Long ago on independence square (Ferguson, Lexington: automotive, golden, real estate)

[WCHS'59]

Independence High School at Pleasant and Maple, the current location of the Palmer Senior Citizen Center and the old Palmer Junior High School. There is a balcony toward the side near what is now Truman Road. The white house to the left is gone.

[WCHS'59]

Here is an older picture of Independence High School without the balcony section toward what is now Truman Road.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

On one of my trips, I went into the Clinton Drugstore and ordered a couple cherry phosphates. I was floored at their prices but bit anyway, at least this one time. I dont know how they stay in business. It can only result from the tourist trade and the connection to Harry Truman having worked in the building years ago. I wont go in there again.

I have tried all the bigger restaurants and the only one I keep returning to is the Courthouse Exchange in the basement of "JC Pennys."

We went into Clinton's and were going to get phosphates, it was really hot day. Then a couple of tattoo'd weirdo types came in and took the last seats, so we opted out.

Did you notice the tray of candy, esp the Good n Plenty, on the shelf wall opposite the soda fountain? A flashback to the Granada Sweet Shop

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

We went into Clinton's and were going to get phosphates, it was really hot day. Then a couple of tattoo'd weirdo types came in and took the last seats, so we opted out.

Did you notice the tray of candy, esp the Good n Plenty, on the shelf wall opposite the soda fountain? A flashback to the Granada Sweet Shop

As I recall, there was a bunch of stuff on that side that was retro, but right off hand I cannot remember, chuckle.

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

I think older photos, like the ones we've seen in this thread that shows The Square from about 1951, shows the outside of The Carl has been redone. I think I've seen photos that show it with windows, which would make sense if businesses were going to be located there. I doubt there's anything upstairs, in fact, I think I asked the girl who worked at the ground level business what was up there and I'm almost sure she said nothing that she was aware of.

[MRG Dallas]

I wonder why they saw fit to pave over the windows? Did they give up on ever renting or rehabbing the second floor?

A good shot of your Uncle's (or was it your GF's) business. I wish I knew what window was Mom's beauty parlor, she had two rooms upstairs

[SilverDoc]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Walked by it and peeked in the windows, and also glanced inside whilst being a gentleman and opening the door for a couple of female customers . . . in passing, I did mention it was an old Katz Drug Store which they didnt know, but one was familiar with Katz from other locations. It will always be Katz to me also, more so than any other building there rings a bell

I didnt go in many stores . . Clinton's was one. Stepped inside the Bundschu Bldg The Cthouse was still closed. Army Navy Surplus and Western was closed. Did go into First Methodist Church, Diamond Bowl, the Memorial Bldg . . did much more walking around to try to take as much in. Also went to the Jaco Historical Society in Commerce Bank as well as the little historical society place in the old train stop near The Natatorium.

Also went into Sterling Bowl and the old stomping grounds stores at 24 Hiway and Alton Plaza. Unbelievably, the tile, ceilings and light fixtures was as I remember them. Thriftway/Kroger was a flashback in time, save for a new deli section.

[MRG Dallas]

It still slays me that SSK would have two stores just doors away, not to mention from Woolworth's and Katz's

I'd like to know the corporate decision behind that, space considerations I presume

At least we consumers had some options

[WCHS'59]

That small bus is a City Transit Line bus that charged 5 cents to get from my house to the square. That looks to be a central bus stop. I can only recall the central stop being directly across the street on the Main Street side. Later, the central stop was moved to the left most two story building in the picture down Lexington with the buses parking along Lynn Street facing Kansas Street. At some point the local bus business went to the flat nose buses and then went out of business in the early fifties.

The local bus service nowadays is heavily subsidized by the the city and would seem to me to be a losing proposition. A few years ago, the city subsidized KC buses to provide bus service in outlying Independence and that failed because of very weak ridership.

Here is a photo of the present day central bus stop at Truman and Memorial Drive. The buses are KC buses but the much smaller Independence buses stop here also.

[WCHS'59]

When a kid, I always thought the remodeled building was a new Kresge and represented a new second store on the square, but Kresge was already on that corner and was merely enlarged and redone into the burned out furniture store. There were apparently two Kresge's on the square from the thirties, or so.

Comparing the two photos they really added on to the second story in the back. They also got rid of that big smoke stack, which probably meant the place was coal fired and they converted to gas. I am wondering if the upstairs was apartments.

If I recall correctly, both stores had the seemingly obligatory dime store lunch counter along the left side of each store as you enter. I recall buying two "steady" shirts from the newer store when in the eleventh grade. $2.98 for each shirt, back when if a shirt was $3.98, it was really expensive.