In The Loop: June 5, 2022
The weekly email from your online publication for all things Downtown
Holy cow, things are getting busy at The Loop! We’re assembling a team of freelancers and collaborators to help produce the best stories about Downtown KC’s history, its present, and its future. As always, your support is appreciated—thanks for reading and subscribing!
Although commonly listed as being born on some unknown date in 1842, the notorious brothel proprietress Annie Chambers was, according to several historians, born as Leannah Loveall on tomorrow’s date in 1843. The story of the Downtown KC madam from Kentucky is one that can’t be told in this limited space, so we will publish a longer story in the future. We can tell you that her younger years were marked by tragedy and sorrow, and her elegant brothel on the southwest corner of 3rd and Wyandotte was known well beyond Kansas City. She died in 1935 at age 91, leaving the former bordello building and many other belongings to City Union Mission.
This Tuesday is the 138th anniversary of what is considered the first professional baseball game played in Kansas City. The Kansas City “Unions” franchise (sometimes referred to as the Cowboys, although officially the 1884 team had no nickname and were mostly called the “Unions,” “Kaycees,” or “Kansas Citys” in the press) was admitted to the Union Association only three days earlier, and by all accounts, the Kaycees played like a team that had been assembled in only three days. The Chicago Unions beat KC that day, foretelling the hometown team’s last-place season that ended with a 16-63 record—and a whopping 61 games behind the first-place St. Louis Maroons.
The latter half of the Unions’ home season was played at Athletic Park, near Southwest Boulevard and Summit Street, and the crowds were described as boisterous and supportive. Despite KC’s poor record, only Kansas City and St. Louis turned a profit out of 12 teams in the league during that 1884 season.
Tuesday also marks the date in 1973 when President Richard Nixon nominated Kansas City’s chief of police, Clarence M. Kelley, to be director of the FBI. It was the first time the FBI director was selected through a presidential nomination and Senate confirmation process. Kelly followed J. Edgar Hoover in the role (not including two temporary acting directors between the two), and was credited with re-establishing good working relationships with other intelligence agencies that had been strained or nearly eliminated under Hoover’s administration. He also cleaned up some internal embezzlement issues.
After working under Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter, Kelley retired from the FBI in 1978. He founded Clarence M. Kelley and Associates, Inc., a security and investigation firm, in 1982. In the early 1990s, I worked as a doorman at the condominium building where Kelley and his second wife lived on the Country Club Plaza, and had the opportunity to have several conversations with the Northeast High School graduate. With a wink and a smile, he would often pretend to point a gun at me with his index finger when his driver dropped him off at the front entrance.
Kelley died at his home from natural causes in 1997. He was 85 years old.
The Kansas City Current NWSL team, scheduled to open its riverfront stadium Downtown in two years, released new renderings this week:
This particular photo, depicting fans’ views of both the skyline and the Missouri River, created a lot of buzz on social media:
Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, one of Missouri’s first African-American high schools, now has a museum-style alumni room. The school, with origins dating to 1865, was racially integrated in 1978. KCUR 89.3 FM tells more:
DoubleTap KC, the virtual reality playground in the River Market (next to Strange Days Brewing Co.) is celebrating its two-year anniversary next weekend with costume contests, DJs, live music, a 360 photo booth, drinks, games and more. Details here:
Two Downtown neighborhood meetings take place this week:
The Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting is Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. Details here:
LINK: DNA meeting at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral
The River Market Community Association meeting and mixer is Thursday, June 9, with the board meeting from 5 to 5:30 p.m., then the mixer 5:30 to 7. More here:
1947
The photo above was taken near 14th and Grand, looking west. The Kansas City Loose Leaf Co. at 1426 Grand was an office supply store that also sold—yes, loose leaf binders. Next door, C.J. Gardner and Associates was a seller of bakery equipment at 1428 Grand.
Artful City: One weekly selection with a Downtown connection
Quick Clip: The city in motion—just a few seconds at a time
Deviating from the GIF once again, because it’s critical to have sound for this clip of the Salvation Choir performing last weekend at The Ship in the West Bottoms. The choir, which bills itself as a Congolese Rumba band, hails from the Historic Northeast neighborhood, and featured as many as 19 band members when they appeared at The Ship on May 28. If you get a chance to see them (hint: they will be at Boulevardia in less than two weeks), it’s worth the price of admission.
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
The War on Drugs at GrindersKC
Kansas City Symphony presents Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony, World Premiere of Rogerson's Violin Concerto, last performance at Kauffman Center
TUESDAY the 7th
Jackson Browne “Evening With” Tour at the Music Hall
WEDNESDAY the 8th
Brit Floyd at the Midland
THURSDAY the 9th
Wallows at the Midland
Snarky Puppy at Kauffman Center
Kansas City Symphony presents The Music of the Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards 1969, continues through June 10th at Kauffman Center
Miller Lite Hot Country Nights at KC Live! Block in P&L
FRIDAY the 10th
Pat Woolam and The Jukebox Hero's at KC Live! Block in P&L
SATURDAY the 11th
Tech N9ne at the Midland
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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