KC Districts Part 6 - The River Market

[kcexpress69]

KC Districts Part 1 - The East Bottoms
KC Districts Part 2 - The Historic Northeast Neighborhood
KC Districts Part 3 - The Columbus Park Neighborhood
KC Districts Part 4 - Quality Hill
KC Districts Part 5 - The West Bottoms


We continue on to another small but significant part of Kansas City. The River Market. This neat little place was part of Kansas City's beginnings. It origionally was called the Wesport Landing in the 1800's. It was a good staging point to transfer goods from the Missouri River to the Town of Wesport 3 miles to the south. Over the years the district had its ups and downs. The low point came in the 1970's when several businesses owned by the Mafia were blown, up killing several people. This area was also inspired by the movie Casino due to the drug and money laundering trade that was connected to Las Vegas casinos. Since then, the district has transformed itself into a popular place to live, work, and entertain. Loft apartments are everywhere. Small firms and start-up businesses make their home here, and of course, the City Market, where thousands of people come over the weekends to buy produce and other goods. Let's go ahead and check it out!!



Some shots of the overlay of the River Market District






The glass building on the right is the home of HOK Sport, the leading firm of sports architecture, including the new football stadium in Seattle.









The Broadway Bridge



The Cold Storage Loft Apartments. Huge place!!





The Downtown Power Plant. Built in the turn of the 20th Century, The plant is still in use, providing power and steam heat to many businesses in the downtown area!!



A Chinese supermarket.



A Look of Downtown Kansas City to the south





The City Market. Sorry Ignatious! I didn't get any Saturday shots. I'm too damn lazy to get up that early in the morning, and it was January when I took these!! But trust me everybody. This place is packed!!



The Steamboat Arabia Museum. A popular attraction at the City Market. Dug up out of a cornfield in the 1950s, this sunken ship still had many of its treasures intact.




Many of the businesses in the City Market remain open throughout the week.










What happens when you run out of buildings to renovate? You build more just like them!! What a brilliant idea!! BRILLIANT!!


































That about covers it for this thread. There's still more for everybody to see whoever is interested. I cannot blame anyone if they would like to see something other than another KC thread. The good news is that I'm on vacation this week and I will take a small 2 day trip for some awesome photoshooting. Stay tuned!!

[Top Of The Park]

good ol' KC..lots to like there

[dktshb]

Great stuff. Is that city doing anything as far as lightrail or some sort of transit line?

[denveraztec]

Reminds me of the Ballpark neighborhood here in Denver. Nothing like Victorian ear and Art Deco wearhouses, like the City Market in your fine pics! Tons of character and appreciated even in today's world.

[MobyLL]

^I agree. And keep the KC threads coming.

[Chelsea Spy]

whatta lotta lofts!

[bpg88]

Very nice threads - all six. I have a newfound respect for KC. Didn't really think much of it as a place I'd want to visit, but it is now on my list. Thanks for giving us a comprehensive look at each neighborhood, rather than just 5-10 photos. Very nice.

[flar]

Nice tour. I love the big old buildings.

[Lance]

Fantastic tour, as always. The last day of my trip to KC a couple years ago I spent in the River Market area. The Steamboat Arabia Museum was amazing, and I remember there was a pathway to an elevator that let you get down to the Missouri River. When I took it down there it felt like no one had been down there in weeks, but it was cool to see the old flood markings.

[xzmattzx]

Looks like a great neighborhood. I like seeing places in a city where old industrial buildings are used for other things nowadays.

[yerfdog]

Awesome neighborhood. Looks really vibrant. I hope those lofts aren't all being foreclosed on these days....

[Thundertubs]

Another great tour. Keep it up!

[Evergrey]

Planters looks like a fun shopping experience

[Thaddeus in COMO]

I LOVE KANSAS CITY!!!! Great photos KC Express, this is a city I can never get enough of. It is truly underrated in its beauty, culture and amenities.

[SuburbanNation]

I love the River Market. I went to university in Kansas City and would go down to the City Market on Sunday mornings. I hope another brewery replaces the old River Market Brewing Company...best location for a brewpub in town, to be sure. If I lived in KC, I'd probably live in the River Market. I love the solidly low rise scale of it. Thanks for the pics, it brings back memories....and this series you are creating is fantastic.

[kcexpress69]

Hey!! Thanks for all the great comments so far!! I sometimes wonder if I created a monster with this series. There's so much to show you, yet I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. So the series will continue with another thread due sometime early next week, so stay tuned!! One thing I should mention however. This is a work in progress. While I have enough pictures to do a few more threads, I have returned from a short trip with another series that will interupt this one. Hopefully, you will see places that you've never seen before on SSP. Again thanks for all the support so far. Your comments keep me going out there time and time again!!

[Tosspot]

Thanks for the pics, Express.

RM is the place to be on Saturday mornings and afternoons in the nice-weather months. Few things are better in life.