Wandering Walnut

A view of the Kit Bond Bridge from 9th & Walnut in Kansas City

A stroll down Walnut Street in Kansas City, generally

A mini-adventure through the middle of downtown Kansas City started from a rooftop on Walnut, overlooking the Missouri River. The view from this little spot is spectacular, and you can see at least 20 miles in any direction. I did not have time to linger on this particular evening though. Others were about on the rooftop, a friend and I had plans to make a show down at the Crossroads. There will be plenty of time for more photos in the very near future.

Oddly enough, as long as I have been in town, I have never really done one of my walkabouts here. I have no idea why, but it is moving up on the list of things to do. The architecture around town is interesting, and there is always some sort of oddity lurking around every corner. The downtown area remains relatively quiet too, in spite of continued efforts to attract consumers and tourists. One can walk around relatively free, without fear of being harassed by vagrants or run down by other pedestrians and vehicle traffic.

Saturday evening was the perfect day for this sort of activity too, as we started our 10-block trek down Walnut. It was not too hot, and a light breeze drifted between the buildings. The grade is relatively insignificant, as well; or so it seems, when walking downhill. The return trip always feels as though the hill grew just a bit while you were not looking.

One of the first things we encountered was a group of folks exiting a vehicle; ladies adorned in what appeared to be some sort of traditional wedding dress from India. That just does not happen very often in downtown Kansas City. Indeed, as mentioned previously, there is usually very little population out and about on the streets. Not wanting to spoil the moment with a posed photograph, or distract them from their mission of safely crossing the street, I sneaked in a shot while they were distracted.

Jenkins Music Company Building

A little further down the trail, I had an opportunity to take a few shots of a building that I have always considered one of Kansas City’s finest; the Jenkins Music Company Building. Originally constructed in 1911 as a 6-story building, it was enlarged to include an additional two stories in the 1930s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building is Modernistic in style, and a bit of mashup of Late Gothic Revival and Art Deco design. The west facade is the most decorated, adorned with a sort of brushed metallic finish on the lower level, and step-backs creating a vertical and rectilinear effect. Currently, it remains unoccupied, but as with many of the old structures downtown, plans are underway for a mix of commercial and residential property in the near future.

Part of the downtown KC skyline from the Walnut St bridge crossing I-670

When we arrived at our destination, we discovered that cameras were not going be allowed into the show. That was disappointing enough; even more so that it was another 10 blocks back to the car. The forced campaign did provide another opportunity to capture a few more things, like the sun setting behind downtown structures. The clouds and the rays of light shooting out behind them provided an interesting backdrop for the shadowy buildings near the south end of the downtown loop. I only snapped a few more shots during the remainder of the brief walkabout; mostly local street art. It has always seemed a bit more common in this town than in most, and perhaps I am more partial to the artists here, it appears to be a bit higher quality than most. One artist in particular stands out and his work can be found just about everywhere in the city. Scribe has been painting some of the interesting murals from one end of town to the other for years, and it was really no surprise to find a bit of his work along the way.

Graffiti art by Scribe