SkyscraperPage Forum

SkyscraperPage Forum (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/index.php)
-   Found City Photos (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23)
-   -   Kansas City Missouri - "The Little Apple" (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139774)

harbinger320 Oct 22, 2007 6:02 AM

Kansas City Missouri - "The Little Apple"
 
All photos are scanned from the Mid-Continent and Kansas City Missouri Public Libraries and available for public use.

I'm doing a paper researching the history of Kansas City, Missouri.

Evidently the city was once called "The Little Apple" and also the "Paris Of The Plains." The Little Apple reference had mostly to do with KC's art-deco skyscrapers, steaks and massive train station. I've also found that KC once had more buildings over 10 stories than any inland city other than Chicago up until 1950.

I'm also in the middle of researching St. Louis and should have some interesting photos scanned of her soon. Here are a few photos from my research of KC, "The Little Apple", I hope you enjoy.

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1900.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldKC1919.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldKC1920.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldKC1920a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldKC1920b.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldKC1921.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1924.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1925.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1926.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1926a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1927.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldKC1928.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1930.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930b.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930c.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930d.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930e.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930f.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930g.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930h.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930i.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930j.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930k.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930L.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930m.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930n.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930o.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930p.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930Q.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930r.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1930s.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1940.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940c.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940d.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940e.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940f.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940g.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940h.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1940i.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1942.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1945.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1945a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1945b.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1945c.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1945d.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1949.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1950.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950b.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950c.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950d.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950e.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950f.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950g.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950h.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950i.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950J.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950k.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1950L.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1951.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1951a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c.../oldkc1953.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955a.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955b.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955c.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955d.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955e.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955f.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955g.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955h.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955i.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955J.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955k.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955L.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955m.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955o.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955p.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955Q.jpg

This one is simply amazing
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1955R.jpg

A sense of the scale
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...ldkc1955R1.jpg

And here is the end and synopsis of my research. Seems like the end of downtown KC's heyday came once they ripped out 30 square blocks of density along the 6th Street Trafficway. This divided downtown from the River District and allowed traffic to bypass downtown. Later after the suburbs exploded they tore up 15th Street (Truman Road) and built another leg to the freeway system, allowing people to bypass downtown to the south and west. Downtown KC has been running uphill ever since.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...oldkc1959a.jpg

Austinlee Oct 23, 2007 6:59 PM

Sweet highways!! i think they should tear down the rest of the city and build more roads and parking lots... Think about how easy it would be to find a parking space if there weren't all those pesky buildings and neighborhoods?

Nowhereman1280 Oct 23, 2007 7:40 PM

^^^ Totally...

Sweet pictures, the plaza area sure has changed for the better though!

MplsTodd Oct 23, 2007 10:03 PM

Thanks for the photos!! KC has a lot of classic high rises

yerfdog Oct 27, 2007 11:11 PM

thanks for the pics
I did a lot of research on historic NYC skyscrapers and development for some of my college courses, so I like seeing these types of pics

GVNY Oct 29, 2007 11:32 AM

What is magical about these historic photographs is not only the way they detail a dense and wonderfully prosperous Kansas City in her prime, but also the fact that the countryside and great plains were easily within reach from the city's vibrant core. Loved it, thank you.

zigzag Nov 11, 2007 8:22 PM

Nice! :D

austlar1 Nov 11, 2007 10:34 PM

Man, KC was one sweet little city back in the day. I remember getting of a train from Dallas back in the mid-1950's and spending a morning seeing the sights before boarding another train in the afternoon. Union Station and the view from the tower in the park across the way made huge impression on this little boy.

harbinger320 Dec 13, 2007 8:07 AM

Bump... it's great history!

soleri Dec 13, 2007 2:16 PM

Usually, I look at new pictures with impatience. Yeah, yeah, yeah, see one new box you've seen 'em all. These old ones are, by contrast, amazing. I linger just to savor the density, the architectural detailing, the whole urban matrix. What a loss....

Echo Park Dec 16, 2007 2:19 AM

last two pics are depressing

harbinger320 Dec 29, 2007 6:41 AM

bump!


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:42 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.