18th & Vine Walking Tour: African American History of Kansas City, Missouri

1. Black Archives of Mid-America

Established as a community museum and archive in 1974 under the leadership of Horace Peterson III, the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City offers a host of programs throughout the year in addition to several galleries and event spaces. The archives closed temporarily in 2006 due to financial problems, but a community fundraising drive and support from the Kaufmann foundation allowed it to not only re-open, but also expand into its present location in the old Parade Park Maintenance Building. The Archive's permanent exhibit on the first floor, "With My Eyes No Longer Blind" is named in honor of a Langston Hughes poem, "I Look at the World." This exhibit traces the story of African Americans in Kansas City and the surrounding region. The organization also offers a research facility for historians and genealogists and a recording studio for oral histories, educational videos, and other media.

2. Charlie Parker Memorial

This eighteen foot statue commemorates the life and career of Charlie Parker, one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century. Parker grew up in Kansas City and played at many Vine Street nightclubs before pursuing a musical career in New York and California. He is widely considered to be one of the creators of bebop. The statue features Parker's head tilted downward, eye shut, and lips pursed as if he were playing the saxophone. At the base of the status, an inscription reads "Bird Lives" a reference to Parker's nickname and his long-lasting legacy.

3. Gateway Sign

In 2010, almost a century after the Jazz Age took off in Kansas City—thanks to the hotels, clubs, and other establishments of neighborhoods like 18th & Vine, which served an African American clientele—this sign was erected on top of a former hotel. The sign was meant to both celebrate and help reinvigorate the area after decades of low investment, and its design harkens back to a time when neon signs would have shone from many of the district's buildings. The 18th & Vine neighborhood, in addition to the clubs, hotels, and restaurants most obviously celebrated by the rollicking sign, was also home to a growing number of Black professionals who built their businesses and careers in a vibrant community within a segregated city.

4. Subway Club (1940s)

Listen to s short history of the Subway Club which was located here in the 1940s Michael Patton; recording created by Black Archives of Mid-America

5. Street Hotel (1923-1960)

Though the building itself is no longer there, the legacy of 18th and Vine's Street Hotel is one of the most enduring parts of the district. Opening in the early 1920s, the Street Hotel began life in 1903, as a restaurant opened by Reuben and Della Street at 18th and Troost. After several successful years of business, the couple decided to expand. They moved the restaurant to a building at the corner of 18th and the Paseo, which they first leased before purchasing the building for $67,000. The Streets ran the Hotel, which included the Blue Room Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant, for several decades, hosting numerous musicians and public figures, including Jackie Robinson, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs at the time. The Streets also became important figures in Kansas City at this time, playing host to numerous African-American action groups and participating in the overall growth of the 18th and Vine area. Unfortunately, the 1953 death of Della Street prompted her husband to sell the hotel the following year. The hotel would be sold again when the new owner defaulted on the mortgage, prompting the building to be sold at auction in 1960. Though it has since been razed to make room for new development, the legacy of the Street Hotel has left an indelible mark on 18th and Vine, as well as the greater Kansas City area.

6. Paseo YMCA/ Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center

Completed in 1914, the Paseo YMCA building was and is a major landmark of the Black community in Kansas City. Hosting a multitude of clubs, leagues, and activities, the YMCA provided the community with amenities that were otherwise denied due to segregation. This building was also the site of the creation of the Negro National Baseball League in 1920. Led by Rube Foster, the league became the first long-term and commercially viable association of baseball teams in the era of segregation. Unfortunately, declining attendance in the 1960s and 70s forced the YMCA to close, though the building itself remained. Since the early 2000s, restoration efforts for this former YMCA building have been closely tied to efforts by the neighboring Negro League Baseball Museum to utilize the building as a research center dedicated to the Negro Leagues and named in honor of Buck O'Neil.

7. Negro Leagues Murals at Buck O'Neil Tribute Park

Located on the side of the historic Paseo YMCA where the Negro Leagues were founded in 1920, this mural depicts members of the Kansas City Monarchs along with team owner J. L. Wilkinson. A second and larger mural honors one of the most influential baseball lives of the 20th century, Hall of Famer John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil. The players called O'Neil "Skip," a term of respect for the man who served as team captain and later manager of the Monarchs, a veritable Mothership that sent more Negro League veterans to the once white-only Major Leagues than any other team in history. O'Neil shaped the baseball careers of major leaguers such as George Altman, Gene Baker, Ernie Banks, Willard “Home Run” Brown, J.C. Hartman, Pancho Herrera, Elston Howard, Connie Johnson, Sweet Lou Johnson, Hank Mason, Satchel Paige, Hank Thompson and Bob Thurman, to name a few. O'Neil played in four East-West All-Star Games in three seasons and two Negro World Series, 1942 and 1946.

