Pendleton Heights Holiday Homes Tour Part 1

Last Saturday was the 4th Annual Pendleton Heights Holiday Homes Tour.... six homes and a charter school were toured by over 300 people. Beautiful weather once again helped make it a very enjoyable day.Eric and Deana reside in this home on Olive built in 1889 for George Collier who was in real estate at the time. Since 2002 successive owners have lovingly restored the home to it's original Victorian beauty.







Above, Andrew and Jessica make this 1889 Queen Anne their home. Built by the Western Lumber Company for Frank S. Groves, the home was right next door to his partner in Simpson and Groves, Frank Simpson. Simpson and Groves was the largest real estate, loan and insurance business in Kansas City at the time.

In 1934 the house was converted into a duplex. Over the years, except for the staircase below, the original woodwork was removed.

The current owners moved in last year and finished the remodeling and upgraded the kitchen. Future plans include a media room on the finished third floor and a wine cellar.




Joseph N. Roll and Elmer E. Roll, a peddler and carpenter respectively, were the first owners of this house in 1886. In the 1950s the house was turned into an upstairs/downstairs duplex. The current owners, Gayle and Sarina, are in the process of a total restoration to a single family house... above you can see the second door which was added in place of the original window. That will be fixed as progress on the structure is made.

Interior ceilings were lowered and windows bricked up as part of the conversion to duplex. The 10-foot ceilings will be restored along with the oak flooring.




This ornate three-story walk-up apartment building was constructed by A. P. Arnold in 1918 for Pearl Arnold. In 1919 the units were renting for $30-$40 per month. They were two or three bedroom apartments with kitchnettes.
The building, at one time used as a convent, fell into disrepair over the years. In 1992 it was rehabbed with the building opened up into one residence. Samuel, the current owner, has completed the restoration which now includes a rooftop deck with a spectacular view of the Kansas City skyline.



You can look from first floor to third floor after the remodel. (And visa versa.)








Above, the second floor and, below, the view down to the first floor. Tomorrow part two of the posting with two more homes and a tour of Scuola Vita Nuova.... a spectacular charter school in the heart of the community.

20 + 6 = 41

UPDATE: here's a link to the story: http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/residents-pitch-in-for-neighborhood-cleanup-Last Saturday 20 Northeast neighborhood folks teamed with 6 Parks and Rec employees to start on the clearing of the area behind the Colonnade. Wednesday Channel 41, KSHB, came over to the hood to document the work. The segment is to air this evening. I don't know which newscast yet, but, if I find out I'll update this post.
Marissa Cleaver interviewed neighborhood leaders Adam Schieber and Will Royster and Kevin Evans of Parks and Rec for the piece.

Above, Adam took the crew to see the "rediscovered" steps that take one all the way down to Cliff Drive. These will be totally cleared in future cleanings.

Above, Marissa stands near an old lightpole that we also rediscovered during the cleanup. Replacement lighting is just about on the drawing board. In the foreground are the first series of steps leading to Cliff Drive below.
Above, Kevin explains Parks participation in the cleanup.
The rest of the steps... above next to an old stone wall and below winding on down to the Drive.

If Walls Could Talk

Below Cliff Drive you can still find remnants of structures that pre-date the creation of North Terrace Park now Kessler Park. A lot of large stone walls remain, foundations of other buildings, even the remains of streets. This is a small sample of what exists... after the bush honeysuckle drop their leaves I'll venture forth to get more photos.
Above, old foundation, below, who knows. I'm gonna go with Aztec.

This large wall seemingly has no purpose that I can see.... may have been intended for erosion control.... but, in lieu of knowing for sure, I'm going to, once again, go with Aztec.

Red In Red Out

In the Spring my Japanese Maple heralds the seasonal change with a bright red hue.... in fall, as it prepares for Winter slumber, it does the same... flora optimism.



I have a hard maple that was particularly pretty this year... almost missed it completely.
All shots with the Nikon D3 and either 14-24mm or the 70-300mm at 1000 or 2000 ASA (because I was too lazy to get the tripod out of the car). Levels adjustment and sharpening in Camera Raw but no color enhancement. All shots with exposure compensation of +1.

What A Difference A Day Makes....

The 110-year-old Colonnade above familiar to all who grew up or now live in Northeast KC. It's getting some much needed TLC from neighborhood residents and KC Parks and Recreation. Below... a TINY part of the trash and brush cleared off the hill behind the structure.

Above... before the clearing... below.... after the clearing. 20 neighborhood folks helped along with a crew of 7 from Parks and Rec...

Below... the view now from Cliff Drive.

The view up (south). Below, some branches and brush remain to be picked up by Parks and Rec Monday. Chainsaws, pruning sheers, and elbow grease used in large amounts.
All the stumps of the invasive bush honeysuckle and scrub trees were coated with a chemical which moves down to the roots so we don't have to do this again....There's still more work to do. More brush clearing, graffiti removal and stair restoration... but a huge beginning has been made. We WILL reclaim our neighborhood.

Hyper Storms Onto Card

UPDATE: The cards are also available online: http://www.friendsofkansascitymuseum.org/support/giftshop.htmThe Kansas City Museum has release it's Christmas Card for 2010 and Hyper is proud to have one of his images of Corinthian Hall on the cover. Top is the cover and below is the back. The inside is blank for any message you might want to write. The cards are available for sale in the Museum's visitor's center. My power was off--as was most of the city's--and I really left to take pictures just because the car would be warm.
Thanks to Christopher and Andrew and the whole crew at the Museum for the honor and their friendship. http://www.unionstation.org/KansasCityMuseum/