some not so great places. It certainly has not fallen as far as some areas of town. The homes are still relatively inexpensive. I suspect as downtown continues to recover, that will spill over into this neighborhood. It really would not take a lot to accelerate its turnaround.

Post by **dangerboy** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 9:05 am

tat2kc wrote:NE has some great places, and some not so great places. It certainly has not fallen as far as some areas of town. The homes are still relatively inexpensive. I suspect as downtown continues to recover, that will spill over into this neighborhood. It really would not take a lot to accelerate its turnaround.

This is one neighborhood that will definitely see a lot of benefit from Downtown growth. It has tremendous well-preserved housing stock and good street and bus connections to the loop. It could really be the Next Big Thing. It already has tons of families with small kids, as well as increasing numbers of gays and lesbians - two good signs to look for in up and coming neighborhoods. If the school situation ever changed this area would explode overnight.

Post by **bahua** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 12:00 pm

It's like the Midtown that everybody forgot about. I love the Northeast, and I want to see it prosper, but the city doesn't seem overly interested in doing so.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 12:12 pm

I can name almost every street in your pictures. I had a friend that lived off Hardesty Avenue near Budd Park and spent some time in the area. The Northeast is home to many Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and African-Muslims as well as some African-Americans and older Euros (mostly Italians). I absolutely love this area and hope it will return to its glory years. The first step would be cleaning up Independence Avenue and keeping all the pushers, addicts and prostitutes off the streets. If you make it uncomfortable for the criminal element, they will eventually move out.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 12:25 pm

Grid...doing an awesome job lately of getting the hoods that aren't as recgonized.

Jive will love you for it and show him there is a lot more urban neighborhoods in KC.

Joe KC · Post by **Joe KC** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 1:33 pm

I used to live in this area and still have family members there (old Italians). It really is an interesting area, with about as diverse a mix of people that you will find anywhere - not a black, white, hispanic, or asian neighborhood, but an interesting mix of everything. There are several houses (especially on Gladstone Blvd) that are a paintjob and decent yardwork away from being absolutely magnificent. It will be interesting to see if the area can be "redeveloped" without massive amounts of gentrification.

Post by **bahua** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 4:42 pm

QueSi2Opie wrote:...and older Anglos (mostly Italians).

Um, doesn't "anglo" refer to people of English descent?

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 9:27 pm

bahua wrote:Um, doesn't "anglo" refer to people of English descent?

Aye, I meant Euro...I'll fix it.

JBinKC · Post by **JBinKC** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 11:47 pm

I grew up in Northeast and absolutely loved it. My childhood home is several blocks N of St. John's and 1 block W of Gladstone. If there is such a thing as an urban neighborhood in KC, its NE. Unfortunately, its not even close to what it once was. If NE made a come back I would love to live there again, even when I have kids. The area is quite large though and with all the downtown focus I doubt the city will get around to NE any time soon. If redevelopment happens it would undoubtedly start by the KC Museum/Cliff Drive/Bluffs area.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 12:09 am

You can expect a part two photo thread and possibly more of Old NE

.

LyRiCaL GanGsTa · Post by **LyRiCaL GanGsTa** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 10:47 am

You can expect a part two photo thread and possibly more of Old NE

Grid, I should be your tour guide, I know all the best streets and even some skyline views from NE that you will never get unless you know the neighborhood like the back of your hand.

I grew up and still live in NE (graduated 1980). It is really "little Mexico" now but very diverse. NE has a high-crime rate, always has...always will. The 'urbanity' of the neighborhood brings out the worst in people I guess. I lov the area and always will. You will see things in NE that most people have no idea goes on in KC. I remember 4-5-6-7 story apartment buildings and urban landscapes that have been torn down, like the Horsehoe tenement house at Independence Ave and Maple. Now that was as urban as it gets. Does anyone remember the Wayne Minor Housing projects at 9th & Woodland? These 15-20 story high-rises were imploded in the 80's.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:03 am

Sounds cool. I am pretty familiar with Old NE, I never really lived there though and sometimes I forget what an amazing area it is and how even more amazing it had to be at one time. What are the exact boundaries of the district? I tend to think of the area north of the Avenue, east of Paseo all the way to about Hardesty and then some south of the Ave east of Prospect.

The area just east of Downtown is nothing but medium density projects. Remember what The Paseo used to look like north of I-70? It was lined with those three story apartment buildings that KC is known for. Now itâ€™s mostly vacant lots. Even though a lot of Old NE has been torn down, most of it is still there and occupied unlike other areas like The Paseo etc. East of Hardesty, I tend to think of it as Blue Valley District as it turns into more heavy industry etc.

Somebody should list all the hoods in KC and their approximate boundaries. My next photo tours will be of Hyde Park, Valentine, Roanoke, West Plaza and Old Hyde Park. But even I have a hard time with where they overlap etc.