57 Years In The Hood

In 1952 Tony Mortallaro opened the Askew Inn in Northeast Kansas City. A couple of years later his brother, Tom, came into the business and now, Tom's sons Andy and Bill keep the tradition going. It's a gathering place in the tradition of the neighborhood bar where folks have gone for brew and conversation for years. They are two of the nicest fellows you'd ever want to meet. I'm proud to have known their families for years... Bill and I went to Northeast High School together although he is hundreds of years older. If you're on Independence Avenue between Bales and Askew... stop in.

Marble, Mahogany , Tile and Light

It takes conviction to save an historic structure rather than level it and thank goodness there was plenty of that on hand when the Scarritt Building and Arcade were renovated a few years back.  Built in 1908 the buildings, 819 Walnut, were designed by Root and Siemens and were inspired by Louis Sullivan in both formation and detail.  The pictures above show the exterior of the Arcade structure which fronts on Walnut.  The taller building on the east opens onto Grand.  Inside the Arcade is open from the first floor to the skylight five floors above with offices ringing the airy space. The detail work in the plaster and tile is just incredible.  The Grand Ballroom is located on the Grand Avenue side.  One picture shows the lobby of the Ballroom and the other  the space prepared for a wedding last weekend.   Many thanks to Dawna and Shilah for letting me photograph their building!!

Offsprung Young

One advantage of being a photographer is that you can image your young without leaving the house.    This is Kelly, who is now a sophomore at SLU, between age two and three.  In the color shot she is wearing the dress her mom made for her to wear to the Nutcracker.  

God and Man

Looking east from Quality Hill.

Two Feet? Not Yeti

I neither believe nor disbelieve in Abominable Snow Folks.  My belief would be greatly helped by an unfuzzy picture of one that doesn't look like a costume from Dollar General.   However I could believe that they are being created right now, right here in River City... just north of the Folger's Factory...  or at least the track making parts....

Tara, Not So Firma

Yesterday while in Grandview on business I ran across this old house and out buildings.  Brad Finch, who does architectural photography for National Register Nominations and such, thinks the main part of the house could date from the 1870s.  It's located just a stones throw from 291 South and 150 Highway.  It is setback quite a ways from the road.    You can see additional photos of it and the other buildings here:  http://web.mac.com/dremley/Site/Abandoned_House.html

Fall Retrospective

This post is for Moxie who I know loves Cliff Drive in the fall.  Always prettiest when the sun is morning or afternoon low that's always the best time to see the abundant deer population as it feeds.   Late May and June are the best times as the new fawns make their appearance.  I found out last year that a whitetail doe, 79% of the time, will have twins or triplets.  This is why a herd can explode in population in a short amount of time.  However, weekends spring through fall, the Drive is closed to motorized traffic on Saturday and Sunday.