The Eblon Theater was Kansas City's first African American owned and operated theater in the city.1 The theater was designed by architect Paul L. Anthony as a venue for vaudeville and motion pictures. The theater opened in 1923 with much excitement. The Kansas City call wrote on its opening under the headline "Theater is Only One in City Owned By Colored People" to praise the theaters amenities, "nothing has been spared to make this the finest motion picture house for colored people in this part of the country."1 Concerts were held at the Theater each week and were broadcast across local channels. Patrons could also attend the theater to see a silent film accompanied by the theaters house organist.1The Eblon Theater was also where the legendary musician Count Basie found a home in Kansas City. In 1927 Basie was touring with a vaudeville act when it suddenly disbanded in Kansas City. Basie turned to the Eblon Theater and found a job as the house organist playing over silent films.2 When the Eblon theater reopened as the Cherry Blossom Club orchestra leader Bennie Moten left the club and was replaced by Count Basie.6 The orchestra was rebranded Count Basie and his Cherry Blossom Orchestra a notable moment in Basie's career as this was the first time he played under the name "count".6

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

Introduction to the Eblon by Michael Patton; recording created by Black Archives of Mid-America

Eblon Theater

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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

Subway Club (1940s)

Listen to a short history of the Paseo YWCA

Former Location of the Paseo Branch of the YWCA

This narrated walking tour includes monuments, museums, and landmarks of the beautiful and historic "Jazz District" centered around 18th and Vine in Kansas City, Missouri. The tour was built by Black Archives of Mid-America and the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group, and includes landmarks like the Gem Theatre and the American Jazz Museum that preserve and celebrate the city's contribution to the most uniquely American art form. The tour includes landmarks related to the now world-famous Kansas City "sound" and the Blue Room where musicians perform nightly among artifacts related to jazz history. The tour also includes the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and a few sites related to the Kansas City Monarchs and other black institutions of the city during the first half of the 20th century. The tour concludes at the Black Archives of Mid-America, which includes several exhibits related to the history and accomplishments of people who lived and worked in this neighborhood. For those interested in taking a guided group tour of the neighborhood to explore the history of this neighborhood with others, tours are offered by Mr. Erik Stafford's Kansas City Tour Company. A link to their website, Black Archives of Mid-America, and the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group can be found in the "learn more" sections of several of the Clio entries on this tour. 

Horace Peterson III established the Black Archives of Mid-America in 1974 to preserve papers and artifacts pertaining to African American history and culture in Kansas City. Many of the organization's original materials were gathered by Peterson and other members of the community. Peterson opened the archives in the old YMCA building on Paseo (the street was later renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, though in 2019, some city residents launched a campaign to reverse the renaming). The next year, he began the first of the archives' research projects: a collection of oral histories with African American individuals, including civil rights activist Mamie Hughes and Representative James McKinley Neal.Two years after the organization's founding in 1976, the archives moved into the old firehouse building at 2033 Vine, a building that had previously served as the home of the first Black fire company in Kansas City. Peterson's death in 1992 left the organization without its founder and champion, and despite multiple challenges, the former firehouse remained open as the archives' home until 2006 when the organization temporarily closed. At one point, the power was shut off and Jackson County even sued the archives for failure to pay taxes. This period left researchers without access to important records and the collections housed in the building, including documents about the all-Black army regiments known as the "Buffalo Soldiers," a slave cabin brought from Trenton, Missouri, and an original document freeing Missouri's slaves, were at risk.In 2006, Black Archives of Mid-America lost its status as a non-profit, as well as the annual subsidy provided to it by the city. It took more than half a decade of hard work from a new board, chaired by Barbara Peterson (Horace Peterson's widow), as well as significant philanthropic gifts, to move the archives to their current location in the historic Parade Park Maintenance Building. In 2012, the archives opened in the new space, showcasing the permanent exhibit "With My Eyes No Longer Blind," so titled after a line from the Langston Hughes poem "I Look at the World."The archive continues efforts to secure financial support even as historians uncover powerful stories in their collections. In the Alvin Ailey papers, for instance, scholars recently discovered compelling evidence of the influence of Brazilian musical and dance traditions on the choreographer and his "search for collective identity through and in dance." The collections' strength lies in their ability to trace such connections between far-flung places and rich local history, which has made them foundational sources for digital scholarship projects like The Pendergast Years.The Archives also share the history of communities such as the 18th and Vine neighborhood. The gradual end of formal segregation allowed Black city-dwellers to more freely access businesses beyond segregated neighborhoods, but this also brought challenges to the existing business in the 18th &amp; Vine area and other Black neighborhoods. Businesses and venues associated with the pre-war jazz age shuttered. Redevelopment projects razed many historic buildings to clear space for industry and parking lots. It wasn't until the 1990s that there was a concerted push in the other direction, toward the preservation and restoration of the landscape associated with the first half of the twentieth century and the remarkable artistic and cultural legacies it left. The result of these efforts can be seen throughout the 18th &amp; Vine neighborhood which is home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum, Black Archives of Mid-America at Kansas City, and venues such as the Gem Theatre and Blue Room.

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.

Black Archives of Mid-America

Charles Christopher Parker Jr. was born on August 29, 1920 in Kansas City, Kansas. At the age of seven his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Parker learned to play the saxophone at an early age, and when he was fifteen he dropped out of high school to pursue a music career. For the next several years he played jazz music at various nightclubs in Kansas City’s Vine Street district. Kansas City was one of the major epicenters of jazz in the 1930s and 1940s, which had a strong influence on Parker’s musical development.In 1939 Parker moved to New York City in search of new opportunities. He continued to refine his music and cooperated on works with other jazz musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and Miles Davis. In 1945, Parker and Gillespie toured together in Hollywood, where they invented bebop. Bebop was an upbeat, fast-paced, randomized form of jazz that relied on faster tempos and improvisation. Some of Parker’s most popular bebop songs included “Koko,” “Billie’s Bounce,” “Now’s the Time,” and “Thriving on a Riff.” It was also around this time that Parker received the nickname “Bird” or “Yardbird.” The reasons for this nickname vary. One given explanation was that Parker was considered by his friends to be free as a bird; another is that he accidentally hit a chicken while driving.While Parker achieved popularity as a pioneer of bebop, he struggled in his personal life. For many years he suffered from a heroin addiction, the result of treating injuries he received in a car accident as a teenager. He wasted money on heroin, became emotionally unstable, and frequently missed performances and recordings. He made several attempts to become sober, but continued to relapse. In 1955 Parker died from pneumonia at the age of thirty-four. At his mother’s request his body was brought back to Kansas City and interred in Lincoln Cemetery.Over the years Charlie Parker has been honored in many ways for his contributions to jazz and bebop. He was posthumously given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and other accolades. The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in New York City and the Annual Charlie Parker Celebration in Kansas City are held each year in his honor. Kansas City also annually hosts a Jazz History Tour, which takes visitors on a walking tour of key sites from Charlie Parker’s life in the Vine Street district. In 1971 the Charlie Parker Memorial Foundation was established to teach music to youth in Kansas City urban neighborhoods. Parker has also been the subject of a 1988 biographical film, Bird, and even a 2015 opera, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.In 1999 this monument to Charlie Parker was erected on Vine Street near the American Jazz Museum. It was created by artist Robert Graham and paid for by Kansas City along with contributions from the Jules and Doris Stein Foundation and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation. The eighteen foot tall memorial consists of a green sculpture of Parker’s head, with his eyes closed and lips pursed as if he were blowing a saxophone. The head rests on top of a pedestal with the quote “Bird Lives” inscribed on it. It is said that in the days following Parker’s death in 1955, the phrase “Bird Lives” began appearing in graffiti throughout New York City.

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.

