KCRag Forum

author=schugg link=topic=13303.msg300677#msg300677 date=1196822356

here's mine:

Here is my guess in how this house might have once appeared.  Let's look into my magic, wintry crystal ball:

you should go into the restoration bidness

FangKC wrote: This house in on Garfield actually.

did you drive by and take a peek?

Yes, I did.    I didn't remember that house on Garfield until I encountered her again.  I also drove by 14th and Brooklyn because I don't recall ever noticing that girl before.  I wanted to take a look at the entire structure to figure out the style. It's in sad shape.  Certainly an Italianate/Richardson Romanesque-style though.

There's also one at the NE corner of 11th and park that could use some fixin'.

There's also one at the NE corner of 11th and park that could use some fixin'.

well allthingskc, there's our newest lead.

7th Street is also full of them. I'll show you next Tuesday if I go.

FangKC wrote: 7th Street is also full of them. I'll show you next Tuesday if I go.

that would be cool.

FangKC wrote:

Wow.  I have a feeling that's pretty close.

schugg wrote: well allthingskc, there's our newest lead.

Take notes.

• NE corner of 11th & Park.
• Along 7th Street in KCK

That's all I have so far.

No. 7th and 8th sts. in KCMO -- Parallel to Independence Avenue.

FangKC wrote: No. 7th and 8th sts. in KCMO -- Parallel to Independence Avenue.

Ok.  Screw Kansas!

No. Plenty of derelict houses in need of fixing in Kansas.

FangKC wrote: No. Plenty of derelict houses in need of fixing in Kansas.

Well, can the rest of Kansas be screwed then? 

They can certainly be mocked for not keeping up their houses.

FangKC wrote: I can't remember the year, but at one  point the city or county photographed every structure in the city limits.  It might have been a WPA "make work" program during the Depression years, I can't remember the details.

Fang, I believe it was 1939 that the county assessors office photographed every improved parcel in Jackson County.  It's great that so many of these little gems still exist and sad that so many were either pitched or filched over the years.

Now that we have digital camera's and massive computer storage, they should do it again.

It would be neat if they City did a project called "Virtual Kansas City" where every structure was viewable online, and a census would be taken every 20 years or so to update it. The City could give a rebate on taxes for small amount if everyone took their own photos and sent in a digital file for the record.

Does anyone know if there Kansas City home improvement forum/message board, with information and recommendations on local contractors, skilled tradesmen, and postings by do it yourselfers.

The reason I ask is that in the future, I plan on buying the house I grew up in from my mom.  Not sure when this will happen, but wanted to see what I was in for.  It is a 1935 colonial, and while it is in livable condition, there are many things I would like to do.  Everything from an addition to the kitchen, skim-coating the plaster walls, new driveway, re-finish the hardwood floors, on and on and on.

Here’s a pic, not as cool as the houses in this thread, but not bad for JoCo.

EDIT: Sorry for the large pic.

Mustard,

The group to contact is the KC Bungalow club.  Jan Bentley is the president, and they are a loose knit group of people that have a love for all older homes.  They no longer are just into bungalows.  Go to http://home.kc.rr.com/troostwood/  Under their resources tab you can get some links and names of people in the business.

The way to get info from them, is join the email list and you can send an email to all members.  Somebody always knows someone that is an expert in whatever you want, and has personal experience.  They're a great resource for what you're looking for!

Here is their latest newsletter, they're having the next meeting tomorrow.  Bring wine and snacks for 3 people!  I try to make it whenever I can, hopefully weather holds up ok, but doesn't sound like it.

The next BC meeting is in a special Arts & Crafts home in historic
Hyde Park. So special that its exterior & interior were filmed in
April by famed photographer Alexander Vertikoff for a future article
in American Bungalow Magazine.

An imposing rough-cut limestone Craftsman 4-square, the home was
designed in 1909 by architect Clarence Erasmus Shepard for his father-
in-law, Joseph Victor Kendall. Mr. Kendall was a Civil War survivor
of the infamous Confederate prison, Andersonville. He was 70 &
ailing when it was built, so the stairs were designed with especially
deep treads & shallow risers.

Date: Tuesday 12/11/07
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: 3707 Harrison Boulevard, KCMO
Bring: Snacks & Libations for the Holidays

Clarence Shepard studied under Frank Lloyd Wright & designed over 600
buildings in KC. In what the original building permit described as
a "mini-mansion" , he used steel I-beams & 3x10 floor joists to
support the massive 18 inch thick stone exterior walls. These stones
& the marble steps were put in place by local Italian masons. The
first floor has quarter-sawn white oak floors, millwork, &
wainscoting. The entry & living room have boxed beamed ceilings with
original light fixtures. In the 1950s the home was turned into three
apartments & the second floor rooms were turned into rooms for rent.

Now filled with the laughter of 3 small children & busy parents, the
house has many original pieces of Mission furniture by Roycroft,
Harden, Lifetime, & Stickley. It also has strong evidence of ghosts,
2 of whom were captured in a Christmas photo a number of years ago,
standing in front of the fireplace in their 1920's clothes. The
exterior paint scheme was designed by local architectural historian
Paul Helmer in 2000, & was painted by the owner in 2001. The current
owners purchased the home in 1994 & have slowly been restoring it
room by room.

Some of the other local homes by Clarence Shepard:
810 Gleed Terrace---in Hyde Park, a 1922 stone prairie with a port-
cochere
3715 Harrison Boulevard of 1913
215 West 53rd Street of 1915
5405 Wornall Road of 1920
5005 Ward Parkway of 1925
5265 Sunset Drive of 1927
5440 State Line Road (his own home)

More on Shepard (1869-1949):
http://localhistory .kclibrary. org/cdm4/ item_viewer. php?
CISOROOT=/Local& CISOPTR=11317& CISOBOX=1& REC=1
On Alexander Vertikoff: http://www.vertikof f.com/ &
www.americanbungalo w.com

Join us to see this house & hear its wonderful story.

Pumpkin - Thanks for the excellent information.  I knew there had to be some kind of local group.

Just received update that meeting will be pushed to next Tuesday due to weather.  If you can make it, it's a great time.  You have to be willing to meet lots of people in a very short time because Jan will hustle you around introducing you and asking you about your house...she's um...very very passionate and energetic!  Fantastic lady with lots of connections!

So from driving around today with Fang, AllThings, and a teensy weensy bit with Schugg, here is one house I think we all agree should be fixed!  It's located at 7th and Chestnut in the Historic NE.  Note the mansard roof!!!!!