KC Doesn't Remember History It Levels It

Gates home prior to its leveling in 1971.... the Carriage house is visible on the right in back.

Until 1971 a beautiful Victorian mansion stood on the corner of Independence Boulevard and Garfield Avenue in Pendleton Heights. Built by millionaire Jemuel Gates who fronted the money to build the first Children's Mercy Hospital 4 blocks to the west, the house was leveled to build a church. However, the carriage house remained untouched... until now. Due to a city worker bee error (she forgot to check to see if the building was on the historic register) and an over zealous contractor who did not yet have full permission to begin demolition... the building has been reduced to a shell. Intervention by neighborhood leaders... chiefly Kent Dicus... has led to a 15-day halt to the demolition... which shouldn't have happened in the first place. Here's what the Gate's Carriage House looked like on Friday afternoon.

Original structure is on the left... white part on right was added on in the early part of the last century.

Don't It Make My Blue Eyes Green

Another KC Landmark gone. The original Russel Stover Candies Store on Linwood has lost its blue and stately facade in favor of a new Cricket location. It seems we can't keep any history any more in this town. (I added blue tint to the above photo so the front would be more realistic.)