Waldo is a
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
located on the southside of
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, that has continued to maintain its own unique character, even though it was
annexed
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...
by Kansas City in 1909. Waldo's boundaries are Gregory Boulevard on the north to 85th Street on the south, and
Holmes st on the east to
State Line on the west. 85th street starts the Santa Fe Hills neighborhood.
History
In 1841, David Waldo of
Gasconade County, Missouri, was convinced by some friends to purchase land in
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (af ...
. Waldo purchased that ran from what is now Gregory to 91st Street and State Line to Holmes.
In 1860, a rail line was established between Westport and Dodson, and a main stop was located in Waldo. When the rail line was converted to street cars in 1907, a brick station was built at the Waldo location, and it became known as the Grand Central Station of Waldo. Waldo was annexed by Kansas City in 1909, which pushed the southern city limit from 49th Street to 77th Street. Business began to grow around the station, including Elmer Family Grocery and Milen Drygoods. As the growth continued, the Waldo area became a main traffic artery of south Kansas City. Houses on Wornall Road south to 75th Street made way for continued business expansion in the 1930s.
The
Waldo Water Tower, located near 75th and Holmes, is a local landmark and is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. The
Alexander Majors House is another local landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Education
Waldo has a lending library, a branch of the
Kansas City Public Library
The Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library (Kansas City, Missouri), Central Library in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri.
The system operates its Central Library and neighborhood branches l ...
.
St. Elizabeth School is a parochial catholic school located in Waldo. It was founded in 1922, and serves students from pre-school through 8th grade.
Hale Cook Elementary is a
Kansas City public school located in Waldo. It was founded in 1912 and closed in 2009, but reopened as a neighborhood school in 2014. It serves students from pre-school through 6th grade.
Kansas City Academy is an independent school serving students in 6th through 12th grade located in Waldo.
See also
*
List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri
References
External links
A History of Waldo*
{{Coord, 38.99389, -94.59190, format=dms, display=title, type:city_region:US-MO
Alexander Majors House museums
Kansas City metropolitan area
Neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri
Populated places established in 1841
1841 establishments in Missouri