River Market, Kansas City

The River Market (formerly known as Westport Landing, the City Market, and River Quay) is a riverfront neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri that comprises the first and oldest incorporated district in Kansas City.

Background

River Market stretches north of the downtown Interstate 70 loop to the Missouri River, and is bordered by the Broadway Bridge on the west and the Heart of America Bridge on the east. The area encompasses the location in which Kansas City was first founded. The market name comes from its large open air farmers' market, the southern section of which was the public square in the mid 1800s.

It derives its "Westport Landing" name because it was the dock on the Missouri River for the exchange of goods going to the community of Westport three miles to the south on higher ground that was operated by John Calvin McCoy. McCoy was to lead a group of settlers to created the "Town of Kansas" in the neighborhood in 1850 which in turn became the "City of Kansas" in 1853.

The Quay name was applied to the neighborhood in the 1970s by developer Marion A. Trozzolo to capitalize on the neighborhood's early French connections as a fur trading post operated by François Chouteau of the powerful Chouteau clan starting in 1821. Trozzolo's vision was to make this neighborhood a destination for restaurants and bohemian shops. A mob war developed and three establishments burned or were blown up and several mobsters were killed. The war was part of an overall mob war that ultimately resulted in the mob being pushed out of influence of the Las Vegas casinos that was highlighted in the movie Casino.

River Market today

The large riverfront warehouses have become increasingly developed into residential lofts, restaurants, bars, shops, cafes, and ethnic markets. Several major firms have recently relocated into the district, including HOK Sport, one of the world's leading sports architecture firms.

City Market is a large farmer's market with fresh area produce and goods that operates Wednesdays and weekends.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum displays thousands of artifacts from a steamboat and its cargo that sunk nearby in 1856 and was recovered in 1987-88. The museum is among Kansas City's popular tourist attractions.

The current manager of the actual market on behalf of the City of Kansas City is Copaken, White & Blitt.

ee also

*List of neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri

External links

* [http://www.kansascityrivermarket.com/ Kansas City River Market]
* [http://kc-citymarket.com/ City Market]
* [http://www.1856.com Arabia Steamboat Museum]
* [http://www.kansascity.com KansasCity.com]

River Quay mob war

* [http://www.kcpolicememorial.com/history/riverquayart.html KC Police Memorial History]
* [http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/special_packages/star_history/calamities_crime/12508930.htm Kansas City Star article]