In The Loop: Nov 28, 2021
Your weekly email from The KC Downtown Loop
This Tuesday marks the day in 1913 when Harzfeld’s department store formally opened to the public on the southeast corner of 11th and Main Streets. The 11-story retail operation served as one of the anchors to Petticoat Lane fashion and retail district. Harzfeld’s roots began in Kansas City in 1891 as the Parisian Cloak Company, located across the street at 1108-1110 Main. The Parisian store brought a new concept to our city that today seems hard to imagine: For the first time in our fair town, a local store offered ready-made clothing sold off the rack for women. Prior to Parisian/Harzfeld’s, women either made their own clothing or—if they were fortunate enough—would hire seamstresses to spends days or weeks fitting and sewing all kinds of apparel each season for the ladies and children of the house.
The store’s popularity was so great that Harzfeld’s used nine of the 11 floors of their new high-rise for retail sales or services (see the store directory). The other two stories were used for executive offices and the employee lunchroom. Harzfeld’s would later expand to other cities in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, with the headquarters remaining in Downtown Kansas City.
In 1947, Thomas Hart Benton painted a mural for the store entitled Achelous and Hercules, a Midwestern interpretation of agricultural abundance based on Greco-Roman mythology. When Harzfeld’s closed for good in 1984, the mural was donated to the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.
Of all the major stores associated with the famous Petticoat Lane—Emery Bird Thayer, Kline’s, Macy’s, The Jones Store, etc.—only the Harzfeld’s building remains standing today. It is incorporated as part of the Town Pavilion complex, facing the modern-day streetcar line on Main.
Pete Dulin wrote for KCUR about public art in Kansas City, with many notable creations located Downtown:
The Arabia Steamboat Museum has launched a YouTube Channel. Still in the early stages, it’s worth a look, a like, and a subscribe, because I know there will be amazing things to come:
In cased you missed it, I made a short list of old-fashioned holiday events and venues in the Downtown area here:
Artful City: One weekly selection from a Downtown artist, gallery, or museum
Quick Clip: The city in motion—just a few seconds at a time in GIF form
Okay, so I’m a little infatuated with Midtown Cone Guy. CAN YOU BLAME ME?
Downtown Lens: A single image depicting life around the Loop
Give a friendly Downtown-Kansas City welcome to….
The spectators and bidders for amazing collector cars, motorcycles, road art, and more at the Mecum High Performance December Auctions, this Thursday through Saturday, Dec 2-4 at Bartle Hall.
Participants and spectators of the American Royal Arabian and Open Breed Horse Show at Hale Arena, next weekend, Dec 4 and 5.
COMING SOON….
Scott and Amanda Jolley invited me into their Longfellow home-studio-shop-office. Look for the story and photos soon at The Loop.
Thanks for reading!
I often post more stories or media at kcdowntownloop.com during the week without sending an email (I don’t want to overwhelm your in box). Follow The Loop on social media (found at the bottom of this link 👉 here) to see when new content goes up.
Until next week!
