In The Loop: August 28, 2022
Your connection to Downtown Kansas City
All things Downtown!—except when they’re not
As I do research for The KC Downtown Loop, I often stumble across stories and tidbits that are not technically about Downtown, but that I think you readers may appreciate. Here’s one from today’s date in 1875: A brief mention in that day’s Kansas City Times of a published report in the Moberly (Mo.) Enterprise Monitor of August 25, 1875….
Indeed, Annie Ralston married Frank James, brother of Jesse, and lived until 1944, when she died at the age of 91. She was from a prominent family in Independence, and her childhood home still stands today, although it has basically been gutted and modernized to the point of being nearly unrecognizable as a historic home.
If I really spent some time, I bet I could connect Annie to Downtown Kansas City somehow. (Frank and Jesse James certainly had ties to Downtown, which I’ll share in future issues.)
But for now, onto The Loop….
Bird’s birthday
Tomorrow marks the birth date in 1920 of Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, born in Kansas City, Kan., and raised in Kansas City, Mo. He performed for the first time professionally at age 14, playing sax with a band that took a cut of proceeds from the door on the top floor of Lincoln Hall in the 18th & Vine District. That day, the band played for mostly Lincoln High School students—of which Parker was one until he dropped out at age 16.
As his career progressed, Parker helped bring bebop jazz to the forefront. Bebop was upbeat, but not as formulaic as traditional melodies, and served as a precursor to modern jazz. As the MasterClass dedicated to learning about Charlie Parker’s life and influence on jazz music explains, “Parker was a virtuoso musician who was known for his speed of playing, and his introduction of new melodic techniques into his music.” (The Charlie Parker MasterClass, instructed by Herbie Hancock, also includes Hancock’s selections for “Charlie Parker’s Top Albums,” in case you’re interested.)
The story of Parker’s tragic life and death was retold in the March 6, 2022, issue of The Loop, but the respect for his innovation and the joy of his music lives on.
April 18, 1948, advertisement for a show featuring Charlie Parker with Sarah Vaughan at the Music Hall inside Municipal Auditorium. Kansas City Star
Remembering Len Dawson at Union Station
Visitors to Union Station are invited to leave a message or sign their name in the book placed alongside this special tribute to legendary Hall of Fame Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson. Hours are 6:30 am to 11 pm, and today is the last day to participate. The book, filled with community messages and memories, will be presented to Len Dawson's family.
Chalk and Walk Festival at City Market next weekend
Color the City Market beautiful with the Kansas City Chalk & Walk Festival, a weekend of artwork created by master chalk artists, Sept. 2-4. Observe chalk renderings completed by 50 to 60 art teams comprised of professional, student, and amateur artists who will create lively and powerful chalk “paintings” on City Market walkways.
LINK: Kansas City Chalk and Walk Festival
Buck O’Neil Bridge construction photos
I spotted a collection of cool images by JamesSawThis of the new bridge construction (and associated demolition), and wanted to share with you, Loop readers.
Also, check in on a live image feed and read the latest about the bridge construction from the Missouri Department of Transportation via the second link.
LINK: Buck O’Neil Bridge Construction by JamesSawThis
LINK: MoDOT: Buck O’NeilBridge Design-Build Project
Photo © JamesSawThis. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Spiffin’ things up in Columbus Park….
The business setting up its new headquarters in this Twitter post from KC Streetcar executive director Tom Gerend is FireBoard Labs, maker of cloud-connected smart thermometers for cooking and barbecuing. For more on the HQ progress, check out FireBoard’s blog post about the project.
Maybe the best use of this meme on Twitter….
😂😂😂
c. 1925
The Commonwealth Hotel (a.k.a “Hotel Commonwealth”), which once stood at 1216 Broadway Boulevard, is shown here under construction. The hotel was designed by famed architect Nelle Peters. In the 1950s, the hotel would be known as the “Hotel Kansas Citian.” In the early 1970s the building would close its doors, in part due to unpaid water bills and unpaid city taxes related to an out-of-town, nationwide hotel fraud ring exposed by the FBI. Sold at auction in 1973, the hotel was demolished in April 1977 and the space now serves as a parking lot across the street from Bartle Hall. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Mo.
Artful City: One weekly selection with a Downtown connection
Charlie Mylie, Comedy of Desire (Basin of Personal Delights), 2016. Outdoor vinyl image from original 22” x 22” watercolor. Installed in a parking lot on 19th Street between Baltimore and Wyandotte in the Crossroads.
Quick Clip: The city in motion—just a few seconds at a time
Hard to tell from the street below, but a safe bet might be that these are vultures/buzzards riding thermals around One Kansas City Place—Missouri's tallest skyscraper. The Loop
Downtown Lens: A single image depicting the urban aesthetic
The figure sitting on the horizontal bar at 11th and Broadway is one of three figures included in sculptor Tom Corbin’s “Without Limits” artwork, commissioned as a tribute to retired DST Systems Inc. CEO Tom McDonnell. (DST Systems headquarters is at 333 W. 11th Street.) The Loop
Who are all these people?
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
Last day of Fetch dvm360 Conference (veterinary continuing education) at Bartle Hall
Last day of Cabaret at the Music Theater Heritage
WEDNESDAY the 31st
The Kid LAROI at the Midland
THURSDAY the 1st
Three Days Grace at KC Live!
FRIDAY the 2nd
“Weird Al” Yankovic with special guest Emo Phillips at Kauffman Center
LOCASH at KC Live!
SATURDAY the 3rd
Roger Waters at T-Mobile Center
Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert Live Stream and Watch Party at KC Live!
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
107 W. Ninth Street, Suite 210
Kansas City, MO 64105
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