8. Former Location of the Paseo Branch of the YWCA

Listen to a short history of the Paseo YWCA

9. The Roberts Building

Though it currently sits empty, the building on the northwest corner of 19th and Vine has a long history as an economic staple of the 18th and Vine area. Constructed in 1923, the building was initially owned by a realtor named John T. Sears. Soon after construction was complete, entrepreneur Homer B. Roberts purchased the building from Sears for around $70,000. In the building, Roberts established a highly successful car dealership, as well as housing several other Black-owned businesses and providing jobs to African-American people in the area. Beyond the car dealership, Homer Roberts was a major community figure throughout much of his life, starting multiple businesses and serving in the Army during both World Wars. According to an article in the Kansas City Call, Roberts later worked for the Pentagon, facilitating public relations between Black publications and the military.

10. Eblon Theater

Located at 1822 Vine Street, the Eblon Theater was Kansas City's first African American owned and operated theater. 1The club was constructed in 1922 with a Spanish colonial facade and seating for up to 1,000 patrons1. The Theater opened in 1923 as a venue for vaudeville and motion pictures. In 1933 the Eblon Theater closed and the Cherry Blossom club opened up in its place.1

11. Cherry Blossom Club

In 1933, the old Eblon Theater was remodeled into a nightclub and opened as The Cherry Blossom Club. Located at 1822 Vine Street this club was one of Kansas City's most popular destinations for Jazz. The club was also where many influential jazz musicians made a name for themselves, including the great Count Basie and Bennie Moten.

12. Lincoln Building

Constructed in 1921, this building was home to numerous African American professionals as well as retail and entertainment spaces throughout the 20th century. The building's name is a reference to the Lincoln Furniture Company which originally occupied much of the first floor along with the Lincoln Dance Hall which was located on the third floor and hosted many of the nation's leading jazz bands. In the decades that followed, the building housed the offices of the Kansas City Monarchs along with other Black-owned businesses which included many dentists, attorneys, and other professionals. Following an extensive renovation project that began in the late 1970s, the building has served as home to several community and civil rights organizations as well as restaurant and retail space.

13. The Blue Room

A modern landmark within the historic 18th & Vine district, The Blue Room Jazz Club is connected to the American Jazz Museum and showcases some of the most significant jazz musicians. A museum by day and hopping jazz club at night, the Blue Room blends music and entertainment with history and is a favorite for many residents of the Kansas City metro area. Established by Reuben and Ella Street as part of the Street Hotel (or "Street's," as it was known) in the early 1920s, the Blue Room became one of the most important venues in the geography of Kansas City jazz. The original Blue Room and the hotel that housed it were located just a few steps west of the current Blue Room. That historic building was razed in the 1980s and is now home to Soiree and several other businesses.

14. The American Jazz Museum

Since opening in 1997, the American Jazz Museum has offered a blend of traditional museum experiences centered on artifacts and interpretation along with performances and educational programs. The museum is located in the 18th and Vine Historic District, and its exhibits and programs are centered on the historical and artistic contributions of the musicians who lived and worked in this part of Kansas City. The museum includes interactive exhibits and educational programs that are connected to the Blue Room, a working jazz club with nightly performances that are open to all. The Museum also operates the neighboring Gem Theater, a historic 500-seat performing arts center. In addition, staff work closely with area music educators and Mutual Musicians Foundation, a union that dates back to 1917. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the American Jazz Museum also presents music-related exhibits from the Smithsonian Institute.

15. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Located near the founding site of the Negro Leagues, this museum preserves and shares the history of African Americans in baseball from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement when MLB teams and Southern minor league teams began to hire Black players, coaches, and front office personnel. The museum includes a replica of Kansas City's Muehlebach Stadium with statues of the game's greatest players. Visitors begin their tour with a documentary film narrated by actor James Earl Jones that shares the general history of Black baseball and the Negro Leagues. The museum then follows a timeline, created by historian and co-founder Larry Lester, that places the history of the Negro Leagues within the larger narrative of American history. Other founders included Phil Dixon, Buck O'Neil, Alfred Surratt, Sr., Bob Motley and Horace Peterson. Static exhibits include original equipment, jerseys, photographs, and several interactive displays. The museum concludes with exhibits about the hiring of Black coaches and managers, and a gift shop that includes replica jerseys, books, pennants, and posters.

