It seems clear to me why a good portion of the last generation to experience unique places like this in Midwestern downtowns...ended up leaving as the old city crumbled.

Waiting for streetcars.

Not waiting for the streetcar. This is the same photo shown on page 194 of the Star's book "Kansas City." This is a group of spectators who have gathered to watch flagpole sitter Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly. Kelly stayed up there for 146 hours despite temperatures as cold as 17 degrees as a publicity stunt for local advertisers. I'm guessing that's why there are signs all over the front of the hotel that are not seen in other photos of the Westgate. In the Star's copy of the photo it's easier to see that those signs are advertisements. If you look carefully, you can just make out the figure on top of the flagpole.

Daniel Baraniuk, an out-of-work 27-year-old from Gdansk, Poland set the world record for pole-sitting by sitting at the top of a 8-foot, 2 1/2 inch pole for 196 days and nights. In doing so he won the World Pole-Sitting Championship and nearly $23,000 in prize money.

All the competitors mounted their poles on May 15, 2002 and were only allowed to leave their 16 by 24 inch platform for 10 minutes every two hours. While his nearest competitor fell off the pole in October, Baraniuk finally gave up on November 26, 2002.

I am not calling you a liar, and I'm too lazy to do the research, but how is that possible? That's more than six days? Besides eating, how did he shit and piss?

KC disasters...





W Bottoms of course.  This guy was dealing with the building below.  Apparently shooting a can for a string to carry a hose up.

From the KC library...

"Queens" of the Priests of Pallas festivals (1887-1924) were disguised and
their identity never disclosed during the festival events. It was later revealed
that the "queens" were, in fact, men. At the time, it was felt the parade and
other activities would be too strenuous for a woman.  Drawing cross-dressers
from the region, many burlesque performers at cabaret clubs during
the jazz era were actually men.



Yes, the library claims these are men at least in the first 2 pics.  
Could the term 'queen' be taken any more literally?

1896.  Check out the goth dude.


1905


1900



Early 30's.  All girls hotel known as 'lesbos inn'.  Opened years before
San Francisco's first lesbian bar.


1890s?  Strike a pose.  She snaps her head back, "I'm better than you bitch"


And while on topic.... Bank building, now a lesbian bar.

It may have not been a lesbian place to live.  It was very common for cities to have women-only hotels. 

I love the scale of the density here...3-4 story streetwalls with many outliers like the westgate. Reminds me of certain streets of downtown Philly (Sansome is an example).