Charlie Parker Memorial

The vibrant gateway sign for the 18th &amp; Vine Jazz District sits at the intersection of 18th &amp; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, atop a three-story building. This building sits where "Street's," named after owners Reuben and Ella Davidson Street, once stood. [1] Street's was for many decades the most luxurious hotel in the city that served African American patrons, but it was razed in the 1980s as part of urban redevelopment projects that destroyed many other historic buildings. [2] The sign itself is a much more recent addition to the neighborhood. Erected in 2010, it celebrates an era when the entire street would have been lit up with neon. With the Pendergast political machine willing to overlook violations of Prohibition, Kansas City's nightlife thrived, with jazz in particular flourishing in the city's clubs.While the sign's design is "based on the idea that music is the tie that binds people together," the sign also marks the divisions that ran through the Kansas City landscape during the Jazz Age and up to the present. [3] While the clubs, restaurants, and hotels in the 18th &amp; Vine neighborhood would serve African Americans, this wasn't true of businesses in the rest of the city. Though legal segregation was outlawed at the federal level beginning in the 1950s, Kansas City has remained residentially and educationally segregated, with little investment flowing to historically African American neighborhoods like 18th &amp; Vine for many decades. [4] Indeed, many of the architectural and cultural landmarks of the Jazz District were reconstructed or renovated in the 1990s and early 2000s after being razed just several years before.The sign at 18th &amp; Vine is a celebration of the rich musical and cultural heritage of the city's African American musicians and artists, as well as the vibrant African American community that developed in spite of systemic racism and entrenched institutional segregation. The concentration of theaters, clubs, cabarets, and other venues drew a "veritable 'who's who'" of the jazz world in the 1930s and 1940s: from Jesse Stone to George E. Lee to Mary Lou Williams. [5] The "Colored Musicians Union," now Musicians Local 627, opened in 1917 to challenge unfair labor practices; the union also helped create a unique Kansas City jazz style. [6]Yet the sign is also, inherently, a reminder of the spatial boundaries that confined African Americans to particular parts of the city, and the lasting effects of this segregation. The sign might now mark a "gateway," but this also implied the existence of a gate—like the many that were so systemically closed to African American residents of Kansas City.

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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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.

Gateway Sign

The origins of the Street Hotel are intimately tied to the life story of the man who would become its proprietor. According to a Northeast News article from 2019, Reuben Street was born on January 1st, 1876 in Nashville, Tennessee, to a Reverend father. Street moved several times throughout his childhood, first to a farm in what is now the Armourdale neighborhood of northern Kansas City, where he helped his family sell produce to local eateries and other businesses. Sometime after this, the thirteen year-old Street got a job as a porter at a hotel in McPherson, KS, beginning a long career in the service industry. Two years later, Street moved to Chicago, where he worked in various restaurant roles before moving again to Indianapolis. In Indianapolis, Street met his wife Della, who would also become his staunchest business partner. In 1903, the couple moved to Kansas City, where they opened the precursor to the Blue Room at 18th and Troost.As the restaurant continued to thrive, the Streets moved from the initial location to the iconic location at 18th and The Paseo. For the next roughly two and a half decades, the Streets leased the building and grew the reputation of their establishment. According to the African-American History Trail of Kansas City, Street purchased the building outright for $67,000 in cash in 1947, declaring his intent to remodel the building into “the most complete hotel for Negro patrons in the country.” A postcard advertising the building states that the hotel had "60 rooms with private bath and telephone service. Conveniently located on the first floor [were]: a Haberdasher, a Tailor, Post Office, and the famous Blue Room Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant." During this time, the Street Hotel played host to numerous notables in all walks of Kansas City life. In the mid-1940s, Jackie Robinson lived at the hotel during his tenure with the Kansas City Monarchs. The Blue Room also hosted dinners and event for political and community groups, including the Kansas City Public Service Company’s “Colored Division.” (AAHTKC) Additionally, the Street Hotel was listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book as one of the safe places for African-American travelers to stay in Kansas City.Unfortunately, the era of the Street Hotel's prominence came to an end in 1954. Following the death of his wife a year before, Reuben Street sold the hotel to real estate investor Robert Williams. However, Williams was unable to pay the mortgage on the hotel, and the building wound up being sold at a public auction in 1960 for $58,000. According to the African-American History Trail of Kansas City, this was the first time the building had been owned by a white person. After this, the timeline of the building's use becomes unclear, though National Register of Historic Places documents state that the building was torn down by the early 1980s, contributing to a broader issue of blight in the area. Now, the area at the corner of 18th and Paseo has been replaced by an open patio space, and the Blue Room lives on as part of the American Jazz Museum, where it continues to host the best of the Kansas City Jazz scene.

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.

Street Hotel (1923-1960)

The Paseo YMCA finds its genesis in the growth of both the larger YMCA organization and the Black community in Kansas City. According to documents from the National Register of Historic Places, the continual growth of Kansas City's Black population prompted the creation of a YMCA branch to serve this demographic, since the YMCA organization was unsegregated, though the same could not be said for their facilities. The original headquarters of the branch was at 914 E. 12th Street, opening in 1902. In 1907, a campaign raised $10,000 to move the YMCA into three buildings that occupied the plot of the current structure. The YMCA quickly outgrew these facilities as well, prompting calls for the construction of a newer and more modern facility. The documents state that Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish philanthropist from Chicago, offered a $25,000 gift "to any city that would raise an additional $75,000 for a Negro YMCA building." Kansas City residents more than rose to this challenge. Between $30,000 generated from a subscription campaign among Black residents and $50,000 donated by white residents, Rosenwald's stipulation was fulfilled in 1913, and construction on the current building was completed a year later.The National Register of Historic Places describes the numerous amenities the new building boasted for the local community. The main structure housed meeting rooms, common spaces, dormitories, and office spaces for YMCA management. A larger gymnasium was built in the back wing of the building, and a pool was installed in the basement (the only indoor pool available to Black residents at this time). Open 24 hours a day, the facility played host to multitudes of groups, including YMCA-sponsored youth groups, Scout troops, and many others. The documents state that "By 1941, the YMCA provided community service to 162 groups which annually held 3,650 meetings in the building with total attendance estimated at over 76,000." One of the most important meetings hosted at the building took place in 1920, and saw the creation of the Negro National Baseball League led by Rube Foster.Unfortunately, the 1960s and 70s brought on a downturn in attendance for the Paseo YMCA. As city facilities desegregated and Black families moved out to the suburbs, the once-prominent community center was forced to close in the early 1970s, leaving the building to sit empty for the next several decades. Within the last twenty years, however, there has been a great deal of revival in the area. According to a story by Matthew Gwin from Startland News, Kansas City Southern Railway president Landon Rowland purchased the building from the city and donated it to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Thus began the project to turn the previously-abandoned YMCA into the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center, named in honor of one of Kansas City's baseball legends. In August of 2006, the NLBM launched the "Thanks a Million Buck" campaign to solicit donations for a remodel of the building. Unfortunately, O'Neil passed away in October of that year, never seeing the full fruition of the center that now bears his name. In spite of this loss, the Museum raised several million dollars to remodel and improve the building, thanks in part to the efforts of donors and community leaders such as Ollie Gates and Julia Irene Kauffman. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again in 2018 when, as the building neared completion, vandals caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in water damage. However, the community came through once again, raising more than enough money to repair the facility. After additional fundraising in honor of Buck O'Neil's 2022 induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Center is undergoing final preparations for its debut, planned for spring or early summer of 2023.According to the NLBM's website, the completed Center will host the NLBM Sports Science Center, with exhibits and programming about the science behind baseball. The building will also offer a research library "developed to make the NLBM the central repository for Negro Leagues history", as well as exhibit galleries, rentable event spaces, and leasable office space for small businesses. When all is said and done, the Paseo YMCA stands poised to breathe new life into its community, just as it did when it first opened over a century ago.

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.

