Presented by the Board of
Park Commissioners of Kansas City, MO. Revision and reprint of 1914
edition. 1920 Compiled and written by Fred Gabelman
Scope and
Purpose of Park and Boulevard System
"The purpose may
be expressed in a very few words–the giving to all of the residents
opportunity for outdoor recreation as near the homes as it is possible
to accomplish.
"The equally important object, as expressed
in the very first report of 27 years ago, was to secure, so far as
possible, the right uses of land within the City, leaving for
commercial, industrial and residential uses the land situated and
adapted to those purposes, through this, securing not only legitimate
increases in value, but an equally important result–a stability of
values, checking the losses that too frequently come from a shifting of
the uses of lands arising from ill–conceived projects on lands, not
so adapted.
"The boulevards have closely connected all the
different residential districts and established permanent residential
properties, both increasing and holding values." | | George E. Kessler, Landscape Architect
| 1920 Souvenir Booklet description of Hyde Park
parkways and boulevards.
|
Armour
Boulevard
From Broadway to The Paseo.
Length,
1.25 miles.
Date acquired, 1899.
Date completed, 1901.
| | Cost of Acquisition | $44,937.04
| | Cost of Construction | 104,003.37
| | Cost of Maintenance | 55,599.25
| | Total | $204,539.66
| This boulevard was named in honor of Mr.
Simeon B. Armour, a member of the first Board of Park Commissioners.
|
Gillham
Road
From 22nd St. and Grand Avenue to The Paseo,
at 46th.
Length, 4.12 miles.
Area, 128.67 acres.
Completed
Drives, 6.22 miles.
Date acquired, Kansas City Terminal Ry. to
31st St., 1901.
Date acquired, 31st Street to 46th Street, 1903.
Date acquired, Along 46th St., Harrison to The Paseo, 1906.
Date completed, 22nd and Grand to 27th St., 1905.
Date
completed, 27th to 31st Sts., 1904.
Date completed, 31st to 45th
Sts., 1907.
Date completed, 45th St. to The Paseo, 1908.
| | Cost of Acquisition | $ 487,625.94
| | Cost of Construction | 493,911.06
| | Cost of Maintenance | 183,192.41
| | Total | $ 1,164,729.41
| Gillham Road, named in honor of Robert
Gillham, an early Park Commissioner, is a parkway of varying width, from
75 feet to 500 feet, and irregular outline, extending over hill and
through valley from the Kansas City Terminal Railway, at the Union
Station to Brush Creek Valley, that is extremely interesting. A
panoramic view of the business section of the City can be seen from
Hospital Hill, at 24th Street. Through the efforts of the Board of Park
Commissioners, with the co–operation of the Hospital ad Health
Board, the extensive lighting system of the Hospital Hill is produced at
the low expense of $70.00 per year. The Operating Plant for the Westport
Park District is located at 39th Street. The original plans call for a
very complete playground south of 39th Street, a wading and casting
pool, tennis courts, baseball and athletic field being already under
operation.
|
Harrison
Boulevard
From Armour Boulevard to 39th Street.
Length, 0.84 miles.
Date acquired, Armour to near 38th St.,
1903.
Date acquired, Near 38th St. to 39th St., 1908.
Date
completed, Armour to near 38th St., 1906.
Date completed, Near 38th
St. to 39th St., 1908. | | Cost of Acquisition | $ 5,202.00 | | Cost of Construction | 29,219.05 | | Cost of Maintenance | 11,415.97 | | Total | $
45,837.02 |
|
Linwood
Boulevard
From Gillham Road to Van Brunt Boulevard
at 31st St., and Hardesty Avenue.*
Length, 3.10 miles.
Date
acquired, Gillham Road to Troost, 1903.
Date acquired, Troost to
Benton, 1899.
Date acquired, Indiana to Van Brunt, 1913.
Date completed, Gillham Road to Troost, 1906.
Date
completed, Troost to Michigan, 1900.
Date completed, Michigan to
Benton, 1902.
Date completed, Benton to Indiana, 1910.
| | Cost of Acquisition | $ 164,106.64
| | Cost of Construction | 159,341.07
| | Cost of Maintenance | 79,144.09
| | Total | $402,591.80
| Benton, Gladstone, Linwood and Armour
Boulevards are splendid examples of the standard 100 foot boulevard
recommend by Mr. George E. Kessler, Landscape Architect, and adopted by
the first Board of Park Commissioners in 1893. This standard was for a
central roadway, 40 feet wide, and parking 30 feet wide on each side. In
the parking, sidewalks 8 feet wide, located 5 feet from property lines,
and in the lawn spaces three rows of trees–one row 4 feet from
curbs and one tow 2 1/2 feet on each side of the sidewalk, spaced about
45 feet apart with center row staggered. The standard for construction
was macadam pavement, 12 inches in depth, a combined concrete curb and
gutter and concrete sidewalk. Results have demonstrated the wisdom of
that original plan. The only change in construction has been the oiled
surface and bituminous binder in wearing surface of the pavement; and in
width of roadways which, on account of the immense amount of automobile
and pleasure traffic on boulevards, are planned 50 feet wide in the
boulevards recently acquired, and on main arteries to widen them to 50
and 60 feet wide.
*Linwood Boulevard was not extended west of
Gillham Road until 1925, five years after the 1920 Souvenir booklet was
printed.
|
Manheim Road
From Holmes to
Campbell Streets, and from Harrison Boulevard at 38th Street to The
Paseo at 40th Street.
Length, 0.62 miles.
Date placed under
Board´s control, Harrison to The Paseo, 1910.
Date placed under
Board´s control, Holmes to Campbell, 1914.
Date completed,
prior to being placed under Board´s control.
Date completed,
Near 38th St. to 39th St., 1908. | | Cost of Construction
| $ 273.39. | | Cost of Maintenance
| 5,445.78 | | Total | $ 5,719.17 |
|
Parks & Blvds. 