Constructed in 1903, this became the home of Judge Cordell D. Meeks, Sr. the first African American District Court judge in Kansas, when he acquired the property in 1949 from Judge Charles W. Trickett. He was also an active member of many community organizations and a leader in the city. Meeks mentions the home in his autobiography: “As a child I had lived for a short time in the 600 block of New Jersey. On afternoons and Saturdays when I walked to my afterschool job in the grocery store on 5th Street, I had to pass by a big house at 600 Oakland. To me the house looked like a beautiful castle. I would look up from Sixth Street and admire the architecture and day dream about living in it someday.” [2] The home would be host to many political events and meetings over the years, as Meeks became actively involved with the Democratic Party. His wife lived in the home until her death in May of 2011. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. Judge Cordell Meeks, Sr Plaza is located adjacent to the Wyandotte County Courthouse where Meeks presided over the District Court.
Sumner High School was built in 1905 as the city’s first racially segregated high school for African Americans. The first public high school in the area, Kansas City, Kansas High School (KCKHS) had been integrated, and about 5% of its student population was Black. An unrelated homicide in 1904 led proponents of racial segregation to bypass a state law that permitted segregation at the elementary and high school levels in larger cities but required high schools to be integrated owing to the costs of maintaining separate schools. Sumner High School quickly established itself as one of the best high schools in the state, due to outstanding faculty and a high level of academic achievement by students. The first Sumner High School was replaced by a new building in 1939, partially using funds from the Public Works Administration program of the Great Depression era. In 1958, Martin Luther King spoke at Sumner and predicted the end of segregation. Today, the shcool operates as Sumner Academy of Arts and Science and is consistently rated one of the best high schools in the country.
Jazz Musician. Charles Christopher Parker, Jr., was born at this location on 29 August 1920 to Charles Parker, Sr., and Adelaide “Addie” Bailey. As a boy, Parker lived at this location for seven years before the family moved to a few other homes in Kansas City. Regarded by many as the most influential figure in modern jazz, Parker was one of the leading collaborators who created of a new style of playing called bop, or bebop. He began his career playing alto saxophone for various bands in his native Kansas City territory during the late 1930s and early 1940s, most notably with a group led by pianist Jay McShann. He later moved to New York but is buried in Lincoln Cemetery in the Kansas City metro area.
This limestone and brick residence, constructed in 1938, is significant for two reasons. First, it is a rare example of the French Eclectic style in Kansas City, an architectural style which was in vogue in the United States after World War I, but less popular than the contemporary Tudor Revival style. Second, the house is associated with Dr. A. Porter Davis, a doctor, pilot, artist and activist, whose life was, according to one source, "full of firsts in his pursuit of medical, aviational, artistic, and political activities." The house is thus a landmark of the African-American upper class in early 20th Century Kansas City. The property was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in February, 2000.
The Granada Theater is an excellent example of the large, ornate movie palaces that were popularized in the 1920s. It was designed by the well-known Boller Brothers architectural firm in Mission and Spanish Revival style. One of the few surviving “atmospheric” movie theaters in the country, the grand interior was designed to be reminiscent of a Moorish courtyard. It operated continuously as a movie theater from 1929 to 1968. It has since reopened and closed multiple times and gone through several renovations.
This mural was painted by Jose Faus in 2006 who utilizes the metaphor of camera film to represent the passage of time. The figures show a chronology of world events throughout the mid-twentieth century and their effect on various communities of color. Some themes highlighted in Faus' mural include the consequences of discrimination and the tragic consequences of inequality, but there are also images depicting work, family, and community life throughout the work.
At 175 feet, the former Town House Hotel is the tallest building in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The fifteen-story hotel was completed in 1951 and offered 250-rooms in the next two decades, an era when it occasionally welcomed celebrities and star athletes thanks to its proximity to Fairfax Airport. In its first years of operation, the Town House was the hotel of choice for racially integrated teams as most hotels in neighboring Kansas City, Missouri drew the color line until the mid-1950s. The building was utilized as a hotel until 1978 when it was converted into apartments, a reflection of the increase in hotels next to interstates and changes within downtown Kansas City, Kansas, and neighboring Kansas City, Missouri. After eight years of efforts to renovate and repurpose the historic building, it now serves as a retirement home and is known as Cross Lines Tower.