Paseo YMCA/ Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center

John Jordan O’Neil, Jr., was born 13 November 1911 in Carrabelle, Florida. At the age of 94, on 6 October 2006 in Kansas City, O’Neil died of bone cancer and was interred at Forest Hill Cemetery.A longtime local legend, Buck O’Neil became nationally famous when his friend and NLBM co-founder Larry Lester introduced Buck to Lynn Novick, the executive director for Florentine Films, owned by Ken Burns and others. Novick was so impressed with Buck, her son James would later share O’Neil’s middle name of Jordan.The 1994 nine-inning PBS documentary miniseries simply entitled Baseball won the 1995 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series. The much talked about “Shadow Ball” segment de-Negrofied the debonair Buck, transforming him into the "Smithsonian" of black baseball. O'Neil gained national prominence and afterwards, became the subject of countless national interviews, including appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder.O’Neil is the subject of several area landmarks which include a statue in the NLBM’s Field of Legends designed by Kwan Wu, et al. In 2010, an incredible mural, by Alexander Austin, can be seen on the south side of the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center at 18th and The Paseo. The 25’ x 50’ mural includes O’Neil and three Negro League players in a dugout and seven images of legendary Kansas City Monarchs, chosen by BBQ king Ollie Gates, who later played in the re-integrated majors. These remarkable players include Ernie Banks, Willard Brown, Elston Howard, Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson and Hank Thompson.A statue of O’Neil statue appears at the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame Museum at Kauffman Stadium, designed by Harry Weber. At Kauffman Stadium is also the Kansas City Royals Legacy Seat, in bright red behind home plate, in Section 127, Seat 9, Row C, to celebrate this Hall of Fame executive. Sculptor E. Spencer Schubert created an O’Neil bust at the Hall of Famous Missourians in Jefferson City, MO, while the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, MO, has a marker and bust in O’Neil’s honor. The former Broadway Bridge is now the John Jordan Buck O’Neil Memorial Bridge. And finally a KC Ride streetcar, #22, honors the Buck O’Neil legacy.On 12 November 2001, a Kansas City street formerly known as 17th St. Terrace between Paseo and Highland Avenue, directly behind the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, was renamed John “Buck” O’Neil Way in recognition of his 90th birthday and community contributions.The Kansas City T-Bones retired his number #22 on 26 May 2006. On 7 December 2006, O'Neil was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush; the award was presented to his brother, Warren, on his behalf on December 15. He was chosen due to his "excellence and determination both on and off the baseball field," according to the White House news release. On 24 October 2007, O'Neil was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF), eventually named after him. On 5 November 2021, O'Neil was voted into the HOF by the Early Days Committee as an “executive.”

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.

Negro Leagues Murals at Buck O'Neil Tribute Park

Homer B. Roberts was born in Ash Grove, MO in 1888. According to a biography of him published by Kansas City Black History, Roberts grew up in Wellington, KS before attending the Tuskegee Institute and pursuing a degree in electrical engineering at Kansas State Agricultural College (Now Kansas State University) in Manhattan, KS. During the First World War, Roberts enlisted in the Army Signal Corps, becoming the first African-American lieutenant in that unit, and served on the Western Front. When the war ended, Roberts became aware of a growing market for automobiles among African-American consumers, a majority of whom were priced out or otherwise excluded by white-owned dealerships. Initially, Roberts served as a broker between white-owned dealerships and Black customers, as the dealerships believed "Blacks could sell best to Blacks". (Gould) In 1923, Roberts expanded his business when he purchased what would become the Roberts Building on Vine Street, opening the Roberts Motor Mart. The building also housed restaurants and medical offices.According to a 2016 blog post by CollisionWorks, Roberts sold cars produced by Hupmobile, Rickenbacker, Whippet, Marmon, and Oldsmobile, making use of advertisements in the Kansas City Sun and Kansas City Call. Roberts did brisk business out of this location for several years, before moving to Chicago with business partner Kenneth Campbell to form the Roberts-Campbell Automobile Agency, which continued to sell cars to Black consumers. Unfortunately, both the Vine Street location and the Agency at large did not last very long after this move, closing sometime in the 1930s. A website on the history of African-American car dealers cites growing interest from white-owned dealerships as a factor of this closure. In 1941, Roberts returned to the Army at the onset of World War Two, eventually attaining the rank of Major. According to an article from the Kansas City Call, he was appointed the provost marshal of Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Kansas City Black History states that Roberts also worked for the Pentagon in a public relations capacity, by "traveling to Europe, Africa, and extensively across the U.S., he promoted the contributions of Black soldiers and communities to the war effort." The article also mentions that Roberts was awarded the Legion of Merit. After the war, Roberts worked for a publishing company founded by Carter G. Woodson. Roberts died of a heart attack at his home in Chicago on July 23, 1952.

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.

The Roberts Building

In 1933 the remodeled Eblon Theater was opened as the Cherry Blossom Nightclub. On opening night George E. Lee’s band played the Cherry Blossom theater to a crowd of patrons. Soon after, the band was replaced by Bennie Moten’s band. But after a few months at the Cherry Blossom, Bennie was ready for a new venue, but his orchestra wanted to stay.5 The band voted Moten out as band leader and replaced him with Count Basie.5 The Cherry Blossom theater advertised their new band under the name Count Basie and the Cherry Blossom Orchestra. Though Basie had been using the nickname Count among friends since his time at the Eblon, this was the first time he was advertised as “Count Basie”5. Basie would be associated with the Cherry Blossom Club until it was shut down in the 1940's. In 1944, a new club called the Chez Paree opened in the same location giving the building its final piece of history where it was home to Kansas City jazz legend Jay McShann.2The Cherry Blossom was also home to a very famous battle of the bands involving Coleman Hawkins, the king of the tenor sax . One night late in 1933, Hawkins stopped by the Cherry Blossom theater where Count Basie held a late-night jam session.2 Hawkins was known not to play in these musical battles. As the reigning king of the tenor sax Hawkins had nothing to gain in playing in these musical battles and everything to lose. But on this one night Hawkins decided to join the battle. Egged on by his fellow musicians, Hawkins went up to perform a legendary set. Count Basie described the battle, “All of those other saxophone players were up there calling for their favorite tunes, and then Hawk went up there, and he knew all of the tunes, and he started calling for all of those hard keys, like E-flat and B-natural.”2The battle raged through the night. Around 4 A.M. all of the pianists were too tired to play, but Hawkins and the horn players were still playing on. They woke up pianist Mary Lou Anderson and brought her to the Cherry Blossom so that the battle could continue. William’s remembers being waken up by Ben Webster, “he was saying, “get up, pussycat, we’re jammin’ and all the pianists are tired out now. Hawkins has got his shirt off and is still blowing.” 2But by the end of the night, Hawkins had met his match. Lester Young played in a relaxed style that contrasted greatly with the forceful tone of Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins tried repeatedly to outplay Young but by the end of the night he was forced to give up and head to Saint Louis for his next gig.2 Lester Young’s victory over Hawkins would become a legendary moment in the history of Kansas City Jazz.

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.

Cherry Blossom Club

The 18th &amp; Vine Historic District is best known today as the place where the Kansas City style of jazz and blues were born, but for those who lived near the neighborhood, this was the central business hub, with everything from hotels and restaurants to stores and the offices of physicians and attorneys. The 18th &amp; Vine District began as a “city within a city.” Starting around 1879, the first major migration of ex-slaves to the north brought thousands of African Americans to Kansas City. In fact, while the bulk of the “Great Migration” led African Americans to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and so forth, Kansas City was considered a second-tier industrial city. Around 1900, African Americans comprised about 10 percent of the city’s population. Many of the new arrivals made their homes and businesses along the district cross streets and, at the beginning of the 20th century, the neighborhood around 18th &amp; Vine had become a thriving African American area. With segregation rampant throughout the city, African Americans found they could find all their day-to-day necessities in the area. There were schools, retail establishments, churches, and entertainment and social venues. Today, murals and monuments pay tribute to the Kansas City Monarchs and legendary musicians such as Charlie Parker and Count Basie, but in the 1920s, the area a shopping destination and business district above all else. The Lincoln Building was the center of commerce and home to numerous independent Black-owned businesses and offices for professionals.As jazz music took hold in Kansas City around the 1920s, the Pendergast political machine in Kansas City purposefully overlooked violations of Prohibition. As a result, 18th &amp; Vine was producing vibrant and lively dance halls and nightclubs. During the Great Depression, this area was at the height of its popularity and substantially contributed to the growth and evolution of Jazz music. Jazz legends who called 18th &amp; Vine their home included Charlie Parker, Count Basie, George and Julia Lee, Big Joe Turner, John Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams, Bennie Moten, and many others. According to research by Heather Scanlon, the building opened in 1921, hosting the Lincoln Furniture Company and Matlaw's, a men's clothing store, on the ground floor. The second floor consisted of office space for professional use, while the third floor held Lincoln Hall, a music and dancing venue. In later years, the Lincoln Building remained an anchor for the district, housing numerous businesses and organizations. According to the African-American History Trail of Kansas City, during the 1940s, the building housed offices for the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team. Additionally, future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall operated out of the NAACP offices in the building during the 1951-1954 legal battle surrounding the desegregation of Swope Park Pool.The building was remodeled by the Black Economic Union of Kansas City in 1981, and hosted numerous businesses throughout this time, including the Bayou on the Vine Cajun restaurant, which closed in 2016. In 2017, the building was purchased by Kansas City lawyer Henry C. Service. Currently, the Lincoln Building houses Service Law Offices, LLC, as well as offices for MKI Construction, 180V Barber Salon, the Kansas City, Missouri chapter of the NAACP, and the Corner Bar and Grill.

