Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Jackson: city hall, house, purchase)

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

It was already EBBundschu by 1961, per Polk's Capably managed by Mrs Faye Bronson, with the Beauty Parlor managed by Mamie M Johnson if perhaps anyone recognizes these fine businesswomen

Maybe MAD can look at earlier issues online @ Library which I believe goes up to 1960, to nail the year of name change

I'd look but my Card Privileges have expired, and I'm blaming Covid

BTW I have virtually no recollection of this fine establishment, in spite of wandering by hundreds of times. May be a faint image of the front window displays, but that's it. No recalls of ever being in the store, the signage, nuttin I just know where it was located

I took the quicker route by swiveling in my chair to the bookcase holding my copies of Pearl's works. Ms. Wilcox reports the Bundschu family sold out in 1959.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

BTW I have virtually no recollection of this fine establishment, in spite of wandering by hundreds of times. May be a faint image of the front window displays, but that's it. No recalls of ever being in the store, the signage, nuttin I just know where it was located

It was on the east side of the courthouse square.

I do remember seeing the "Emery, Bird, Bundschu" sign over the entrance to the store on one Sunday drive with my grandparents pre-1973 (the year Emery Bird's died), but that was the only one of Emery Bird's three stores I never set foot in.

I wonder how they would have fared had they opened more stores as Macy's did after it acquired John Taylor Dry Goods in 1949? (Of the still-locally-owned department stores, only Jones went on a real expansion kick after World War II, opening a store in the late 1940s at 31st and Troost, one in ~1954 in the Prairie Village Shopping Center, and one in 1955 in the Blue Ridge Mall. But I think that Mercantile Stores Corporation had acquired Jones by the time the Blue Ridge store opened, for that was the first store to bear the logo of "The Jones Store Company." Kline's had only one branch store, opened in 1961 at Ward Parkway Center*, and Peck's, the first of the downtown department stores to die, never opened a branch at all. (I have very vague memories of going into Peck's with my parents sometime in 1963, as the store was on its last legs; I remember it being rather dark and gloomy.)

The clothiers did better — Rothschild's, Woolf Brothers, Adler's, The Palace and above all Harzfeld's all lasted past the 1970s. (Harzfeld's, IIRC, got acquired by Washington, DC-based Garfinckel's.)

*Wait — or did it have a store at Antioch Center too? I don't think Macy's was the only department store at the only suburban shopping center North of the River from 1955 until about 1985.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

It was on the east side of the courthouse square.

I do remember seeing the "Emery, Bird, Bundschu" sign over the entrance to the store on one Sunday drive with my grandparents pre-1973 (the year Emery Bird's died), but that was the only one of Emery Bird's three stores I never set foot in.

After EBB it was Macy's, then Independence City Hall. The building is still there, though altered. A later owner closed in the entry area. During the retail days it had large display windows that you could walk all the way around. The store entrance was behind them.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

After EBB it was Macy's, then Independence City Hall. The building is still there, though altered. A later owner closed in the entry area. During the retail days it had large display windows that you could walk all the way around. The store entrance was behind them.

I looked into the front of the building and I saw a directory of businesses/lawyers/whatever when I was there in 2013 At least I think I did. Took a ton of pics and videos so it's likely somewhere in the archives

Was it the second SS Kresges store to the north, then Milgram's across Lexington in the Good Ol Days? Too lazy to research this AM. BTW Mom's beauty shop was in the second floor above Lester's groceries. Pre-MRG She'd often greet the President during her AM treks to work up W Maple "Good morning, Mr President" with a smile. Yep, that was my sweet Mom.

[CaseyMO]

Today I was looking for a particular map of Independence and the annexations over the years when I stumbled across this document describing the history and architecture of "The Square." It defines the square much larger than I do, but that's okay. This was written by one of my classmates from William Chrisman, Class of 1963.

https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/survey/JAAS089-R.pdf

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

Today I was looking for a particular map of Independence and the annexations over the years...

Your search is over! Just click the button in this post...

Originally Posted by SilverDoc

This may help:

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Your search is over! Just click the button in this post...

Well, I had that map on Facebook, but I could not see it well enough to find a date for when certain parts were annexed. Now, I see it only gives the ordinance number and no date. I am still trying to find when the 2400 block of Harvard became part of Independence. Harvard is the first block west of Sterling. I'll keep looking.

[CaseyMO]

While I was trying to find out the date of the annexation by attempting to find the ordinance info, I stumbled across a plan for the future Independence. Here it is:

https://www.ci.independence.mo.us/us...-mapspread.pdf

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by CaseyMO

Well, I had that map on Facebook, but I could not see it well enough to find a date for when certain parts were annexed. Now, I see it only gives the ordinance number and no date. I am still trying to find when the 2400 block of Harvard became part of Independence. Harvard is the first block west of Sterling. I'll keep looking.

The year of annexation is on that map, just above the ordinance number. The area of your concern was annexed in 1948.

[CaseyMO]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

The year of annexation is on that map, just above the ordinance number. The area of your concern was annexed in 1948.

I know my eyes have gotten awfully bad, but I did not see the date. Thanks for letting me know.