In The Loop: Feb 6, 2022
February marks the month when several restaurants and businesses opened 14 years ago in the brand-new Power & Light District. The opening of McFadden’s on Grand Boulevard in fall 2007 kicked off the unveiling of Cordish project, but momentum started building in 2008 when The Bristol Seafood Grill, Chipotle, and a handful of other venues opened to customers beginning in late February.
Tuesday is the birth date in 1889 of William Ewing Kemp, mayor of Kansas City from 1946 to 1955—the longest-serving mayor in KC history. Kemp was born in La Monte, Mo., and graduated from Normal School No. 2 in Warrensburg (now the University of Central Missouri) before earning his law degree from George Washington University in D.C. in 1917. He also served in World War I. Before becoming mayor, he was appointed as city counselor for KCMO, prosecuting several municipal employees who had ties to the then-collapsing Pendergast political machine.
The Kansas City Historic Preservation Commission has published Kansas City: A Place in Time, Second Edition, “an extensive amalgam of the architecture and history of Kansas City, Missouri. It is intended not merely to describe isolated structures of historic importance in Kansas City, but also to chronicle the flow of time and people by what they left behind.” Among the six regions covered in the book are three in the urban center: Downtown-Westside-Northeast, Crossroads-Midtown-Westport, and East Side-Swope. Also included are the Northland, Country Club-Brookside-Waldo, and Martin City-Hickman Mills-Little Blue Valley. More info about the $25 publication can be found here:
More good news for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum:
The storehouse of baseball and social-justice history has been added to a list of important American civil-rights tourist spots, as reported by KCUR:
And, good news for us fans, too: Royals Charities is treating everyone to FREE admission to the NLBM during February Black History Month! MLB.com has details:
Another snowfall on Tuesday and Wednesday (after nearly reaching 60 degrees on Monday) brought us more beautiful Downtown images on Instagram:
Artful City: One weekly selection with a Downtown connection
Quick Clip: The city in motion—just a few seconds at a time
Hundreds of synchronized drones form Chiefs logos and other celebratory graphics in the sky over Union Station the night before the AFC Championship at Arrowhead last Sunday. (I say we give them another chance next year, but if results are the same—no more drones.)
Downtown Lens: A single image depicting the urban aesthetic
Give a friendly Downtown-Kansas City welcome to….
Visitors to the last day of KC Remodel + Garden Show today at Hale Arena at the American Royal Center
Spectators at Dancing with the Stars – Live Tour 2022 at Arvest Bank Theater at The Midland this Tuesday the 8th
Fans of the Harlem Globetrotters at the T-Mobile Center this Saturday the 12th
Attendees of the National Association for Campus Activities LIVE 2022 convention Feb 12-16 at Bartle Hall
Got a tip about Downtown KC?
Know a favorite artwork by a Downtown artist, or a piece located in a Downtown art gallery or art museum? Let me know, and I might feature it in “Artful City.”
Take a recent snapshot of Downtown that you’d like to share? Send it my way for consideration in “Downtown Lens.”
Live in a cool Downtown home, or know someone who does? Drop me a line to be considered for “Downtown Digs.”
Have an upcoming Downtown event? Let me know. Send details and links.
Know the scoop or have a question about what’s happening in your Downtown district, neighborhood, or street?Please share by sending me an email.
Write to: tips@kcdowntownloop.com or contact me via social media
Thanks for reading!
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Until next week—enjoy the city!