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.

Lincoln Building

Perhaps the most unique of all venues on 18th &amp; Vine, the Blue Room Jazz Club connects the past to the present and offers a performance venue for established and up-and-coming musicians. The club is connected to the American Jazz Museum and honors the musical tradition of the famous Blue Room of the Street Hotel. One of the few places of accommodation for people of color in the era of segregation, the Street Hotel was a center of social life, a place where Black organizations held events and conferences, and the place where out-of-town visitors stayed, including ballplayers and musicians. Street Hotel was owned and operated by Reuben and Ella Davidson Street. When Reuben was a child, his family moved to Kansas City as part of the migration of Exodusters—African Americans who left the south to seek a better life in Kansas and Kansas City, which straddles the Missouri-Kansas border. Reuben and Ella married in 1900 and held a variety of jobs before managing to purchase the hotel that would bear their name in 1920. In the segregated city, Street Hotel was the finest hotel available to Black patrons, and segregation meant that other African-American businesses, clubs, and venues clustered around it in the 18th &amp; Vine district, creating a busting jazz scene even as Black performers and audiences were excluded from businesses in downtown Kansas City. Across from the Blue Room was the Rose Room, which offered an exclusive fine-dining experience to African American guests.Of course, any hotel that served as the home away from home for traveling musicians became the center of nightlife, and this was certainly the case for the Street Hotel during the 1930s and beyond. The venue is both a performance hall and a “multifaceted exhibit highlighting the countless musicians who crafted” the now world-famous “Kansas City jazz” sound. The club continues to cultivate jazz talent, inviting performances from both veteran and up-and-coming musicians in its intimate and historic setting.This hybrid venue—museum by day and working jazz club by night—is Kansas City's’ only Jazz club to be listed in the top 100 Jazz Clubs in the world by DownBeat Magazine. Because of this, the Blue Room is never in shortage of touring jazz musicians looking to make a name in the city of fountains. Another interesting tidbit regarding the Blue Room Jazz Club is the “soundies” which can be viewed in the video jukebox. These “soundies” include performances by “Jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Fats Waller, and John Coltrane.”Similar to the gateway sign which signals both a respect for the district and a desire to bring life back to the venues and businesses which sat near-lifeless for years, the Blue Room Jazz Club invites aspiring musicians to play in the venue: “Bring your instrument and sit in at the weekly Blue Monday Jam.” The spirit of the Jazz District with the powerful and influential musicians that played in the clubs and streets of 18th &amp; Vine lives on through these events, which invite the public in to be part of the marvelous history of jazz in Kansas City.

A modern landmark within the historic 18th &amp; 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.

The Blue Room

Emanuel Cleaver was the political sponsor for the revitalization of the 18th and Vine district, and Dr. Rowena Stewart oversaw the development of the American Jazz Museum in 1995. Stewart became the first director upon completion of the museum in 1997. In the past 25 years, the museum has worked to offer a mixture of artifacts and interpretation that live alongside performances, community events, and educational programs. The museum's galleries include numerous artifacts from leading Kansas City jazz musicians along with interactive displays that educate the public about jazz music with an emphasis on the contributions of local musicians. The museum includes numerous exhibits on the lives of prominent African American musicians, hotel owners, and restaurateurs who helped create and sustain the 18th and Vine Community, an area sometimes referred to as "the Jazz District" given the neighborhood's connection to jazz legends and recent efforts to invest in organizations dedicated to art, history, sports, and culture.Kansas City Jazz and 18th and Vine"With few anomalies," write jazz scholars Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix, "Kansas City's distinctive jazz style originated in the community centered around the intersection of 18th and Vine—Kansas City's other downtown." [1] In the segregated Kansas City of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, 18th and Vine was a vibrant hub of African American businesses, clubs, hotels, and restaurants serving a clientele excluded from most other venues in Kansas City.During the 1920s and Great Depression, Kansas City earned a reputation as being a “wide open” city owing to machine politicians like Tom Pendergast who refused to enforce Prohibition. In communities throughout the city, political leaders delivered the vote to Pendergast-affiliated aldermen, and police responded by allowing jazz clubs and other businesses to operate. As long as the money flowed up to the political machine, liquor flowed throughout Kansas City. As a result, clubs attracted patrons and provided incentives for musicians throughout the country to come to Kansas City. While a few "black and tan" clubs were open to all, most of the city's establishments reflected the segregated nature of the city. Black performers who played for white-only audiences found this neighborhood to be a sanctuary where they could be both patron and performer.Many of the greatest jazz legends learned and practiced their craft at white-only clubs downtown in the early evening before returning to the Street Hotel for a meal. These musicians then performed a second set at the Black-owned clubs of this neighborhood, and the music sometimes continued on until the early morning hours. While many of these musicians moved on to other cities, this part of the city is credited for producing the unique sound of Kansas City jazz.The neighborhood where the museum is located was home to influential musicians like Charlie "Bird" Parker, who lived and played in Kansas City before moving to New York. This district was also the place where jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald performed for African American audiences. The museum celebrates the district and preserves the legacy of Kansas City jazz. The museum shares the building with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and visitors can enjoy both museums for a reduced rate by purchasing a ticket to both.

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.

The American Jazz Museum

African Americans began to play baseball in the late 1800s on military teams, college teams, and company teams. They eventually found their way to professional teams with white players. Moses Fleetwood Walker and Bud Fowler were among the first to participate. However, racism excluded most African Americans from these teams by 1900. Thus, Black players formed their own teams and traveled around the country to play anyone who would challenge them. In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew "Rube" Foster-a former player, manager, and owner of the Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Foster and other Midwestern team owners; Indianapolis ABCs, Cincinnati Cuban Stars, Detroit Starts, St. Louis Giants, Chicago Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and the Dayton Marcos, created the midwestern-based Negro National League (1920-31). Soon after, other leagues were formed including; Eastern Colored League (1923-1928), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932), Negro Southern League (1929), eastern-based Negro National League II (1933-1948) and the Negro American League (1937-1962).In 1945, the Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson from the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson was not the first African American to play on a Major League team, simply the first to do so in baseball's modern era. Robinson's success paved the way for other Black players, but integration also led to the decline of the Negro Leagues. By the early 1950s, Negro League teams found their best players being signed by MLB teams. The last Negro Leagues teams folded in the early 1960s, but their legacy lives on at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.Museum History from the NLBM website:Through the inspiration of Horace M. Peterson III (1945-1992), founder of the Black Archives of Mid-America, a group of local historians, business leaders, and former baseball players came together to create the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the early 1990s. The museum originally operated out of a small, one-room office in the Lincoln Building. The museum expanded to a 2,000 square-foot space in the Lincoln Building in 1994.During the late 1990s, plans were underway by city officials to create a new home to showcase Kansas City's jazz heritage and to revitalize the Historic District. City officials and Mayors Dick Berkley and Emanuel Cleaver II worked to raise over $20 million in bonds to build a new facility to host the new American Jazz Museum and a new, permanent and expanded, home for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This new 50,000 square-foot building opened in September 1997 and the Baseball Museum opened in November. The NLBM broke ground in early 2006 on a $15 million historical preservation and expansion project to restore the Paseo YMCA and convert the national landmark into the John "Buck" O'Neil Education and Research Center.

