3951 Troost: Kansas City, MO

The building at the northeast corner of 40th Street and Troost Avenue is a prime example of Kansas City’s early twentieth century vernacular commercial architecture. Construction of a streetcar line down Troost Avenue spurred the development along the route to support the flanking middle-class neighborhoods (Manheim Park to the east and South Hyde Park to the west). This building is typical of the mixed-use commercial development that followed the streetcar. It features contrasting brick walls with exaggerated brick corbels along the cornice. Storefronts with glazed brick bulkheads line the first story along Troost and at the chamfered corner. Apartments fill the upper two stories.

The area entered a period of decline after World War II as families left the city for the burgeoning suburbs. After several decades of disinvestment and population decline, the neighborhoods are experiencing a revival spurred by a series of affordable housing and historic preservation projects.