Today is a better day in Kansas City. I called the Jump Start guy and paid $50. He told me what to say to the shop to get my bad battery replaced. I drove directly to the shop. I talked to the man at the desk and just basically had a little meltdown. Then I apologized. He got my car and tested the battery and it failed. The battery was replaced, it was not a year old yet, and I was ready to leave. I apologized again.
I was off to explore again. I started at the Eblon Theater near 18th and Vine.
The Eblon Theater was constructed in 1922 as a venue for vaudeville and motion pictures. The theater seated 1,000 people and was faced with a Spanish Colonial façade. At its opening in 1923, the Kansas City Call remarked that “Nothing has been spared to make this the finest motion picture house for colored people in this part of the country,” and innovative amenities included restrooms, uniformed ushers, and an overhead cooling system.
On April 1933, located at the old Elbon Theater building the Cherry Blossom Club had its grand opening. “The finest nightclub ever opened for Negroes in this city.” Ananias Buford, the designer and also the manager of the Club, commented to a newspaper, The Call, with confidence. Kansas City jazz relished its heydays in the nightclub. It was where great Count Basie and Bennie Moten honed and performed their untrammeled Moten Swing songs. It was also where two fabulous saxophonists, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, left a legendary but mysterious story of their all-night lasted jazz battle.
Only the facade remains.
The Lincoln Building
This building was constructed in 1921 for J.H. Huppe, owner of the Lincoln Furniture Company. In addition to housing the Lincoln Furniture Company, space was leased to other commercial concerns and to doctors, lawyers, and dentists. In 1925 the 3rd floor was occupied by the Lincoln Dance Hall, while the May Flower Club occupied another section of the building. The Monarch Social Club occupied the 3rd floor in 1945. Thurgood Marshall, then chief attorney for the NAACP, held offices in the Lincoln Building while he was arguing the case for the desegregation of the Swope Park Swimming Pool in 1952.
The Security Loan and Investment Association Building
The roof is missing now.
The Security Loan and Investment Association was an African American investment group. They owned several properties. This building housed their office on the 1st floor. President of the Association was Herman L. Kinsler. In 1923 the Association was expanding their capital in an effort to establish an African American bank.
From about 1920 to about 1945, the Kansas City community thrived on its most famous product, JAZZ. In 1928 it became the home of the Musician's Union Local 627. Jazz musicians were drawn to Kansas City during the Pendergast era when gambling and continual night life flourished.
After the demise of the Pendergast era, many jazz players moved on. The roll of musicians included Charlie "Bird" Parker, Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams and Baby Lovett. They helped create the "Kansas City Style," which has been defined this way: "It means a drive, a good beat, a rhythmic push.
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The apartments were built for the Western Cities Investment Company, at a cost of $18,000. In the '30's and '40's, the Rochester Hotel often provided accommodations for the many itinerant jazz musicians who came to Kansas City to participate in its famous jam sessions.
The Roberts Building (the white building)
The building was purchased by Black businessman Homer Roberts for $70,000. This was the only automobile dealership at the time that sold to Blacks. The firm handled 10 lines of cars and provided employment for 54 black workers. Doctors and dentists also located their offices in the building
Originally named the Star Theater, the Shriner and Powellson Amusement Company built the Gem Theater in 1912, which was designed as a silent movie palace serving Kansas City’s African American population. It was renamed the Gem in 1913, and it was remodeled in 1924 to a seating capacity of 1,238 and was equipped with modern of heating, ventilation and projection systems. The Gem’s years as a movie theater ended in 1960, and by the 1980s it had faded into a shadow of its former glory. However, when Mayor Richard Berkley and then City Councilman Emanuel Cleaver spearheaded the revitalization of 18th & Vine in the 1980s, the Gem Theater became a centerpiece of the district’s renovation efforts. Behind the restored 1912 façade is a modern 500-seat performing arts center, complete with state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
That's it for today. It was in the 20s and I was getting cold. There are probably 50 plus stops on the Heritage Trail. Some of the stops are for demolished buildings. I'm not covering those. We have already been to others and I won't go over those again.
After the pictures and stops I walked back to my car and it started. It's a better day than yesterday.
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