Southmoreland Neighborhood
Our History
SNA was formed in July of 1973 as the Gillham-Main Neighborhood Association. The first meeting took place on August 8th, 1973 at St. Paul's Church at 40th and Main.
Neighborhood History
Main Street south of 40th Street, including the Montrose Apartments building, demolished in 1998. Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library
Kansas City Landmarks Slides
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With lots of changes afoot in Southmoreland in recent years, it's a great opportunity to see what's changed and what's remained the same. Check out the Kansas City Landmarks Commission Slide collection at kchistory.org for pictures of Kansas City in the mid-1970s through early '90s.
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To get directly to Southmoreland images, click here!
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Included are pictures of neighborhood historic homes, the Hilton Plaza Hotel (now the Holiday Inn), colonnade apartment buildings, and pictures of the Kansas City Art Institute and the Nelson-Atkins Museum before their major building and landscaping projects of recent years. Several houses and other residential and commercial buildings that have since been demolished are also pictured.
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Southmoreland Historic Inventory
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Historic Kansas City foundation conducted an inventory of significant homes, apartments, and commercial buildings in Southmoreland, south of 43rd Street, circa 1980. That document, containing photographs and details about the construction and history of those buildings, is available online through the Missouri Office of Historic Preservation.
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The Afton Apartments, at the northwest corner of 43rd & Warwick. Southmoreland Historic Inventory
Midtown KC Post on Southmoreland
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This Midtown blog covers many aspects of Midtown history, including block-by-block stories of former residents, buildings, and more.
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Researching Your Home
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Researching the History of Your House - Kansas City Public Library's Missouri Valley Special Collections has compiled a list of resources and advice for researching the history of your home or other buildings of interest.
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Kansas City Star searchable digital archives - Access with a Mid-Continent Public Library card (Kansas City residents are eligible for KCPL, MCPL, and Johnson County library cards!) and you can search the full history of the Kansas City Star. Find classified ads for when your house was for sale or rent, stories about former residents, crimes, and other miscellany.