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.

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

One of the most architecturally striking buildings in the 18th &amp; Vine district, the Gem Theater is one of a handful of buildings from the 1920s and 1930s that has survived more or less intact, escaping the razing that destroyed many of the district's clubs from the 1950s to the 1990s. Originally named the Star Theater, it was built in 1912 to show silent movies to the African American community that had taken up residence around 18th &amp; Vine in the then legally-segregated Kansas City. It was renamed the Gem Theater in 1913. By 1929, when the theater began to show talking movies, the Gem became a fixture on 18th Street as the major movie theater opened by and for African American audiences.In 1960 the Gem Theater no longer showed films and began to fall into disrepair. As one of the most notable buildings to survive the industrialization and redevelopment of the district in the 1960s and 1970s, the theater became a centerpiece of plans to revitalize the Jazz District and figured prominently in the district's application for status as a historic district in 1991. When the Gem was still playing movies, up until 1960, the seating capacity was 1,414, but after renovations capacity was cut to 500 seats. Indeed, virtually all that remains of the original theater is the facade, which dates to an early renovation in 1923. After the renovations of the 1990s, the Gem Theater opened for live performances in 1997. Like the American Jazz Museum across the street, the Gem is owned by the city government. Renovations were spearheaded by Patricia Jordan, who is now president of what has become the Gem Theater Cultural and Performing Arts Center. Interestingly, the redevelopment and restoration of the Gem Theater and surrounding Jazz District was sparked in no small part by a movie: Robert Altman's 1996 Kansas City, which was shot on location. Given the destruction of many of the buildings in the district, and the disrepair into which the surviving ones had fallen, Altman's movie required the extensive use of facades to restore the appearance of 18th &amp; Vine as it would have looked in the 1930s when the film is set. The facades made the rich artistic and cultural history of the district immediately visible, and the film's release coincided with a wave of investment that sought to redevelop the district and restore the area's historic vibrancy.

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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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.

Gem Theater

The American Jazz Walk of Fame celebration began on August 23, 2014, with the induction of 6 jazz legends: William “Count” Basie, Jay McShann, Charlie Parker, Pat Metheny, Mary Lou Williams, and Bobby Watson. Each artist was given a 30-inch bronze medallion that rests proudly outside the American Jazz Museum at the heart of the 18th &amp; Vine Jazz District. Inspired by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, and carried out by the Jazz District Renaissance Corp., the Jazz Walk of Fame has become an accessible and public entry point to deeper explorations of the Jazz District's history.In 2014, the induction ceremony was followed by a concert at the Gem Theater, which sits directly across the street from the American Jazz Museum. The performance featured the Count Basie Orchestra and a second band of local musicians led by Kansas City's Bobby Watson.The celebration is held annually and the festivities include the induction ceremony and live music featuring both local and national artists. The event is a favorite for many area families and the festival is supported by donors from both Kansas City, MO, and elsewhere.Some of the artists recognized in the Walk of Fame include:<ul><li>Bobby Watson, 2014 inducted, saxophonist, composer and director of Jazz Studies at University of Missouri at Kansas City.</li><li>Charlie Parker, Jr., 2014, soprano and alto saxophonist.</li><li>Jay McShann, 2014, jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader and Kansas City legend.</li><li>Pat Metheny, 2014, from Lee's Summit, MO, a contemporary Latin jazz guitarist and composer. Metheny has three gold albums and 20 Grammy Awards and is the only person to have won Grammys in 10 categories. </li><li>Count Basie, 2014, jazz pianist, organist and big band leader.</li><li>Mary Lou Williams, 2014, jazz pianist, arranger, and composer.</li><li>Lester Young, 2015, jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist, known as "Prez" or "Pres".</li><li>Claude "Fiddler" Williams, 2015, was the first guitarist to record with Count Basie but his best known for jazz violin.</li><li>Myra Taylor, 2015, jazz singer, songwriter and dancer</li><li>Coleman Hawkins, 2015, from St. Joseph, MO, played the tenor saxophone and was known as "Hawk" or "Bean."</li><li>Bennie Moten, 2015, a ragtime pianist who became the leader of "Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra," which later led by Bill "Count" Basie.</li><li>Melba Liston, 2016, as one of few women in jazz to face both racial and gender discrimination and abuse and even so went on to become a notable composer and trombonist.</li><li>Louis Armstrong, 2016, nicknamed "Satchmo," "Satch," and "Pops," was a trumpeter and vocalist.</li><li>Nina Simone, 2016, singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&amp;B, and pop.</li><li>Everette DeVan, 2016, famously known for playing the Hammond B-3 organ.</li><li>Luqman Hamza, 2016, (pronounced Luke-mahn Hahm-za) Born Larry Cummings, he was known for his sensual and seductive singing alongside stylish piano play.</li><li>Queen Bey, 2016, (no, not Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), who began performing at age 12 and appeared in several movies in addition to her jazz performances.</li><li>George Benson, 2016, guitarist and vocalist. Ten Grammy awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.</li><li>Ben Webster, 2016, known for the beauty of his tenor saxophone tone and for his melodic inventiveness.</li><li>Ida McBeth, 2017, Kansas City's "Queen of Jazz and Blues" singer.</li><li>Ella Fitzgerald, 2017, known as "Lady Ella," "Queen of Jazz," and the "First Lady of Song" for her improvision of jazz classics.</li><li>Ben Kynard, 2017, alto and baritone saxophonist.</li><li>Oliver Todd, 2017, jazz band leader, organist, pianist, and trumpeter. Todd was one of the city's most famous band leaders and led a band known as the Hottentots in the 1930s.</li><li>Ramsey Lewis, 2017, jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career.</li><li>Thelonious Monk, 2017, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.</li><li>Sonny Kenner, 2018, the guitarist was the first African American to open Kansas City's first Black book store, the Pyramid Book Store and Record Shop.</li><li>Jerry Lieber &amp; Mike Stoller, 2018, were a Grammy award-winning songwriting and record production duo.</li><li>Marilyn Maye, 2018, a highly praised singer, actress, director, arranger, educator, a Grammy nominated recording artist and a musical treasure.</li><li>David Sanborn, 2018, the alto saxophonist has won six Grammy Awards and has had eight gold albums and one platinum.</li><li>Leon Brady, 2019, youth educator and professional percussionist.</li><li>Dr. Nathan Davis, 2019, a hard bop jazz multi-instrumentalist who played the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet and flute. Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Davis is probably best known for his work with Eric Dolphy, Kenny Clarke, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton and Art Blakey.</li><li>Harry Belafonte, 2019, Carribean-American singer and actor. Three time Grammy award winner. In addition to a musical career spanning calypso music to blues and folk music was a civil rights activist and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..</li><li>Oleta Adams, 2019, local lounge jazz singer and pianist. Her song "Get Here" became an anthem of sorts during the Persian Gulf War.</li><li>Quincy Jones, 2019, the trumpeter is record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer.</li><li>2020 - event postponed due to Covid-19 concerns</li><li>Mutual Musicians Foundation, 2021, African-American Musicians Union, founded in 1917, and is located at 1823 Highland Avenue.</li><li>Al Jarreau, 2021, Grammy award winning jazz singer and musician.</li><li>The McFadden Brothers, 2022, sons of famous dancer and performer "Smilin' Jimmy McFadden", Ronald and Lonnie are a true piece of Kansas City musical history.</li></ul>

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 &amp; Vine Jazz District. The medallion dedication ceremony has become an annual event, with celebrated jazz musicians performing in nearby venues to honor new inductees.

