In The Loop: November 6, 2022
Your connection to Downtown Kansas City
See the web version of this newsletter here
Hello, Loopers!
After publishing The Loop consistently every week for a year, I’m going to take a stay-cation. The email newsletters scheduled for Nov. 20 and Nov. 27 of this month will be replaced by “best of” content or similar posts that allow me to take some time off. We’ll be back at it with the Dec. 4 issue.
Also, a new, separate feature started Friday: “The Loop Wants to Know” asks you, the readers, to answer questions or share opinions on all kinds of things related to Downtown Kansas City. We’ll send you an email with “The Loop Wants to Know” question of the week, or you can go to the top of our website and click the “Quiz ‘n’ Poll” section to find it. I hope you’ll participate by sharing your thoughts each week either directly on the post, on the website, or on Twitter.
#TheLoopWantsToKnow
And now, on to the The Loop….
Remembering the Father of the Crossroads
Today marks the birthdate in 1930 of the late Jim Leedy, founder of the Leedy-Voulkous Art Center and a catalyst for development of the Crossroads Arts District.
Jim Leedy self-portrait, 1960.
.
Since Leedy started the gallery in 1985, the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center has existed as a creative and visual venue for regional, national and international artists.
Leedy was a champion for creative innovation and artistic opportunity while servicing the need to preserve and promote artistic legacy and heritage. If you wish to donate to the Leedy Foundation, you can click here.
P&L District’s first restaurant turns 15
On tomorrow’s date in 2007, McFadden’s Sports Saloon opened as the first restaurant in the Power & Light District, at 1330 Grand. It continues to occupy 6,900 square feet on the ground level of the Kansas City Live! block today, located just across the street from the T-Mobile Center. McFadden’s began in New York City in 1977.
Photo: McFadden’s Facebook page
Women's Bar Association of Kansas City founded
After being rejected by the all-male Kansas City Bar Association, attorney Mary Tiera Farrow helped found the Women's Bar Association of Kansas City — one of the first of its kind in the nation — on this Tuesday’s date in 1917.
Being one of the few women to hold law degrees in Kansas City at the time, she was the only woman in the city to own her own law practice. A little more than four months later, Farrow and the Women's Bar Association of Kansas City worked with a similar organization in St. Louis to found the Women's Bar Association of Missouri in March of 1918.
Mary Tiera Farrow, also known as Tiera Farrow, served as an ambulance driver for the National League of Women’s Services during World War I. Kansas City Museum / Union Station, Kansas City, Mo.
.
Farrow, the "Dean of Women Lawyers," would later become the first woman in the country to represent a woman on trial for murder, be the first woman to argue before the Kansas Supreme Court, earn a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology, practice criminology, return to her law practice, be among the first women to teach legal classes, become the first woman to serve as a judge for the Kansas City Municipal Court, and serve the community and nation as a volunteer and advocate. She retired in 1957 and died on Nov. 9, 1971.
1928 photo of the Kansas City School of Law (the building still exists at 913 Baltimore), from which Mary Tiera Farrow earned her law degree in 1903. The Kansas City School of Law would later become part of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Mo.
Macabre Market is Nov 12
The free Macabre Market at Black Rose Co. (1739 Oak in the Crossroads), will feature local autumn/spooky inspired vendors, creators, artists, and small businesses from around the metro area. You'll find unique items such as original artwork, fall decor, horror- and halloween-inspired arts and crafts, apparel, gifts, oddities, books, and more.
LINK: End of Fall Festival - Macabre Market
.
Black Rose Co.
Winter Magic now open in Historic Northeast
Winter Magic runs through Jan. 1 on Cliff Drive in Kessler Park. Tickets are $25 per carload (limited to 250 cars per hour) and are available online for advanced purchase. A portion of proceeds benefit KC Parks and capital improvements along Cliff Drive. More details here:
LINK: Winter Magic: Kansas City's Drive-through Christmas Party
.
