The Paseo (also known as Paseo Boulevard, or Paseo) is a major north–south
parkway in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...
. As the city's first major boulevard, it runs approximately (85 blocks) through the center of the city: from Cliff Drive and Lexington Avenue on the bluffs above the
Missouri River in the
Pendleton Heights historic neighborhood, to 85th Street and Woodland Avenue. The parkway holds of boulevard parkland dotted with several
Beaux-Arts-style decorative structures and architectural details maintained by the city's Parks and Recreation department.
The name was suggested by the first president of the Parks Board,
August R. Meyer (1851–1905), based on the
Paseo de la Reforma in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. In 2019, the city council renamed the street to
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and was immediately petitioned to subject the change to a citywide vote, in a strong controversy. A vote to rename the boulevard back to The Paseo passed on November 5, 2019.
Background
Kansas City's extensive parkway and boulevard system was designed as part of the
City Beautiful Movement. Its design theme and name are taken from the ''
Paseo de la Reforma'' in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. From its start at Cliff Drive, the original alignment was changed to install the on-ramp to Interstate 35, then it curves slightly southwest and heads almost due south for most of its length. A few city parks are located adjacent to The Paseo, such as Parade Park at
Truman Road and Troost Park at 31st Street.
The parkway was laid out in the early 1900s by
George Kessler under the direction of
August Meyer, first president of the Commission of Parks. The Paseo, conceived as a series of small parks, extended through a former
slum area and contained intersections that featured a formal sunken garden, a
pergola, and large fountains reminiscent of those at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
.
Its construction was preceded by the eviction of African-American families that had to move to other overcrowded slums. Its northern end acquired an unsavory reputation during the early 1920s owing to the spread of prostitution, gambling and narcotics in the area. In the 1920s, with the re-emergence of the African-American population in the surrounding areas, the Paseo stood out as "ribbon of white in an otherwise black village", with more than half the white population living in the area having a Paseo address.
The Paseo intersects with
US 71,
US 40
U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes ...
,
I-70,
US-Bus 24, and
US 56
U.S. Route 56 (US 56) is an east–west United States highway that runs for approximately in the Midwestern United States. US 56's western terminus is at Interstate 25 Business (I-25 Bus.), US 412 and New Mexico State Road 21 (NM 21) in Springe ...
. The
Christopher S. Bond Bridge (which replaced the defunct
Paseo Bridge in 2010) features direct north–south access onto the road via exit-entrance ramps. Trucks are prohibited from using the Paseo.
Points of interest
* The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri is located at 299 Paseo.
*
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences is located at Independence Ave & Paseo.
* A
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture '' The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monum ...
sculpture honoring Meyer, dedicated in 1909, stands at 10th & Paseo.
*
Dr. Generous Henderson House, designed by Rudolf Markgraf in 1899, is the only remaining example of Second
Renaissance Revival style in Kansas City, on the National Register of Historic Places, at 1016 Paseo.
* Parade Park from
Truman Road to 18th Street. It is home to the new Kansas City
Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy
Major League Baseball Youth Academies are a series of academies in American cities and one in Puerto Rico that provides free year-round instruction in baseball and softball to the areas' youth. The academies are run as not-for-profit organizations ...
.
* "Bird Lives," statue honoring
Charlie "Bird" Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, jazz saxophone player, by
Robert Graham, at 17th Terrace.
* The
18th and Vine Historic District
18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19.
In mathematics
* Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
, on the National Register of Historic Places at 18th & Paseo.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and
American Jazz Museum is at 18th & Vine.
* The
Paseo YMCA, plans for the future home of the
Buck O'Neil
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout and became the first Afric ...
Education Research Center.
* Troost Lake and Park, located at 27th Street.
*
Scottish Rite Temple, monumental Beaux-Arts/
Egyptian Revival civic auditorium, designed by Keene and Simpson (1930), at
Linwood Boulevard.
* Stoplight, unusual signal made of cut-stone in the middle of the intersection designed by
Edward Buehler Delk (1931), at Linwood Boulevard.
*
Faxon Montessori, located at Linwood Boulevard (32nd Street).
* Keneseth Israel-Beth Shalom Synagogue (now Victorious Life Church), colorful twin mosaic domes on a Byzantine-style building, by Greenbaum, Hardy, and Schumacher (1927), at 34th Street.
* Plaza East Apartments previously Village Green and Brush Creek Village are located from 45th St to Cleaver II Blvd.
*
Gates BBQ restaurant on Cleaver II Boulevard at Paseo. The headquarters are located at 4621 Paseo, formerly at Volker Boulevard.
*
Brush Creek, from
Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard to
Volker Boulevard.
* "PASEO" Rocks and Stairs, At Volker Blvd, leading up to the old Paseo High School, now
Paseo Academy.
*
Rockhurst University
Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019.
History
In 1909, Fr. ...
, from Rockhurst Road (52nd Street) to 54th Street.
*
The Landing Mall, located at 63rd Street.
*
Nazarene Theological Seminary and formerly the location of the
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members ...
World Headquarters, at Meyer Boulevard. The site of the old headquarters is now Ewing Marion Kauffman School.
* Marlborough Community Center is located at 8200 Paseo.
*
Route 85-Paseo travels on parts of Paseo between
Armour Boulevard Armour Boulevard, Armour, or 35th Street is a major west-east main street that runs in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, from Broadway Boulevard to The Paseo. It is named in honor of Simeon B. Armour of Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an Amer ...
(35th Street) and 85th Street. (formerly Route 54-Armour/Paseo)
Namesakes
*
Paseo Bridge, near its starting point.
*
Paseo Academy, a magnet performing arts high school formerly known as Paseo High School.
*
Route 85-Paseo, a city transportation bus route.
*
Paseo YMCA, a historic YMCA that is part of a renovation plan.
See also
*
39th Street (Kansas City)
39th Street is a major west/east main street that runs in Kansas City, Missouri from State Line Road to Topping Avenue. It was originally named Rosedale Avenue as it led to the town of Rosedale. It connects Westport and Kansas City, Kansas. Th ...
*
Linwood Boulevard (Kansas City)
*
Prospect Avenue (Kansas City, Missouri)
*
Southwest Boulevard (Kansas City)
References
External links
The Paseo Pictures 1The Paseo Pictures 2The Paseo Pictures 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paseo, The
Transportation in Kansas City, Missouri
Geography of Kansas City, Missouri
Streets in Kansas City, Missouri
Paseo de la Reforma