In 1843, over 664 members of the Wyandot Nation traveled from the Lake Huron region and established this cemetery for those who did not survive the difficult journey. A year earlier, the tribe ceded all lands of Michigan and Ohio to the federal government in exchange for lands in Kansas. After they arrived, the survivors found that the land promised to them had already been claimed by others. The small tract of land near the river was too low to bury the 50-100 Wyandot who had died of illness, so the tribe chose this hill to bury their dead. Because of its prime real estate location, over the next century and beyond, developers and city leaders attempted to move the burials to another cemetery. Legal fights ensued, and supporters of the cemetery's preservation prevailed, but only after more than a century of effort. The initial preservation victory was largely the result of Lyda, Helena, and Ida Conley, three women of Wyondot lineage, who armed themselves to protect this land and led a legal challenge that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Thanks to their continued effort and more contemporary support, the cemetery was saved from would-be developers in the early 1900s and urban development plans in the mid-20th century. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 1988, the Wyandot Nation of Kansas and the Wyandot Nation of Oklahoma mutually agreed that the remaining cemetery must not be used for other purposes. The preservation fight continued into the 21st century, with preservationists scoring yet another victory when the cemetery became a National Historic Landmark in 2016.
This set of twelve historical markers offers a detailed history of the Wyandot Nation and was authored by members of the tribe. The Wyandot were among several tribes removed from their homelands in the east to reservations in Kansas. Historically found as far north as modern-day Quebec and Ontario, they settled mostly in Michigan and Ohio after European expansion. In 1842, all Wyandot lands were ceded to the federal government in exchange for lands west of the Mississippi, which were never granted to them. Instead, the Wyandot purchased land near the Kansas River. Congress declared that Kansas Territory was "open for the settlement of American citizens and immigrants of primarily European descent in 1854, again removing the Wyandot and other Native American tribes further west.
The Scottish Rite Temple was constructed in 1909. It was the meeting place of the Scottish Rite Masonic Association, which had existed in Kansas City, Kansas since 1898. The Gothic-style brick building was constructed by the well-known architect William Warren Rose. The temple features beautiful stained and leaded glass doors and windows, as well as a unique parapet around the roof. In 1985, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2008, the building has functioned as a casino, owned by the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.
In 1972, Judge Cordell D. Meeks, Sr became the first African American District Court judge in Kansas. A plaque with Judge Meeks’ portrait and a quote from his autobiography is located at the front of the Wyandotte County Courthouse, where he held this historic position. He had a distinguished career as a lawyer before becoming judge and was an active member of many local organizations.
Kansas City's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall is both a civic auditorium and World War I memorial. The building was completed in 1925 and dedicated to the 6,500 men and women from Wyandotte County who served in the armed forces during World War I. The structure was designed by local architects William Rose and David Peterson in Georgian and Classical Revival-style architecture. From 1924-1927, the building served as the national headquarters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Since its construction, the building has hosted numerous concerts and events, including the last performance of Patsy Cline.
Kansas City's City Hall and Fire Headquarters, also frequently known as Old City Hall and the Main Fire Station, are recognized for their local historical significance. The building was designed by local architects William Rose and David Peterson of the architectural firm Rose & Peterson in a classical Renaissance Revival style. Due to financial constraints, the building was completed in two phases. The south and west portions of the City Hall was completed in 1911. The north annex and the Fire Headquarters portion were completed in 1929.
Founded as the Mother of God Parish in 1858, St. Mary’s Church in the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood is home to the oldest Catholic parish in Kansas City, Kansas. Father Anton Kuhls led the parish from its founding to the start of the 20th century, and together with the support of the parish, they also established St. Margaret's hospital. The cornerstone of this church was dedicated in 1890 and replaced the original building which was constructed shortly after the Civil War. With the support of parishioners, the limestone building was completed in stages and dedicated on June 21, 1903.
This building in the Strawberry Hill historic neighborhood has a long and varied history, beginning with its construction in 1887. It was the mansion residence of Margaret Cruise Scroggs’s family for over 30 years, a fine example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture. In 1919, the home was purchased by the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church for use as an orphanage. The church added four large additions onto the home over the next few years. The Sisters that ran the orphanage served over 3,000 children over the course of 70 years in operation. In 1988, the building reopened as a museum dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Eastern European immigrants that have called the Strawberry Hill neighborhood home.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour starts at the Strawberry Hill Museum and includes a dozen Kansas City landmarks including the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Judge Cordell Meeks Plaza, the Huron Indian Cemetery, Granada Cemetery, and Sumner High School.
