I am taking a class, "Kansas City History", which is very interesting. Each week we meet in a different part of Kansas City for a walking tour of the topic we are currently studying. This week we toured Westport which was the community that preceded Kansas City, and was eventually enveloped as Kansas City grew. This community has preserved much of its history and older buildings. Westport has also become a very eclectic and unusual area in terms of culture. It is very "artsy" by day and a party town by night. Much of it is run down, and there are areas where spray painting signs on garage doors are tolerated (although I love the message).
Other parts have been restored and are very nice looking. There is an entire section of older houses that were purchased by a local mortgage company and instead of tearing them down, he had them restored and now leases them to different companies. He used period colors which are loud and bright and I think they look fantastic.
We also toured the Kansas City Vietnam Memorial which is in Westport. There is a very nice fountain and a wall with the names of all the Kansas City soldiers who died in Vietnam. However, there is also a little monument set off to the side that kind of summed it all up for me.
It was a very enjoyable and educational tour and this is one of the best classes I have had. I look forward to next week and the photographic opportunities this class presents.
No comments:
Post a Comment