(originally published 2/20/20) I first heard of Harry Jacobs while researching the old Brookside Theatre. That was Harry’s building, his “baby” as he called it, until 1978 when it burned to the ground and broke a piece of Harry’s heart. But Harry’s heart, his humor and his boot-strapping philosophy were all intact and in fullContinue reading “Harry Jacobs’ American Dream”
Category Archives: Country Club District
Of Witches, Elves, and Chivalry: Brookside’s Christmas Pageant of 1921
(originally published 12/12/19) Christmas came early for me, in the form of a flood of great Christmas-related photos and stories. I hadn’t planned to dedicate most of this month’s posts to the holiday, but this bounty of history changed my mind. I started last week with a photo montage about Christmas events in Kansas CityContinue reading “Of Witches, Elves, and Chivalry: Brookside’s Christmas Pageant of 1921”
The Train Out of Westport: Part 4 – The Trolley Track Trail
(originally published 11/28/19) Over the past three weeks, we’ve traced the history of the rail lines metaphorically buried beneath the Trolley Track Trail, that pedestrian and biking trail that connects the Plaza area to points south along Brookside Boulevard. In this, the final post of the series, we pick up the story in the aftermathContinue reading “The Train Out of Westport: Part 4 – The Trolley Track Trail”
The Train Out of Westport: Part 2 – The Country Club Streetcar Line
(originally published 11/14/19) Last week’s post covered the first of four pieces on the origins of today’s Trolley Track Trail. The growth in Kansas City’s late 19th century gave rise to a small railroad that connected Westport to Waldo and beyond, a line that would continue to be influential for more than a century. ByContinue reading “The Train Out of Westport: Part 2 – The Country Club Streetcar Line”
A Wrong Made Right: In Honor of Yvonne Wilson
(originally published 10/17/19) Tuesday, October 15, 2019 – This morning, I woke to the radio telling me Yvonne Wilson had passed away. Wilson was a long-time local community leader who served in the Missouri State House for ten years, and during that tenure surely everyone living in Kansas City central has benefited from her hardContinue reading “A Wrong Made Right: In Honor of Yvonne Wilson”
Kansas City’s First Flying Field(s): Part 1 – Mission Hills
(originally published 10/3/19) It all started with this little notation on a map – a label for something that was no longer there and that had nothing to do with my current interest in the map. I was researching my book on the Country Club District in Kansas City, when I found this map, whichContinue reading “Kansas City’s First Flying Field(s): Part 1 – Mission Hills”
Faye Duncan Littleton, and the Magic of Keeping Everything
(originally published 9/12/19) I take my subtitle this week from a book that came out a couple of years ago called The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. Sure, it sounds good – dusting, straightening the stack of magazines on the coffee table, putting pencils back in the drawer, etc. But in reality it’s a manifestoContinue reading “Faye Duncan Littleton, and the Magic of Keeping Everything”
Kansas City Parks Series – #3: Loose Park
(originally published 8/15/19) “I can’t think of another piece of landscape of similar size where so many things have happened that have been of significance in the story of America.” That quote, from Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, referred to Jackson County, Missouri. But it’s a phrase that always comes to mind when I thinkContinue reading “Kansas City Parks Series – #3: Loose Park”
Building Nature: Foot Paths, Bridle Trails, and Picnic Fires in the Country Club District
(originally published 7/25/19) Two posts ago, I wrote about the public art – statues, fountains, reflecting pools, etc. – that J.C. Nichols incorporated into the Country Club District’s residential and commercial development sites. Public art was one of the “community features” he thought important for the District to achieve the status of development he envisioned.Continue reading “Building Nature: Foot Paths, Bridle Trails, and Picnic Fires in the Country Club District”
“An Outdoor Museum” – Public Art in the Country Club District
(originally published in 2015 in The Country Club District of Kansas City, and on 7/11/19 in KCBackstories.) Growing up in Lawrence, the drive into Kansas City was a regular event. The first thing I understood about where Kansas City was – as in “are we there yet?” – was that I was there when IContinue reading ““An Outdoor Museum” – Public Art in the Country Club District”
Faith and Trust Part II: The Case of the Moving Houses
(originally published 5/2/19) Part I of this story, published last week and this, Part II, were originally a feature in a 2017 book I wrote on the history of the Greenway Fields neighborhood – the neighborhood just west of the Brookside Shops. It looked at the relationships of the neighborhood with two churches back inContinue reading “Faith and Trust Part II: The Case of the Moving Houses”
Faith and Trust Part I: The Case of the Missing Houses
(originally published 4/25/19) This week’s post is the first of two parts, but was originally a feature in my 2017 book on the history of the Greenway Fields neighborhood – the neighborhood just west of Wornall Road between 61st and 65th Streets. The piece looks at the often-times complicated relationships neighborhoods have with their institutionalContinue reading “Faith and Trust Part I: The Case of the Missing Houses”
KC Backstories 