16. Gem Theater

Built in 1912, the Gem Theater, originally named the Star Theater, served Kansas City's African American population as a “silent movie palace” (VisitKC). It was renamed the Gem Theater in 1913 and soon became an “established fixture” in the 18th & Vine district. Eventually, the theater switched from movies to live performances before falling into disrepair after the 1960s. However, unlike many other architectural landmarks of 18th & Vine's jazz age, the Gem Theater escaped the razing that took place in the 1970s and 1980s as part of urban development projects. In the 1990s, the theater was renovated in a process that removed much of the original interior to make space for a modern performance venue.

17. The American Jazz Walk of Fame, Kansas City

The American Jazz Walk of Fame was established on August 23, 2014 when the tradition of honoring jazz artists began under the influence of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II. Every year, a committee of musicians selected one or more musicians and dedicated a medallion in their honor in the sidewalk in front of the American Jazz Museum and the historic Gem Theater. Over the years, these medallions have formed a "Walk of Fame" within the heart of the 18th & Vine Jazz District. The medallion dedication ceremony has become an annual event, with celebrated jazz musicians performing in nearby venues to honor new inductees.

18. The Kansas City Call

The Call is a prominent African American weekly newspaper founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919 by Chester A. Franklin. Franklin took his newspaper from a small 4-page weekly to one of the leading African American weeklies in the nation, covering a mix of local and national events and playing an instrumental role in pushing for civil rights campaigns in Kansas City. However, Franklin's position on race was fundamentally conservative, and the ideal of racial uplift characterized his politics and the paper's attitude toward African American progress. Roy Wilkins, one of The Call's leading journalists, would go on to become the Executive Secretary of the NAACP, a position he would hold until 1977. The Call is published every Friday.

19. Mrs. Fannie Meek's Mortuary (1937-1955)

Perhaps an unintentional ode to its former owner, the bright pink facade of 1707 E 18th St can be recognized as the first home of Mrs. Fannie Meek’s Mortuary in Kansas City. Mrs. Meek was a prominent figure in local culture and was noted as the “only Licensed Lady Embalmer in Greater Kansas City” when she opened her business in 1937. She went on to participate in many local civic and church events, even sponsoring an American Legion Junior Baseball team for boys 12-18 years old. After losing her building in the 18th & Vine district in 1955 due to redevelopment efforts, Mrs. Meek moved her mortuary to 19th and Park. Abandoning the tradition of dark, drab colors typically used in mortuary design, Mrs. Meek embraced a woodrose color scheme with her new building. The exterior of the building, the cars, and coaches driven around town were all bursting with the warmth of a pink design. The color pink around Kansas City soon became a trademark of Mrs. Meek’s mortuary. Mrs. Meek passed away on July 30, 1979 at the age of 81.

20. Boone Theater | National Guard Armory

A theatre, bar, restaurant, turned armory and meeting place for military veterans, the now-dilapidated three-story building at 1701-1703 E 18th St. has been known many names within the past century. In 1924, the building was constructed under the name the “New Rialto”. The theater was renamed the “Boone Theater” in 1929 after the famous Black child piano progeny from Missouri, John W. “Blind” Boone. In 1949, the building was remodeled and opened as “Scott’s Theatre Bar”. Only a few years later, the restaurant closed and its day as an entertainment venue was over. In the mid-1960s, the building was used as a meeting place for local veterans. In 1979, the Mutual Musicians Foundation purchased the building for $1, but its condition has since slowly degraded. More recently, the building is a focal point of the 18th & Vine District Jazz Redevelopment plan and will soon be renovated as a vital part of 18th & Vine’s past, present, and future.

21. Rochester Hotel

The Rochester was built by the George M. Bliss Construction Company in 1919-1930. Along with the Street Hotel, it was one of the only hotels where visiting African Americans could find accommodations during the 1930s and 1940s. Unlike the Street Hotel, the Rochester has survived the urban redevelopment projects that razed large swaths of the 18th & Vine district in the second hald of the twentieth century. Because it is adjacent to the Mutual Musicians Foundation, this is the place where jazz artists such as Count Basie, Jimmy Rushing, and many others would have stayed during visits to the city. The hotel also provided accommodations for visiting teams for the Negro League. Before becoming a hotel, the building was a 24-unit apartment complex serving a working-class clientele; today, the building has resumed this initial function, now containing 8 apartment units.