The American Jazz Walk of Fame, Kansas City

Founded in 1919 by Chester A. Franklin, The Call grew into one of the most significant African American newspapers in the United States. The paper continues to serve the African American community to this day. Chester A. Franklin moved to Kansas City, Missouri with an ambition to start a local paper that would capture the spirit of the Black community and give a clear and direct voice to the people of that community, given that many newspapers at that time were being run by and directed toward the white population of Kansas City. After cutting his teeth on another local paper, The Star, together with his mother Clara Franklin, he set up shop in a small building on East 18th St., a few blocks from The Call's location today. [1]By 1920, The Call was ensconced in new offices at 1715 East Street; "next door at 1717 is our press room and stereotyping room; upstairs is our composing room; in the basement, we store paper direct from the mill...Come yourself and bring your out-of-town friends to see The Call, one of the three modern newspaper plants the Negro race has in America." [2] The sense of pride in the paper's technological sophistication and financial stability, and the sense that these attributes were nationally significant, was palpable in this 1928 promotion for The Call.Setting a high standard for The Call, Franklin's newspaper focused on constructive news, reporting on achievements and newsworthy events. The wide geographic coverage of the paper reflects its circulation throughout Kansas, Missouri, and other states in the region. The paper investigated local stories related to civil rights in addition to providing an overview of national news and happenings of importance within Black communities from Oklahoma to the northern Great Plains and Iowa. Mrs. Ada Crogman Franklin recorded her belief that the most important thing about the Kansas City paper was its reputation for accuracy.The Call was instrumental in civil rights campaigns, including allowing Black people to serve on local juries and some measures toward residential integration. However, the paper's general position was one of racial uplift, and Franklin "believed strongly that the Black community needed to focus on its internal issues as much as equal legal rights," according to historian Jason Roe. [3] For instance, Franklin strongly encouraged African Americans living in Kansas City to purchase homes, arguing that renting condemned them to poverty—an argument that, while true, ignored the structural barriers to Black homeownership created by practices like restrictive covenants, discriminatory lending practices, and workplace and income inequality. [4] Similarly, the tone of Franklin's paper was emblematized by the special "Tenth Anniversary and Progress Edition," published in 1928. The cover, with a seated statue of liberty, bustling scenes of towns, trains, factories, and lush greenery, counseled, "Look up and go up!" [5]From humble beginnings which saw a four-page sheet sell 2000 copies to a sixty-four-page sheet that became the sixth-best selling African American weekly in the nation, Chester A. Franklin’s dream of creating and managing a reputable and far-reaching African American newspaper was achieved—indeed, exceeded. Upon Franklin’s death in 1955, his wife Ada Franklin took control of The Call. It continues to be published every Friday.

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.

The Kansas City Call

Fannie L. Meek was born in Waverly Hill, Georgia to Frank and Emma Lowe. Before her time in Kansas City, Meek studied botany under Dr. George Washington Carver at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. It is here that she first met Edward (E.W) Meek, an instructor in the printing department at Tuskegee. Mrs. Meek then went on to teach industrial arts at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and at Virginia State College in Petersburg, Virginia. During this time, in Virginia, Fannie renewed her acquaintance with Edward and they wed in July of 1923. The Meeks moved to Kansas City, Missouri where Edward opened the Quality Printing Company at 1710 E 18th St. Once in Kansas City, Fannie enrolled in the William’s Institute of Embalming in Kansas City, Kansas, becoming the first woman to graduate from the program in 1935. Just a year or two later, she opened Mrs. Meek’s Mortuary at 1707 E 18th St, across the street from her husband’s printing shop. The Meeks owned all three stories of the building. The first floor was used for the operation of the mortuary, with the second and third floors used as office and living space for the family. Edward Meek passed away on February 22, 1948.By the 1950s, the Parade Park housing developments were well on the way to transforming the 18th &amp; Vine district. Mrs. Meek’s property was acquired by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. Rather than let the building be torn down, Mrs Meek had it moved to a vacant lot on the northwest corner of 19th and Park. She then converted the building into a residence and constructed a new building for her mortuary practice. The new ‘Mrs. Meek’s Mortuary’ emphasized bright pink hues for its decor in the form of wedgewood rose throughout the building and bright pink cars and hearses driven around town. In a 1949 interview with the KC Call, in which she was named “Woman of the Week”, Meek remarked that she “trie[s] to use the warmest and most lifelike color possible.” She believed that “women can do so much more around a funeral home… They have a natural instinct for creating a homelike atmosphere, which is a definite asset.”.Beyond her career as a mortician, Fannie Meek was involved in many regional and national civic and church duties. She was a lifelong member of the National Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association. She was active with the Kansas City Urban League, the NAACP, the National Business League, the National Council of Negro Women, the YMCA, the United Negro College Fund, the National Conference of Christian and Jews, and the Calanthe Court of the Eastern Star. She was a longtime worker and fundraiser for the Wheatley-Provident hospital. Fannie Meek was the first woman president of the Local Funeral Directors Association and, in 1954, became the president of the Missouri State Funeral Directors Embalming Association. In the 1960s, Meek sponsored an American Legion summer baseball team, the Sparklers. Adorned with ‘Mrs Meek’s Mortuary’ across their jerseys, the team enabled many young men to gain scholarships for a college education and further their careers in baseball. In 1965, Meek was awarded the annual Sammie Dubin Nite of Sports Citizenship award for her efforts.Mrs. Meek’s illustrious life ended peacefully on July 30, 1979. She was 81 years old. She had one daughter, Yolanda. She is remembered as being a full-of-life figure in Kansas City history.

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 &amp; 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.

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

The New Rialto Theatre opened in 1924, joining the Gem, Eblon, and Lincoln Theatres in the vibrant entertainment district of 18th &amp; Vine. The theatre was built on the existing site of the Highland Garden Theatre, an outdoor theatre for African-Americans during segregation. The New Rialto was a host for a variety of vaudeville acts, movies, and jazz concerts for which Kansas City, and specifically the 18th &amp; Vine district, was becoming known. The building was designed by H. Alexander Drake, a popular Missourian architect known for designing theaters across Kansas City and St. Louis, MO.In 1929, the theatre was briefly known as the New State Theatre. It was quickly renamed as the Boone Theatre, after Missourian piano progeny and composer John W. “Blind” Boone. Boone is a prominent figure in American music history. As a child, Boone was diagnosed with cerebral meningitis. The only known cure, at the time, led to loss of sight. Regardless of his loss of sight, Boone was a natural musician from a young age. He created music using his knowledge of classical music, Black spirituals, and the syncopated rhythms he heard in his everyday life. Boone had a heavy influence on the music industry after his death in 1927.In 1949, Boone Theatre was renamed “Scott’s Theatre Bar”. The venue continued to bring in large crowds during the hay day of the 18th &amp; Vine district. However, only a few years later did the era of 1701-1703 E 18th St as a mecca for entertainment come to an end. The state of Missouri acquired the building and converted it to be used as an armory of the 242nd Engineering Battalion, an all-black National Guard unit. In 1960, the battalion was disbanded when the National Guard desegregated their units in Missouri. After the 242nd left the building in 1962, it served as an armory for the 104 Replacement Battalion, then the 146th Engineers Battalion, and finally the 1140th Military Police Company, which left the building in 1971. In the mid-1960s, the building was used as a meeting place for local veterans, and it was here that James G. Madison and James Alexander formed the idea for Alexander/Madison Chapter of Kansas City Area Buffalo Soldiers 9th &amp; 10th (Horse) Calvary. While it has sat empty since 1971, the building is still recognized as the “National Guard Armory” by the local community.In 1979, the Mutual Musicians Foundation (MMF) purchased the building for $1, but its condition has since slowly degraded. The building has experienced an immense number of structural issues. MMF aimed to convert the building into a Jazz and Cultural Center, featuring a Kansas City Jazz Hall of Fame and Gallery, a store, a snack bar, a rehearsal space, MMF offices, and possibly a recording studio. Due to lack of funding, MMF’s plan did not come to fruition and the building has sat empty for decades.More recently, the Boone Theatre has been eyed as having immense potential in the redevelopment process that 18th &amp; Vine is experiencing. Many different arts &amp; culture groups have taken the initiative of finding the right partners to restore the 45,000 square foot theatre with seating for 300. In 2021, the Kansas City Council's Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee passed a project that will redevelop the Boone Theater in the 18th &amp; Vine District. The plans for the theater include an outdoor event space and co-working space on the vacant land to the east. Its renovation will be a landmark of the Boone Theatre’s vital part in 18th &amp; Vine’s past, present and future.

