The Paseo (also known as Paseo Boulevard, or Paseo) is a major north–south
parkway in
Kansas City, Missouri. As the city's first major boulevard, it runs approximately 10 miles (16 km) (85 blocks) through the center of the city: from Cliff Drive and Lexington Avenue on the bluffs above the
Missouri River in the
Pendleton Heights historic neighborhood, to 85th Street and Woodland Avenue. The parkway holds 223 acres (0.90 km2) of boulevard parkland dotted with several
Beaux-Arts-style decorative structures and architectural details maintained by the city's Parks and Recreation department.[1]
The name was suggested by the first president of the Parks Board,
August R. Meyer (1851–1905), based on the
Paseo de la Reforma in
Mexico City.[2] In 2019, the city council renamed the street to
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd[3] and was immediately petitioned to subject the change to a citywide vote, in a strong controversy.[4] A vote to rename the boulevard back to The Paseo passed on November 5, 2019.[5]
Background
Kansas City's extensive parkway and boulevard system was designed as part of the
City Beautiful Movement. Its design theme and name are taken from the Paseo de la Reforma in
Mexico City.[6] From its start at Cliff Drive, the original alignment was changed to install the on-ramp to Interstate 35, then it curves slightly southwest and heads almost due south for most of its length. A few city parks are located adjacent to The Paseo, such as Parade Park at
Truman Road and Troost Park at 31st Street.
The parkway was laid out in the early 1900s by
George Kessler under the direction of
August Meyer, first president of the Commission of Parks. The Paseo, conceived as a series of small parks, extended through a former
slum area and contained intersections that featured a formal sunken garden, a
pergola, and large fountains reminiscent of those at
Versailles.[7][8][9] Its construction was preceded by the eviction of African-American families that had to move to other overcrowded slums.[10]: 16–17 Its northern end acquired an unsavory reputation during the early 1920s owing to the spread of prostitution, gambling and narcotics in the area.[10]: 20 In the 1920s, with the re-emergence of the African-American population in the surrounding areas, the Paseo stood out as "ribbon of white in an otherwise black village", with more than half the white population living in the area having a Paseo address.[10]: 45
The Paseo intersects with
US 71,
US 40,
I-70,
US-Bus 24, and
US 56. The
Christopher S. Bond Bridge (which replaced the defunct
Paseo Bridge in 2010) features direct north–south access onto the road via exit-entrance ramps. Trucks are prohibited from using the Paseo.
Points of interest
The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri is located at 299 Paseo.
A
Daniel Chester French sculpture honoring Meyer, dedicated in 1909, stands at 10th & Paseo.
Dr. Generous Henderson House, designed by Rudolf Markgraf in 1899, is the only remaining example of Second
Renaissance Revival style in Kansas City, on the National Register of Historic Places, at 1016 Paseo.
Keneseth Israel-Beth Shalom Synagogue (now Victorious Life Church), colorful twin mosaic domes on a Byzantine-style building, by Greenbaum, Hardy, and Schumacher (1927), at 34th Street.
Plaza East Apartments previously Village Green and Brush Creek Village are located from 45th St to Cleaver II Blvd.
Gates BBQ restaurant on Cleaver II Boulevard at Paseo. The headquarters are located at 4621 Paseo, formerly at Volker Boulevard.
^"Inventory – Nomination form: 1016 The Paseo"(PDF). National Register of Historic Places. U.S. National Park Service. March 10, 1978. p. 7.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.