<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Pietro:
It's right off Main St. about halfway between downtown and the Country Club Plaza, which many would say is K.C.'s real downtown.</font>
Although some do refer to it as "downtown," the Plaza is
not Kansas City's downtown. It's not uptown, either. It is a constructed shopping district that was designed by Jesse Nichols' firm in the '20s. I don't know if anyone remembers that "Cupcake Land" social critique book from the '90s, but the Plaza figured as a prominent example in it.
The JC Nichols Company also built the neighborhoods to the south of the Plaza, including the district where I grew up. The Plaza's full name (Country Club Plaza) refers to a city district -- Country Club -- at whose northern end the Plaza is situated. The old KCCC was located in present-day Loose Park. It moved in the early '30s, IIRC, to an adjoining district, Mission Hills, Kansas.
By the way, the Plaza used to be more utilitarian: we had a Sears there among other stores during my youth.
Downtown Kansas City has historical interest, but it has seen better days. It's been rather run-down since the early '80s. There is some social activity there, and banks and government natch.
Crown Center was Donald Hall's 1970s urban revitilization project as part of his Hallmark Cards. What is now the Westin was the original hotel anchor of this project. This area was the old train-station district (not really downtown, and not really uptown) and was historically rather run-down.
[This message has been edited by fastflyer (edited 07-24-2002).]