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 &amp; Vine District Jazz Redevelopment plan and will soon be renovated as a vital part of 18th &amp; Vine’s past, present, and future.

Boone Theater | National Guard Armory

As African American migrants left the south in the hopes of finding a better life in places like Kansas City, real estate and construction companies cashed in on the need for more housing in segregated cities. This was a lucrative business because of the high demand for housing and the fact that African American residents could only live in certain parts of the city, like the 18th &amp; Vine district where the Rochester is located. The hotel was constructed between 1919 and 1920 by the George M. Bliss Construction Company; originally, the building contained 24 apartment units that were leased to working-class African Americans. Bliss was white and, in 1920, lived far away from the denser urban areas where he built these apartments. [1]In 1940, the building became the Rochester Hotel and offered rooms on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. During the first half of the twentieth century, there were a host of similar buildings in the area, as land prices were expensive and most African American residents of the district could only afford to rent rooms or apartments in larger residential complexes. While leading Black figures in the city exhorted renters to stop renting and start buying, very few African Americans could afford to do so. Indeed, most complexes like the Western Apartments/Rochester Hotel were owned by white people; in 1913, just before the apartments were built, only 3.4 percent of Black residents of Kansas City owned property. The pressing need for housing, the poverty of many African Americans, and the segregated urban landscape combined to create poor living conditions in many of the housing options accessible to lower- and working-class African Americans. [2]Hotels like the Rochester were some of the few places that visiting African Americans—like the jazz musicians and baseball players for which the historic district is so well known—could stay, and the movement of artists and athletes through residential spaces influenced the surrounding area profoundly. Next door to the Rochester is the Mutual Musicians' Foundation building, which was originally purchased the Musicians Local Union 627 in 1928 to serve as the union headquarters. Local 627 benefited tremendously from the influx of visiting musicians, some of whom ended up sticking around Kansas City, especially during the Great Depression. [3] While the Rochester catered to a working class population, other hotels in the area like the now-razed Street Hotel were more luxurious and combined residential, dining, and entertainment options under one roof. The famous Blue Room, celebrated by a replica connected to the American Jazz Museum, was part of Street's Hotel.Many of the large residential complexes like the Rochester and Street's were razed as part of urban renewal projects after World War II. The Rochester building is one of the largest surviving residential buildings from this period, though it no longer functions as a hotel. Once again, the building contains apartments, with recent property records indicating that there are 8 units in the building—significantly fewer than the 24 that existed during the days of the Western Apartments. [4]

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 &amp; 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.

Rochester Hotel

Musicians Protective Union Local 627 wasn't always headquartered at 1823 Highland Avenue. When the union was created in 1917 to secure better working rights and wages for African American musicians, who were excluded from white workers' unions in the city, the union headquarters was at 18th Street. The musicians had a 14-piece band and played weekly concerts—called "Sunday Evening Promenade[s]"—at Academy Hall. [1] A quarter would get guests in the door, with dancing set to start at 8:30 p.m. Soon, however, the union's membership expanded, in tandem with the growing music scene in Kansas City, and the musicians were playing for crowds of up to 2,000 dancers. [2]In the late 1920s, under the leadership of union president William Shaw, the union became increasingly successful. Membership nearly quadrupled in the three years between 1927 and 1930, reaching 327 members that year. [3] Shaw also saw to the formal incorporation of the union as the "Negro Musicians Associations," for "the following purposes":<blockquote>To unite the instrumental portions of the musical profession for the better protection of its members; to serve the public in furnishing music on all occasions where it may be required; to establish and maintain a minimum rate of price to be charged for the professional services of its members; to furnish music to the public for its entertainment on public and private occasions; and to enforce good faith and fair dealing of its members in their dealing with and relation to the general public.. [4]</blockquote>In the same year, the union raised money to purchase 1823 Highland Avenue from the E.E. Pullum Realty Company for $4750, to be paid in $35 monthly installments at a 6 percent interest rate. [5] A huge ball in December 1929, featuring Bennie Moten and George Lee among others, helped raise funds to convert the building from apartments into a union headquarters. [6]The 1930s were a golden age for Local 627. Historian Edward Miszczuk estimated in 1979 that it was "a second home, a training ground and a source of jobs for approximately 90 percent of the musicians who created the powerful Kansas City sound of the 30's and 40's." [7] But despite their professional success and widespread popularity among both African American and white audiences, the musicians faced discrimination in the very venues that contracted them to play: as union member Marvin Leon Achyutan Pattillo recalled, "There was Johnny Baker’s, where I played with Jay McShann, out on Troost. That was a white club but had a Black band in it. After we would take our intermissions we would have to go down in the basement." [8]Conditions became difficult for the musicians, however, when the 1940s rolled around, bringing with them a city-wide campaign to clear up the vice that flourished alongside jazz in the licentious Pendergast years. While many clubs in the 18th &amp; Vine district shut down and were eventually razed in the 1950s and 1960s, Local 627 managed to keep the doors open and provide most of the best opportunities to its members, to the dismay of the white Local 34. Indeed, since the 1930s there had been calls from the white union to merge with Local 627, calls that the local had always resisted. In 1970, however, the American Federation of Musicians, the national body for both unions, stepped in and forced the merger. Local 627 had to leave its headquarters on Highland Avenue, but the Mutual Musicians Foundation, created in 1958 to manage the union building, continued to maintain the space as a social club and rehearsal venue for members.Despite the role played by Local 627 in creating the working conditions and camaraderie that supported the Kansas City jazz tradition, and the fact that the building at 1823 Highland Avenue was one of few buildings associated with Black jazz musicians to survive urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 1960s, it was a challenge to secure its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places—an inclusion that would help protect the building from the kinds urban development schemes that had destroyed so many other historic buildings in the 18th &amp; Vine area and make available federal funds for restoration work. Architects and historians from the National Park Service objected to the modifications the local had made over the course of their tenure in the building, arguing that "the severity of the alterations in 1940s may have destroyed the integrity [of the building]." [9] Ultimately, however, the National Park Service accepted that the cultural and musical significance of the building was not dependent on its architectural immutability and entered it on the Register in 1979.To this day, the Mutual Musicians Foundation remains a vibrant social and musical space, open into the wee hours on weekend nights. As in the 1920s and 1930s, jazz and alcohol go hand in hand, and the Foundation received a special exemption to continue serving drinks until 6 a.m.

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.