22. Mutual Musicians' Foundation Building

In 1917, twenty-five African American musicians joined together to form Musicians Protective Union Local No. 627. The support offered by the new union enabled many of them to turn their music into full-time careers by helping secure fair contracts and working conditions, and allowing them to put down roots in Kansas City instead of working as itinerant musicians. In 1929, the union was officially incorporated and purchased an apartment building at 1823 Highland Avenue, which the union converted into its headquarters. The union thrived, in 1958 creating the Mutual Musicians Foundation to manage the building and other union assets. Though Local 627 was forced to merge with the white musicians union, Local 34, in 1970, the Mutual Musicians Foundation remains a social club and living museum, a testament to Kansas City's rich musical history and the power of labor organizing.

23. Location of Henry Perry’s Barbecue; History of Kansas City BBQ

Henry Perry is widely regarded as the "Father of Kansas City BBQ," and this was the location of the last restaurant he operated. Given the long and storied tradition of barbecue in this city, the fact that leading restaurants from Gates to Arthur Bryant's draw their roots to Perry's shop here at 19th and Highland is a tribute not only to Perry's craft, but his influence on the next generation of cooks and restaurant operators. The practice of barbequing meats in the city can be traced all the way back to the era after the Civil War when Southern migrants came to the city looking for work. The massive Kansas City Stockyards provided huge quantities of affordable meat to the area’s residents. Henry Perry began selling barbecue wrapped in a newspaper from a cart in 1907. A few years later, he opened Perry’s Barbecue, the city’s first barbecue restaurant. Encouraged by his success, more entrepreneurs opened their own restaurants, which were frequently concentrated around the African-American community of the 18th and Vine District. Perry operated a restaurant at 17th and Lydia, about three blocks northwest before moving to 1514 East 19th Street and operating his final restaurant at 1900 Highland Avenue. Today, Kansas City is well-known for its delicious barbecue from about 100 different vendors, including Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque and Gates Bar-B-Q, who both trace their methods to Perry. The city also hosts the American Royal, the largest annual barbecue competition in the world.

24. Attucks School

Constructed in 1905 and expanded in 1922, this historic school in Kansas City's 18th and Vine District has been an important institution in the community. The school was named for Crispus Attucks, a formerly-enslaved man who was killed in the Boston Massacre in 1770. According to a 1928 article in the Kansas City Call, the city's original Attucks School was established in 1880 in a building at 18th and Euclid. The school later moved to this stately building which was designed by Charles Smith and built in two stages, with the first section being completed in 1905 and an addition being completed in 1922. The building served as a grade school through the 1960s. The building was repurposed by the school district following plans aimed at integration and access, and it was vacant for many years starting in the early 2000s. In the fall of 2022, new ground was broken at the site to prepare for the building to be renovated into the Zhou B. Art Center of Kansas City, a $20 million dollar project that will convert the space into art studios, galleries, and event spaces, thus bringing new life to a century-old fixture of the area.

25. Parade Park Homes

Located to the east of the Parade recreation area in 18th and Vine, the neighborhood known as Parade Park Homes has been a staple of the area for several decades. Built as part of an urban renewal project in the early 1960s, Parade Park was unique from its inception. According to a 2022 KCUR article, Parade Park was "a rare instance in which an urban renewal project — a popular redevelopment tool in the 1960’s — enhanced a Black neighborhood instead of destroying it." The area was home to a historically Black neighborhood known as Attucks before being razed by developers in the 1950's, displacing the people that lived there. Though the land was initially earmarked for industrial development, a housing development was opened in 1962. The development was unique in its organization, functioning as a co-op, not a landlord-tenant setup as was more common at the time. Unfortunately as time went on, infighting among management led to deterioration of the area, which has in turn led to redevelopment prospects that some find unfavorable. Now, Parade Park stands at a crossroads, caught between a historic past and an uncertain future.

26. Parade Park Maintenance Building Historical Marker

This historical marker shares the history of one of the oldest remaining buildings in the area. Constructed in 1912 and filling one corner of the recreation area known as the Parade, this stone structure was completed after the initial commercial and residential development of the area. The building housed numerous parts of Kansas City's new Parks Department, including horses and horse care facilities, horse-drawn equipment used to maintain the park, and a machine/repair shop, as well as storage, toilet facilities, and a garage for vehicles. The initial structure formed a rectangle, with a wall extending out from the west end of the building and a third wing extending from the end of the north wing, forming a rectangular courtyard. Though only the north and west wings of the building remain today, the building continues to serve the Kansas City area as the location for the Black Archives of Mid-America, which moved from a historic fire station nearby to the previously-unoccupied building in 2012. Though Parade Park has changed significantly due to the construction of the Gregg/Klice Community Center and the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy, the Parade Park Maintenance Building continues to serve as an anchor for the area.

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18th & Vine Walking Tour: African American History of Kansas City, Missouri

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