In The Loop: March 27, 2022
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On this date in 1869, the Kansas City & Westport Railroad Company received approval by the city council to begin streetcar service in our city. The routes began the next year with two mule-drawn cars. Animal-powered streetcars would exist in Kansas City until 1897.
These early cars could accommodate between a dozen and 16 seated passengers (not including those standing inside or outside the car), which could be a burden to the animals, according to a 1968 issue of The Missouri Historical Review:
“Sometimes the load was so heavy that passengers had to get out and walk beside the animals as they stumbled up steep hills.”
Another peculiarity of the early cars, according to The Review, was how Kansas Citians dealt with the cold Missouri winters inside the partially enclosed (but not heated) vehicles:
“During the winter months early streetcar interiors were covered with a generous amount of hay reaching halfway to the passengers' knees to keep the feet and legs warm. The hay clung to men's trousers and women's long skirts but it solved temporarily the heating problem.”
The first electric streetcars were introduced in Kansas City around 1886 or 1887, but that early system—with its open-air cars—went bankrupt when the bitterly cold winter arrived.
The first successful electric line in Kansas City began in September 1889, traveling from the Stockyards, crossing the Kaw River, and stopping at Armourdale in Kansas.
Tomorrow marks the date in 1853 when the chartered “Town of Kansas” was incorporated as the “City of Kansas.” The city’s name would not officially become “Kansas City” until 1889 (although people in the area called it “Kansas City” long before that).
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) has proposed a 26-story, mixed-use tower in the heart of Downtown. The CEO of a real estate company that controls several parking lots and a few buildings Downtown says that the KCATA-owned land should not be developed as such. He says—contrary to what Downtown residents seem to be saying on social media—that Downtowners want the KCATA space to be a park. Kevin Collison of CitySceneKC has both sides of the story:
Free weekend parking at the River Market will soon be a thing of the past. Implementation of a new fee structure begins in the next few weeks, but by May 1, all weekend lots will cost $10. Weekday rates will continue to be $1 per hour. As someone who has lived in the River Market and seen the gridlock on weekends, I’m all for this. As Josh Boehm of the Downtown Neighborhood Association says in this article: “You see a lot of people who are circling around looking for those free parking spaces, and they can’t find any available ones, and that contributes to a lot more traffic congestion than there needs to be.” (I’ve proposed making most of the River Market pedestrian-only on weekends, with exceptions for disabled, quick pick-ups and deliveries, and—of course—resident access.) FOX4 News has more:
City problems….
KC Streetcar will be holding an open house this Wednesday, March 30, from 5 to 7 pm, at Drexel Hall, 3301 Baltimore. Stop by to view current renderings of the extension between Union Station and UMKC, learn about upcoming construction activities and schedule, and talk to project team members to get your questions answered. No formal presentation will be given.
And, looking ahead: The NFL Draft is coming to Downtown Kansas City in 2023! Actually, that much has been known for a while, but earlier this week the NFL and the Chiefs announced the specific dates and locations for the event. Joshua Brisco of Arrowhead Report on SI.com has more:
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
Give a friendly Downtown-Kansas City welcome to….
Visitors to the Kansas City Bridal & Wedding Expo, finishing up today at Bartle Hall
Attendees of GEAPS Exchange 2022, continuing through Tuesday at Bartle Hall
Fans of comedian Jim Gaffigan attending his performance this Friday night at T-Mobile Center
Concertgoers attending the Kansas City R&B Music Festival this Saturday at Municipal Auditorium
Also:
Hippo Campus and Ginger Root, March 29 at the Midland
Kansas City Broadway Series presents “Jesus Christ Superstar,” March 29 - April 3 at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Subtronics, Boogie T b2b Dirt Monkey, Rusko, Level Up, G-Space, SYZY, March 31 at the Midland
Kansas City Symphony Chorus Concert, March 31 at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Steve Aoki at KC Live!, April 1 in the P&L District
“An Evening with the ’Rents,” April 1 at The Folly
Kansas City Symphony presents Pétrouchka, plus Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, April 1-3 at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Brockhampton, April 2 at the Midland
StarQuest International Regional Competition, April 1-3 at the Music Hall
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Until next week—enjoy the city!
