Holy Name Catholic Church, East Central Kansas City

I have no idea why Holy Name Catholic Church is being torn down, except that shortsighted leaders see more value in the cut stone than in the stunning work of Gothic Revival structure they're destroying.

Nominated for the National Register of Historic Places, it is now being torn down, one stone at a time, until what you see here is all that is left of the church.

You would think this is in some completely bombed out neighborhood, but in reality the neighboring blocks are relatively stable, with beautiful rehabs and new, seemingly expensive houses.

I guess they thought that an historic church was a detriment to their property values? More so than a vacant, weed-choked lot?

As I always say, just because you lack the imagination to see this church restored to its former glory instead of demolished, doesn't mean you should get in the way of someone, maybe not even born yet, who has the vision and drive to find a new use for the church.

Read about the history behind the church in the 1960's here.

The images remind me of pictures of post-war Germany after it had been bombed at the end of World War II.

See it from the air here, before most of the church was demolished.

In just a few short months, the entire church will be gone, and its striking presence will be gone as well.

As you can see, the stone is being carefully stacked and hauled off to another location. How stupid and short-sighted...

Quality Hill, West of Downtown, Kansas City, Missouri

Here's a novel idea; build and rehab houses just outside of your main business district so people who work downtown can walk to work.

The area around Kansas City's cathedral is a combination of original Italianate houses combined with housing that looks like it was built in the 1990's or slightly earlier.

Regardless of its date of construction, the in-fill fits in well with the surrounding historic architecture and supports a thriving neighborhood.

St. Louis could learn about the idea of having healthy neighborhoods surrounding its downtown; currently St. Louis is surrounded by interstates, vacant lots and undesirable housing projects. When was the last time you walked to downtown St. Louis from your house? Never? It's not like that in every American city.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Kansas City, Missouri

While the cathedral of Kansas City is much smaller than St. Louis's own basilica on Lindell, I still found it a beautiful and unique structure.

Firmly embedded in the fanciful eclecticism of the Nineteenth Century, it is an interesting mix of Baroque and even western American architectural elements.

When built, it was the tallest building in Kansas City, and it still sits in a real neighborhood just west of downtown, avoiding the isolation that our own original cathedral in St. Louis suffered.

The gold on the bell tower shines brilliantly in the sun.

Art Deco Skyscraper, Kansas City, Missouri

Why does Kansas City have so many taller historic skyscrapers compared to St. Louis?

Seiden's Furs

What a cool sign for this now defunct furrier in downtown Kansas City. You can imagine someone like Liza Taylor walking out of this store in the 1950's.

More McRee Town

Much of the rest of McRee Town sits abandoned, with the potential for more redevelopment.

I particularly like the house with the tan front and the red brick side walls; it would make a great rehab one day.

The two mirrored apartment buildings give the effect of one larger building.

I always like alley dwellings such as this one, because so many of them have been torn down. It would make a great garage and artist's studio combination.

The Rebirth of McRee Town

I'm interrupting my tour of Kansas City architecture because I was so excited to see the recent developments in McRee Town, which for a long was one of the most troubled neighborhoods in the city.

Combining sensitive in-fill with the conversion of four-family flats into two houses and the renovation of other notable single family houses, the Botanical Grove redevelopment is doing everything right that has so often been done wrong in St. Louis.

For starters, pre-existing homeowners were not run out of their homes with eminent domain arranged with corrupt officials in smoky backrooms.

Secondly, the remaining housing stock was renovated into viable real estate, and priced at market rates.

Finally, the in-fill housing is very cool; it doesn't try to pretend it was built in the Nineteenth century, is unashamedly modern, but the massing and materials match the neighborhood and city.

If the first phase on McRee Avenue is successful, it will spread to other streets, and hopefully the rest of the city.

The Neighborhood Around the Vine Street Workhouse

There is a whole ensemble of public works buildings surrounding the old Vine Street Workhouse, including this firehouse, above.

Across the street were the original Water and Streets buildings for Kansas City. They now sit empty.

Interestingly, there is new development in the area; down the street from the workhouse are these new apartments, and across the railroad tracks is another group of new buildings.

It seems the city is using the workhouse as a focal point for new development, which is a great idea. Using old landmarks to instill a sense of place in a new redeveloped neighborhood is critical for competing against the suburbs, which often, but not always, do not have such evocative structures to build communities around.

Vine Street Workhouse, Kansas City, Missouri

Did I discover an ancient fortress in the wilderness? Well, not exactly, as if you look closer, you see that this castle has cinder blocks in its windows and doors.

The Vine Street Workhouse was the old jail for the city of Kansas City, which I had the opportunity to visit over the Memorial Day weekend.

Located on the near east side of the city, it sits in a veritable forest of overgrown trees and underbrush.

The good news is that the jail has been been mothballed and the owner is actively seeking to find a buyer for the property.

It's a stunning building, though slightly smaller in real life than I thought it was by looking at pictures on-line. A railroad runs right by the site, further confirming that this is no long lost medieval castle.

I was impressed by this gigantic weed; does anyone know what it is?

World War I Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground

Northwest Plaza Exterior

When will these walls coming crashing down, the victim of demolition?

Will there be any memory of what was here fifty years from now?

How could such a thriving place decline so rapidly? Was its hold on the retail market so tenuous?