Crown Center Ice Terrace kicks off 50th season
Kansas City's original outdoor skating rink opened Friday, celebrating a half century of seasonal fun on the ice. In addition to regular skating sessions, the ice terrace also offers skating lessons, skate sharpening services, group rates, and private parties. More here:
LINK: Official Crown Center Ice Terrace Website
.
The Loop
Food Hall to open in Lightwell building this month
Strang Chef Collective at Lightwell houses two chef-driven restaurants under one roof. Matthew Gwin of Startland News has the full story:
LINK: Chefs offer tastes of what’s to come at KC’s newest food hall
.
The Lightwell building, formerly City Center Square, home to the new Strang Chef Collective at Lightwell. Strang Chef Collective at Lightwell social media.
Downtown KC Office Summit set for Nov. 16
The annual Office Summit brings together business owners, office brokers, and developers to discuss office trends and opportunities in Downtown. Throughout history, downtowns have been the most adaptive and resilient districts in our cities. Now, they are transforming into spaces to live and socialize, not just work. They are becoming our “15-minute city,” where jobs, schools, parks, restaurants, and other necessities of daily life are just a short walk or transit ride from home. Join the discussion about the next phase of Kansas City’s mixed-use Downtown at this 6th annual event.
LINK: Downtown Council Office Summit information
LINK: Eventbrite tickets for 2022 Downtown KC Office Summit
.
1923
This 1923 promotional postcard from Browning, King & Company's men and boys clothing store at 11th and Grand was mailed in July of that year, so the image of the crowd seeking the World Series score from a scoreboard on the front of the building was certainly a prior year’s event. The tall building on the left, the former Federal Reserve Bank building, still stands, as does the smaller Grand Avenue Temple to its left at 905 Grand. In any case, in 1923 the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in the first World Series played (in part) at the brand-new Yankee Stadium. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Mo.
Artful City: One weekly selection with a Downtown connection
Jason Needham, Fairytale, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 96 x 72 inches, represented by Weinberger Fine Art, 114 Southwest Boulevard.
Downtown Lens: A single image depicting the urban aesthetic
Downtown appears through the Colonnade in the Historic Northeast, designed by Henry Wight and built in 1908 as part of the larger Concourse park and boulevard space. The Loop
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….
TODAY
Master pianist Terrence Wilson, this afternoon at the Folly
Kansas City Symphony presents Magic Circle Mimes: The Listener
TUESDAY the 8th
Rumours: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute at the Midland
THURSDAY the 10th
Kansas City Jazz Orchestra presents The Voice, featuring Deborah Brown at Kauffman Center
Clerks III: The Convenience Tour at the Midland
FRIDAY the 11th
An Evening with George Winston at Kauffman Center
Katt Williams at T-Mobile Center
Lyric Opera of Kansas City presents La traviata today and Nov. 13 at Kauffman Center
Heart of America Youth Ballet presents Coppelia, today and tomorrow at the Folly
Autumn Leaves, today and tomorrow at Music Theater Heritage
Daniel Howell: We’re All Doomed! at the Midland
SATURDAY the 12th
Rufus Wainwright with the Kansas City Symphony at Kauffman Center
ONGOING
Maya the Exhibition: The Great Jaguar Rises, most days through January 1, at Union Station
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
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
Give The Loop a boost: Become a Founding Subscriber
In addition to having access to all content, and receiving invitations to The Loop’s Downtown events, Founders Level subscribers ($200 annually, or any amount above) receive a Downtown Loop sticker, a T-shirt in their choice of fit, size, and color, and recognition on the website.
THANK YOU TO THESE FOUNDING SUBSCRIBERS….
Karin (Erickson) Bradford
Henna and Steve Fuller
Chris Gahagan
The Kiwinda-Tinsley Family
Todd and Donna Martin
Jane Reed and Mark Patterson
Anonymous
Gift ideas for the Looper in your life….
As the holidays approach, consider some Downtown Loop swag for your favorite urban (or urban-minded) Kansas City fanatics. You can choose from unisex T-shirts, women’s V-neck tees, hoodies, sweatshirts, tank tops, and long-sleeve tees at our Amazon shop.
