In The Loop: November 2023

Your connection to Downtown Kansas City

Oct 29, 2023

Thanks to Founding Subscriber Bob Hiatt, who has always been a generous supporter of The Loop, I had the chance on Friday to tour the Pennway Point entertainment district with a special emphasis on the Lumi Neon Museum. (Coincidentally, the Star published a story about the museum on the same day that we toured the emerging project.)

After learning more about Pennway Point, I’m more excited than before about what this entertainment district will offer. Not only will it feature some of the best food and drink from local establishments, but it has a real historical feel as a result of incorporating several existing buildings in the plans.

Brick, iron, wood, and cement combine to give the area a pleasing visual texture along with a strong sense of place. It’s the antithesis of so many boxy, boring developments we’ve seen built in the city and the suburbs over the past decade or two.

Despite the dreary, muddy day, Lumi Neon Museum president Nick Vedros provided a great tour (and some cool ball caps). Here are some photos I took:

From left to right: The tour begins near the Funkhouser building (I don't think it's any relation to the former mayor, who grew up in West Virginia); the "Downtown Kansas City" signage was reclaimed from the Downtown Airport, and the neon will shine blue against the cream-colored casings.

From left to right: Blueprints rest on a desk inside the Funkhouser building; the Funkhouser building was built in the early 20th century; Lumi Neon president Nick Vedros (right) explains the project in the upper level of the "Funk House."

From left to right: Salvaged materials are kept on hand for use within the project; the wheel ride looms over the Pennway Point project; Nick Vedros stands in front of the alleyway that will be the primary exhibition space for the Lumi Neon Museum.

From left to right: The area under the West Pennway Viaduct will be a "tailgate park" to host concerts and outdoor games, and the orange trailer will be incorporated into the project; the Carter-Waters sign at its new home; tour-goers climb the terraced steps on the south side of the tailgate area.

The bricks scored in the tailgate area will be used to line the alleyway of the Lumi Neon Museum; three of the buildings that will be incorporated into the project; the wheel will provide great views and photo opps.

And now, on to the The Loop….

No prizes or praises (for now), just a trivia question to test your Downtown knowledge….

Q. As a child, this future television personality peddled the Kansas City Star along the streetcar lines and later recalled relaxing on the hill across from Union Station, watching the train activity set against the backdrop of Downtown KC. Despite living in New York City for many years, he maintained ties to Kansas City through his cousin Kay Waldo Barnes. Who was he?

A. See the answer near the bottom of this issue.

Nov 4, 1923 • Swoop Down on Booze

Three years into Prohibition — and a couple years or so before Tom Pendergast allowed liquor to flow in our town — Kansas City tried to get serious about cracking down on “soft drink” establishments that sold alcohol by threatening the jobs of police officers who didn’t clean up their beats. An article in the Nov. 4, 1923, Kansas City Star told the story of that threat and a large, subsequent raid.

“Some of the patrolmen seemed to believe we meant the warning as a joke,” the police commissioner had warned some time after prohibition began in 1920. “Such was far from being the case. Kansas City must be cleaned up or we will begin got ‘clean up’ the personnel of the department. The warning applies not only to liquor selling places, but to gambling resorts.”

So serious was the intent to stop all sales of alcohol that Kansas City collaborated with local prohibition agents, state prohibition agents, and five agents from St. Louis.

Fifty people were arrested from 25 different venues, most Downtown or in adjacent neighborhoods. The cash bonds from those arrested totaled $50,000 — a sum so large that police took extra precautions for its safekeeping.

“Much of it was moved to the property room and the bell buzzers behind the desk, used to warn the detective department a robbery was being committed, were tested,” the Star story explained.

Four places that were raided had no beer seized. Law enforcement took samples to be tested at a later date, however and, if it were found to have .05% alcohol or more, charges would be filed against the venues’ proprietors.

**Kansas City police officers confiscate a still, c. 1930.** Photo: Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Mo.

