Kansas City is the largest and most populous city in Missouri state. The City was incorporated as a town in 1850 and as City in 1853. Kansas City thrived after the Civil War, especially in the Prendergast era. Boulevards, Parks, City hall, Country Club Plaza, Country Club District, and several other famous infrastructures were built that completely reshaped the City. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the population of the City was over 163,752 residents. The first streetcars introduced in the City were horse-powered, and in 1908 all of them replaced with electric-powered streetcars. Kansas City had the most extensive streetcars system in the country. During the prohibition era, Kansas City remained unaffected.
Here below are some historical photos of Kansas City from the early 1900s that capture street scenes, landmarks, and everyday life.
That’s very cool. My favorite is Main and Delaware.
Where is the highway now? Trying to find where it was
Going into some of the older buildings downtown and running wires has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. Experience what it was like to hang out below street level, where the old folks used to socialize.
It’s unfortunate to see how many beautiful old buildings in KC have been demolished. While I can understand that some may have become functionally obsolete, it’s heartbreaking to see the same fate befall many of the city’s historic homes.
Like the three they just plowed under on the 3900 block of Bell.
I always love photos of this. Do you have any pictures of St Marty’s Church or the Inter-State building. Pictures of the Jackson County Parental School (now the RCC jail) on the same street would be great!
It’s crazy how big some of these are and yet almost none remain.
The former Jackson County courthouse building was demolished and replaced with newer condos which were built between Oak and Locust streets and Missouri Avenue and 5th Street.
At least we got some really nice parking lots to replace all the bulldozed buildings, right? 🙄