In The Loop: July 10, 2022
Your connection to Downtown Kansas City
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On today’s date in 1934, "political leader" and ally of the Pendergast Machine, Johnny Lazia, was shot and killed in the driveway outside his apartment near Armour Boulevard and Gillham. Attackers with machine guns and a sawed-off shotgun were waiting for Lazia when he and his wife Marie, along with Lazia’s driver and bodyguard Charles Carrollo, returned to the Park Central Hotel apartments around 3 a.m. on that Tuesday night. As Lazia stepped out of the back seat of the car, the gunmen opened fire.
Lazia, who wielded considerable influence over the Kansas City Police Department, to the extent that he purportedly maintained an office at police headquarters Downtown (in addition to his North Side Democratic Club office at Fifth and Grand), was reportedly shot eight times. He succumbed to a loss of blood later that afternoon. He was the sole casualty, as Carrollo followed Lazia’s instructions to drive Marie to safety. (While many accounts of the evening suggest that Carrollo’s wife was also present with the Lazias, a grandchild of the Carrollos refutes this claim, stating that her grandmother was not there.)
The murder was never solved, although some speculate that Lazia’s alleged involvement in the Union Station Massacre, which brought national scrutiny to the Pendergast political machine in Kansas City, may have been cause for Boss Tom to want to "eliminate" the source of that problem. Another theory (perhaps better characterized as a rumor) was that Lazia, a figure in bootlegging alcohol, had a recent dispute with local beer tavern operators and was targeted after that conflict. Some believed that out-of-town gangsters wanting a piece of Kansas City’s market could have been the culprits. There were other theories as well. It’s also worth noting that Carrollo took control of Lazia’s crime syndicate following the hit, so perhaps there was a motive there as well.
In any case, thousands of mourners lined the funeral procession and attended Lazia’s services at Holy Rosary Church in Columbus Park. The July 13, 1934, Kansas City Star suggested that, in total, as many as 20,000 people may have viewed the body at Lazia’s sister’s home, along the funeral procession, at the church, and at the burial. It was considered by many to have been the largest funeral in Kansas City history at the time.
This week in 1951 marked the climax of the Great Flood of that year in the Kansas City area. The flood breached over 40-foot levee walls, inundating the Argentine and Armourdale districts in Kansas City, Kan., and the West Bottoms district on the Missouri side (then known as the Central Industrial District). The flooding on Southwest Boulevard caused tanks of flammable liquids to dislodge, float, and explode.
Nearly every one of the 400-plus businesses in the West Bottoms suffered extensive damage. Witnesses observed livestock—dead or alive—floating throughout the district or stranded on structures that remained above the waterline. The Kansas City Stockyards, second in size only to those of Chicago at the time, never fully recovered; their significance dwindled over the following decades, leading to closure in 1991.
Despite more than 5,000 head of livestock perishing at the Stockyards, only five people in the Kansas City area lost their lives in the flood. However, thousands of residents, particularly on the Kansas side, lost their homes and jobs as the floodwaters swept them away.
Today, an improved levee system has been constructed and continues to be enhanced, fostering safety and development in the West Bottoms and beyond.
See the “Archive” section below for photographs of the Great Flood of 1951.
The Kansas City Fringe Festival, showcasing the work of local, national, and international artists who work in theater, dance, film, music and visual arts, begins this Friday. The two-week-long festival’s 277 performances at 13 venues are non-juried and non-censored.
Downtown venues this year include:
Bird Comedy Theater, 103 W. 19th
The Black Box, 1060 Union Avenue
The Black Box Outdoor Stage, 1060 Union Avenue
Bolender, 500 W. Pershing Road
City Stage, 30 W. Pershing Road
Stray Cat Film Center, 1662 Broadway
Union Station Grand Hall, 30 W. Pershing Road
Upside Bungee, 1101 Mulberry
Non-Downtown (but nearby) venues include:
The BOT (BlackBox On Troost), 4001 Troost
Center for Spiritual Living, 1014 W 39th
Sparkle Room, 817 Westport Road
Unicorn Theatre, Jerome Stage, 3828 Main
Westport Bowery, 817 Westport Road
Westport Coffee House, 4010 Pennsylvania
To look up a show, check out this link:
Link: KC Fringe Fest: “Find a Show”
General information about the 2022 KC Fringe Festival, including how to get tickets to shows and attend parties, can be found here:
Link: KC Fringe Fest: General Information
Big thanks to KC Parks for returning our green spaces to places that we can all enjoy following the Fourth of July weekend.
Sharing a cool skyscraper concept posted on KCRag.com, an online forum for urban development nerds like me (and maybe like you?):
From an essay at Sothebys.com, written by Dr. Henry Adams, regarding Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton’s attempt to get more relief for victims of the Great Flood of 1951:
“Thomas Hart Benton's painting Flood Disaster, also known asHomecoming—Kaw Valley, was painted in response to [the Great Flood of 1951], in a conscious effort to enlist popular and Congressional support for a flood relief program.”
The artist produced 531 hand-signed lithograph copies of the painting to distribute to every member of Congress, aiming to illustrate the disaster and underscore the necessity for a significant expansion of the flood relief program.
Despite Benton’s renown, numerous copies found their way into Congressional wastebaskets, and the envisioned expanded relief package did not materialize. Missouri Representative Richard Bolling salvaged a number of the discarded prints and auctioned them off to aid victims of the Kansas City flood. For the complete story, visit this Sotheby’s link:
Link: Thomas Hart Benton Flood Disaster (Homecoming - Kaw Valley)
The Who at Freedom Palace
It was a sweltering July night in 1970 when The Who took the stage at the former Pla-Mor facility, which had been rebranded as the Freedom Palace. Alongside the inadequate air conditioning, the performance was marred by multiple power outages. Reportedly, an extension cord was eventually stretched across the street to a building with more reliable power.
Among other details, I found it noteworthy that the historic buildings at 31st and Main, under threat of demolition currently, could be glimpsed in the distant right of a photo from that night (best viewed on a larger screen).
1951
Artful City: One weekly selection with a Downtown connection
Quick Clip: The city in motion—just a few seconds at a time
Downtown Lens: A single image depicting the urban aesthetic
Answering the question “Who are all these people and where are they going?”, The Loop brings you a list of some of the biggest events happening Downtown each week. Please give a friendly Downtown-Kansas City welcome to audiences and attendees of….
TODAY
Dino and Dragon Stroll at Bartle Hall
THURSDAY the 14th
Big Gigantic at the Midland
Granger Smith, featuring Earl Dibbles Jr., at KC Live! Block
FRIDAY the 15th
Nelly at KC Live! Block
SATURDAY the 16th
The Champagne at KC Live! Block
For a more exhaustive list of everything happening Downtown, go to the VisitKC events page and use the “regions” function to search for Downtown, Westside/Southwest Blvd, West Bottoms, River Market, Power & Light, Crown Center, Crossroads, 18th & Vine—or anywhere you want to go in the KC Metro
Until next week—enjoy the city!
Got a tip or question about Downtown KC?
Write to: tips@kcdowntownloop.com or contact The Loop via social media
Kevin Worley, Co-Publisher/Editorial
Joe Nichols, Co-Publisher/Business
Hannah Schuh, Intern
107 W. Ninth Street, Suite 210
Kansas City, MO 64105
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