Ward Parkway, Kansas City

Ward Parkway, Kansas City

Ward Parkway, is a neighborhood and boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri near the Kansas-Missouri state line. Ward Parkway begins at Brookside Boulevard on the eastern edge of the Country Club Plaza and continues westward along Brush Creek as U.S. Route 56 until it turns southward across the creek just before the Kansas-Missouri state line. It then continues south for four miles, terminating at Wornall Road near West 95th Street.

Ward Parkway has a wide, landscaped median, which is decorated with fountains and statuary. Many of Kansas City's finest large homes are found along Ward Parkway in the Country Club District. Recently, the parkway was the topic of a television episode of "Tour the Homes" on HGTV.

It derives its name from the family of pioneer Seth E. Ward who owned property on either side of the parkway and whose home at 1032 West 55th St. is on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Ward Parkway was created as part of developer J.C. Nichols's overall plans for the Country Club District. Desiring a boulevard that would exceed the aesthetic value of all other streets in Kansas City, Nichols hired landscape architect George Kessler, who had designed several other luxurious boulevards throughout Kansas City, Missouri.



thumbnail|left|A home at the intersection of Ward Parkway and West 55th Street, designed by Louis Curtiss after plans by Frank Lloyd WrightAccordingly, as Nichols platted the District, beginning in 1906, he reserved space for Ward Parkway. The largest lots in the District were reserved for homes to be located along the boulevard. The Kansas City Parks Department added Ward Parkway into its formal boulevard system. Nichols traveled to Italy and England to buy statues and monuments to place at periodic points on the boulevard's wide median. He also placed ponds and decorative urns throughout the parkway's length. To promote his development, Nichols periodically placed photographs of the large homes being built along Ward Parkway in Sunday editions of the "Kansas City Star". Nichols even moved into a home just off Ward Parkway, on West 55th Street.

By the time Evan S. Connell wrote "Mrs. Bridge" in 1959, the proximity of a prominent Kansas Citian's home to Ward Parkway was seen as an indication of that person's place in Kansas City society. Around that time, a sociological research study undertaken by the University of Chicago determined that Ward Parkway and its vicinity was the most desirable neighborhood in all of Kansas City.

Notable residents of homes along Ward Parkway

* Tom Pendergast, political boss
* Keith A. Tucker, former CEO of Waddell & Reed mutual fund company [http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15300508.htm]
* Scott Ward, head of the Russell Stover Candy Co.Fact|date=February 2007
* Richard Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block

ee also

* Country Club District
* Mission Hills, Kansas
* Ward Parkway Center
* List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri

External links

* [http://www.umkc.edu/whmckc/PUBLICATIONS/WARDPKWY/WARDINTRO.HTM Ward Parkway - a Grand American Avenue]
* [http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_architecture_styles/article/0,1797,HGTV_3664_1387077,00.html Tour the Homes: Kansas City's Ward Parkway]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ward Parkway Center — Infobox shopping mall shopping mall name = Ward Parkway Center image size = 300 address = 8600 Ward Parkway Kansas City, Missouri 64114 opening date = 1959 owner = Developers Diversified Realty Corp. floor area = 800,000 square foot Ward Parkway… …   Wikipedia

  • Kansas City metropolitan area — Kansas City, MO KS Common name: Kansas City Metropolitan Area Largest city Kansas City, Missouri Other cities …   Wikipedia

  • Kansas City Area Transportation Authority — is a public transit operator in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the operator of the Metro Area Express Bus Rapid Transit service and 69 Local Bus routes in Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties in Missouri and Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphael Hotel - Kansas City (Kansas City) — Raphael Hotel Kansas City country: United States, city: Kansas City (Kansas City) Raphael Hotel Kansas City The Raphael Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Kansas City on the country club plaza. The property is minutes away from the… …   International hotels

  • InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Kansas City at the Plaza — (Kansas City,США) Категория отеля: 5 звездочный отель …   Каталог отелей

  • The Raphael Hotel - Kansas City — (Kansas City,США) Категория отеля: 4 звездочный отель Адрес: 325 Ward Parkwa …   Каталог отелей

  • Kansas City, Missouri — For other cities with a similar name, see Kansas City (disambiguation). Kansas City   City   From top left: the Liberty Me …   Wikipedia

  • Kansas City Metropolitan Area — Infobox Metropolitan Area MSA name = Kansas City, MO KS name = Kansas City Metropolitan Area nickname = City of Fountains largest city = Kansas City, Missouri other cities = Overland Park Kansas City, KS Independence Shawnee Olathe Lee s Summit… …   Wikipedia

  • Kansas City, Kansas — Infobox Settlement official name = City of Kansas City settlement type = City nickname = Heart of Americahttp://got.net/ landauer/lists/CityOf.html (cf., Kansas City, Kansas: Heart of America )] imagesize = image caption = image mapsize =… …   Wikipedia

  • Kansas City Museum — R. A. Long House U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”