Keeping history alive: Paris and Weaver Apartment Buildings in Kansas City

Paris and Weaver Apartment Buildings, Kansas City, Missouri.Photo byMwkruse, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Paris and Weaver Apartment Buildings are located at 3944-46 and 3948-50 Walnut Street in Kansas City, Missouri. On July 5, 2006, the buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the Redfin real estate website, the 3944 building was last sold in 2016.

Described as colonnaded apartments, the architectural styles include Neo-Classical Revival and Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements. The foundation is limestone and the walls are brick. The architect was Willard B. Weaver.

Both three-story buildings were constructed in 1912 for Willard B. Weaver. They are identical and after a century, they're still standing. Each building has six residential units. The colonnaded porches were perfect for hot weather when they were built. It was a perc before air conditioning was a thing.

These colonnaded apartment buildings were part of an apartment trend in Kansas City. They were constructed near streetcar lines and main roadways like Main Street. They also helped to fulfill housing shortages when they were built.

That's when speculative developers came in and constructed apartment buildings. Weaver was one of them. His company built 16 apartment buildings between 1908 and 1915. The Paris and Weaver buildings were built at 39th and Walnut Street in Kansas City.

Photo byGoogle Maps screenshot.

In the early 1900s, the middle class was a growing demographic, and that growth had a role in Kansas City's expansion. At the time, people found the apartment buildings attractive. The Paris and Weaver buildings are also near two National Register historic districts. One is the Southside Historic District, and the other is the Old Hyde Park East National Register Historic District.

Other properties around the Paris and Weaver buildings have been demolished for parking lots. When the Paris and Weaver buildings were nominated for the National Register, they were among eight remaining buildings. Hopefully, these buildings can stand for years to come as part of the city's history. Both buildings were renovated.

Thanks for reading.