Nov 11, 1925 • Washington statue

Nearly 15,000 people gathered Downtown for the unveiling of Kansas City’s version of Henry Merwin Shrady’s George Washington statue on Armistice Day, 1925. The original statue, depicting Gen. Washington at Valley Forge, was erected at Williamsburg Bridge Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y., a few years earlier. More than 100,000 Kansas Citians contributed the funds to have a replica made and installed at what is now called Washington Square Park.

**1930 image of Henry Merwin Shrady’s George Washington statue in Washington Square Park.** Photo: Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Mo.

Bringing you some of the most interesting properties for sale or lease in and around Downtown Kansas City….

Longfellow stone beauty

2901 Campbell Street

Property presented by: Elizabeth Sady
Brokered by: Keller Williams Key Partners
Price: $660,000
See the property online here

Homes and buildings featured in The Loop are not necessarily recommendations or endorsements, but rather illustrations of interesting properties for sale or lease in the vicinity of Downtown. Properties may or may not remain available at time of publishing.

1907

**Sadie Goll.** **The Pumpkin Man**. 2023. Textiles; weaving, quilting. 13 x 27.5 inches. On display at The Leedy Underground Gallery II as part of Goll’s “The Bastards of Weaving” exhibition, Oct. 6 to Dec. 23 at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center.

The Lemp Brewery depot and stable, 215 E. 20th Street, built in 1895 by the William J. Lemp Brewing Company of St. Louis. Beer would be retrieved from trains originating from St. Louis, then distributed throughout the city from this depot. You could even buy buckets full of beer directly at the depot. The building today houses the McKay and Byerley Law Offices. Photo: Bob Travaglione

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….

OCTOBER

TODAY

Kirk Franklin at T-Mobile Center
What the Constitution Means to Me, now through Nov. 12 at Copaken Stage of the KC Rep
Last day, Kansas City Symphony presents Explore Your Imagination at Kauffman Center

NOVEMBER

1st - 5th

First Friday Weekend, Nov. 2-5 in the Tower East KC neighborhood
First Friday, Nov. 3 in the Crossroads Arts District
UMKC Conservatory presents Crescendo 2023, Nov. 3 at Kaufman Center
First Friday Weekend, Nov. 3-5 in the West Bottoms district
Lyric Opera of Kansas City presents The Sound of Music, Nov. 4-12 at Kauffman Center

6th - 12th

American Royal UPHA National Championship Horse Show, Nov. 6-11 at Hale Arena at the American Royal Center
An Evening with the Late John Cleese, Nov. 9 at Kauffman Center
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Nov. 10-12 at T-Mobile Center

13th - 19th

The Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City present Sir András Schiff, Master Pianist, Nov. 14 at Kauffman Center
Harriman-Jewell Series presents Mark Morris Dance Group Performing the Look of Love, Nov. 17 at Kauffman Center
Kansas City Symphony presents Music Illuminates the Soul, Nov. 17-19 at Kauffman Center
Fellowship for Performing Arts presents The Screwtape Letters, Nov. 18 at Kauffman Center
Gladys Knight, Nov. 19 at Kauffman Center

20th - 26th

2023 Hall of Fame Classic (Creighton, Boston College, Loyola Chicago and Colorado State), Nov. 22-23 at T-Mobile Center
Mariah Carey, Nov. 24 at T-Mobile Center
Kansas City Symphony presents Through the Lens, , Nov. 24-26 at Kauffman Center
Pentatonix, Nov. 26 at T-Mobile Center

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

For live Kansas City Jazz performances, visit LiveJazzKC.com

Q. As a child, this future television personality peddled the Kansas City Star along the streetcar lines and later recalled relaxing on the hill across from Union Station, watching the train activity set against the backdrop of Downtown KC. Despite living in New York City for many years, he maintained ties to Kansas City through his cousin Kay Waldo Barnes. Who was he?

A. CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Mo. He and his wife Betsy (Maxwell), whom he met while working at KCMO Radio, are interred at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Kansas City, Mo.