This Week in KC History
Aviation Takes Off
August 17, 1927: A jubilant crowd of 25,000 gathered at the site of the present-day Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport to listen to speeches given by Charles Lindbergh and city officials in order to dedicate Municipal Airport.…
The Great Indoors
November 24, 1927: The Pla-Mor Ballroom, the largest indoor amusement center in the country, opened at 3142 Main Street to a crowd of 4,100 who reveled at its unprecedented size and modern style. The facility followed in the…
Separate but Equal?
March 2, 1930: A grand opening ceremony commemorated the new General Hospital No. 2, which soon became known as one of the nation's finest public hospitals serving African Americans. The new hospital unveiled intense divisions…
Strange Bedfellows
December 16, 1931: Nell Donnelly and her chauffeur, George Blair, were kidnapped. Donnelly had become famous after her 1916 founding of the Donnelly Garment Company, which sold stylish but affordable dresses for daily wear by…
Kidnapped!
May 27, 1933: One of Kansas City's most sensational and ultimately tragic crimes began with the kidnapping of Mary McElroy, the daughter of controversial city manager Henry F. McElroy, who had close ties to the political machine…
A Man, A Plan, and A Lot of Concrete
June 9, 1933: The Jackson County Court awarded a $2,073,609 contract to the Swenson Construction Company for construction of the Jackson County Courthouse. The opulent Art Deco-style 300-foot tall building would reside alongside…
A Mess of a Massacre
June 17, 1933: Four law enforcement officers and their prisoner, Frank Nash, were fatally wounded in a botched rescue attempt outside Union Station. The story of the Union Station Massacre, as it became known, centered on Frank…
A University is Born
October 1, 1933: During a bright autumn day, nearly 2,000 people gathered in the shade of trees along the south side of Brush Creek to officially celebrate the opening of the University of Kansas City. Inspired speeches by…
Into the Sunset
November 4, 1934: Tom Bass died at the age of 75, following a celebrated career as a horse trainer and a founder of the American Royal in Kansas City. Bass, the son of a white man and a young female slave, was born a slave in…
Secrets of Chambers
March 24, 1935: Annie Chambers, a former prostitute and Kansas City brothel owner, passed away at the age of 92. By the time of her death, Chambers' own life had neatly paralleled Kansas City's untamed years of the late…