Mutual Musicians' Foundation Building

In 1871, the Kansas City Stockyards opened and quickly grew to become the second-largest in the country (after Chicago). By the early 1920s, the stockyards were processing over 2.5 million cows, and about half of them were purchased for local operations in Kansas City. [1] Meat was plentiful, and barbecues were a tradition among the city’s Southern migrants who had come to work in the rail and riverboat industries after the Civil War. Hosting a barbecue at big events like church gatherings and public celebrations was a perfect way to feed large quantities of people efficiently and affordably. [2,3]Henry Perry, dubbed “The Barbecue King,” is credited with starting the first commercial barbecue enterprise in the city. [3] Perry was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and had started working as a cook on Mississippi River steamboats at the age of 15. He moved to Kansas City in 1907 and started his own small business selling cuts of barbecue wrapped in newspaper for 25 cents to workers and residents in the Garment District, at the corner of 8th and Banks Streets. Within a few years, he was able to start a restaurant called Perry’s Barbecue at 17th Street and Lydia Avenue, which then moved a few years later to 19th Street and Highland Avenue. [4] The latter restaurant was in the heart of the 18th and Vine District, a hotbed of jazz and African American prosperity during the 1920s. (See “18th and Vine Historic District” entry on Clio for more information.)By the early 1930s, there were numerous barbecue stands in the city. When Henry Perry died in 1940, his restaurant was purchased by one of his employees, Charlie Bryant. Charlie’s brother Arthur later took over.While Perry may have been Kansas City’s first barbecue restaurateur, the Bryant brothers made the barbecue business legendary. Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque is still in business today and has been described as “the single best restaurant in the world.” [2]The other leading Kansas City barbecue restaurant that opened around the same time was also directly connected to Perry's business. George and Arzelia Gates’ Ol’ Kentuck Bar-B-Q, now Gates Bar-B-Q began when Gates learned Perry’s method from one of his former employees, Arthur Pinkard. Pinkard “came with” the Ol’ Kentuck Bar-B-Q when the Gateses purchased it and served as pitmaster at the restaurant for decades. Gates Bar-B-Q has expanded to multiple locations and each has a framed photo of Pinkard.Kansas City barbecue has evolved over time to something quite a bit different from Henry Perry’s day. For one, Perry often used cheap meats from nocturnal wild animals like possum, groundhog, and raccoon. Perry’s sauce has been described as “harsh and peppery”. [2,3] It was the Bryants who changed Perry’s strong, spicy sauce to one that was sweeter, ketchup-based, and more widely palatable. This style of barbecue sauce, which often incorporates vinegar and molasses, has become Kansas City’s signature. Perry was an strong advocate of slow-cooked barbecue in open pits over hickory and oak wood, a technique adopted by many other others since. Serving up the burnt, caramelized ends of brisket resulting from this process to customers became another tradition among many Kansas City barbecuers.In 1980, a barbecue competition started at the city’s famous American Royal. The American Royal began as a livestock show that has taken place in Kansas City since 1899, but now incorporates other events such as a horse show and rodeo. The barbecue cookoff has become the world’s largest barbecue contest and has been called “The World Series of Barbecue. Over 400 teams from seven different countries competed in 2019, with a payout of over $120,000.

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.

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

According to an article published by the Kansas City Call in 1928, the institution known as the Attucks School was founded by professor P. H. H. Williams in 1880. The school was located in two rooms of a now-demolished building that stood at 18th and Euclid, with "two teachers compris[ing] the faculty of a student body numbering less than one hundred." The school has moved twice over its history, first to a now-demolished building at 2108 E. 18th Street, and again to its current location at 1815 Woodland in 1905. The Woodland location was designed by architect Charles A. Smith, a well-known Kansas City designer, who also designed a two-story expansion that was added in 1922. (African-American Heritage Trail)The Attucks school served as one of Kansas City's premier elementary schools for African-American students for over one hundred years. A graduation program dated to 1926 lists Principal W.H. Harrison and teachers Judith A. Syms and Mary L. Watrous, presiding over a graduating class of eighty-six students. According to the 1928 Kansas City Call article, "The present Attucks School at 19th and Woodland is known as one of the best and fullest equipped Negro schools in Kansas City. The building consist[sic] of twenty class rooms, six special rooms, two offices, a fully equipped gymnasium, an auditorium seating 600, manual training, branch library, a corrective gymnasium and a cafeteria in which many children, who cannot afford to buy lunches, are served free of charge." The article also states that Attucks School boasted an enrollment of 1,086 students during the Fall '27-Spring '28 school year. At one point, the school also played host to the Attucks News, "edited and published monthly by the fifth and sixth grade pupils of Room 16."Like many aging school buildings, the Attucks School saw declining funds for maintenance especially after the school moved from this building to 2400 Prospect. That school was later closed by a school board redistricting plan in early 2016. The building sat empty under the care of the city for a while, before being sold to the Zhou brothers in 2018. The brothers, Chinese artists ShanZuo and DaHuang Zhou, first connected with community arts figure Alvin Gray at a Chicago art conference in 2017. Upon visiting Kansas City, the two brothers expressed interest in opening an arts center in the Attucks School building. Ground was broken for construction on October 4th, 2022. This art center opened in 2024 and is the third opened by the Zhou brothers, following the initial center in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, which opened in 2004, and another center in Beijing, China, which opened in 2015.

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 was completed in 2024 and converted the space into art studios, galleries, and event spaces that have brought new life to a century-old fixture of the area.

Zhou B Art Center; Attucks School

The area that would become Parade Park Homes has a long history as a center of the Black community in Kansas City. Before the 1950s, the area was a neighborhood called Attucks, and was home to approximately six hundred families. When the area was demolished, most of the houses of Attucks lacked amenities such as running water or electricity. After the destruction of the existing areas, the area sat empty for the better part of the decade while developers and other invested parties decided what to do with the newly opened land. Initial plans were centered around various forms of industrial development, before planning shifted to provide a new neighborhood for those that had been displaced by the destruction of Attucks. Ground was broken for the construction of townhomes on the 11th of August, 1962. According to a KCUR article, " unlike many redevelopment projects of that time, [Parade Park] created something that actually benefited low-income people of color."The unique element of Parade Park was that, to secure some degree of funding from the federal government, the neighborhood was built as a housing cooperative. This allowed the residents of Parade Park more control over the upkeep and management of their neighborhood, as well as setting the carrying charges (the cooperative equivalent of rent). According to KCUR, the carrying charges in the decade after Parade Park opened were approximately $66, which was very affordable to families in the area at the time. Many of the current residents moved in during the 1960s and 70s, raised their families, and have continued to reside in the area into their retirement. Several older residents are cited by KCUR as praising the safety and privacy of the area, making it a good place to raise children.Unfortunately, there has been a downturn in the fortunes of Parade Park, as recent investigations by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have found that many of the structures suffer from leaks, mold, fire damage, and other maladies born from decades of neglect. Some of this neglect originates from time, but a substantial amount of the issues stem from a history of infighting and disagreement amongst board members, including disputes over how money should be spent and apparent inaction by various committees . Recently, the City has floated several plans to redevelop the area, though there is ongoing concern about the impact these plans would have on the people currently living in Parade Park, many of whom are low-income, elderly, or both. Thus, Parade Park finds itself in an interesting position, poised to perhaps repeat the cycle that gave birth to it in the 1960s.

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.

Parade Park Homes

According to a history of the site provide on an application for the National Register of Historic Places, the genesis of the Parade Park Maintenance Building came in 1892, when advocacy by William Rockhill Nelson resulted in the establishment of the Board of Parks and Boulevard Commissioners. Landscape architect George Kessler was hired to develop a plan for "a series of recreational parks linked by vehicular boulevards." As part of this plan, Kessler included a plan for a large flat area that could be used for both civic purposes and as a military drilling and marching ground, citing such an area as an "obvious need" for the rapidly-growing city. The Parks Board selected an area known as the Gates &amp; Kendall Tract for this purpose, as the land was centrally located in the city, surrounded by middle- and working-class homes, and already in use for public events that required a large space.As the tract was developed, a portion of the western side was developed into a section of the Paseo. As the park was developed, maintenance facilities developed along with it. By 1909, several smaller buildings housed the storage facilities, stables, and other maintenance areas that the park needed to function. In 1912, however, city officials concluded that a more permanent and consolidated structure was necessary to keep up with the demands of park maintenance. Designed by architect Arthur L. Sparks, the new building would be situated in the southeast corner of Parade Park, and constructed of local limestone quarried nearby. The building housed a great deal of Parks Department equipment, 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 motor 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. The building continued to serve the Parks and Boulevard System through the 1960s, becoming a district headquarters to oversee one of the older segments of Kansas City parkland. The building was first earmarked for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, as it was "representative of the limestone park buildings in Kansas City." According to the registration information from the National Register of Historic Places, the Parade Park Maintenance Building is constructed in a Mission Revival style, which rose to prominence during the 1893 World's Columbia Exhibition in Chicago. The documents state that Kessler selected this design to keep the building harmonious with the surrounding parkland.In recent years, the usage of the Parade Part Maintenance Building has shifted. At some unknown point within the last thirty to forty years, the Parks Department moved out of the building, letting it remain empty for several years. In 2012, the Black Archives of Mid-America took over the space, opening a permanent museum exhibit, gift shop, archival space, and other flexible venues in a retouched building. Even as the area has shifted around it, the Parade Park Maintenance Building has continued to serve as an anchor point of the surrounding parklands.

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.

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

Eblon Theater

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources