Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Lee's Summit: designer, financing, builder)

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Besides the Electric (seating 500), Plaza (500), Granada (600), Englewood (670), and Maywood (unk) theaters, Independence also had the Byam (unk) Theater. It was located on Independence Avenue at Huttig Street in Fairmount and was independently owned rather than being part of Associated Theaters or Associated Enterprises.

An Audio Visual display in the Truman Memorial Building shows inside and outside views of the the Byam movie theater that was in the Fairmount area of Independence.

The Byam photos are included in a tribute to Sgt Charles R. Long, an Independence Medal of Honor recipient during the Korean War.

Seventy-seven military members from Missouri have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Sgt Long appears to be the only individual from Independence to receive the award.

He grew up in the Fairmount area.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

An Audio Visual display in the Truman Memorial Building shows inside and outside views of the the Byam movie theater that was in the Fairmount area of Independence.

The Byam photos are included in a tribute to Sgt Charles R. Long, an Independence Medal of Honor recipient during the Korean War.

Seventy-seven military members from Missouri have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Sgt Long appears to be the only individual from Independence to receive the award.

He grew up in the Fairmount area.

The new bridge carrying US 24 Hiway over the RR at the west end of the Fairmount business district is named for him. I have known his sister for many years. She served as a reserve police officer for a really long time.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by sally36

My Dad was asst. mgr. of the original Safeway sev. blcks down from square on W. Maple. Dont recall which block but bldg was brick with big wondows. I have a b/w pic of him and the mgr. standing out front in their big white aprons. He met my Mom there in l935 and the rest is history! That bldg is long gone. I dont recall a Safeway near the square. Probably after my time. I left in '54 and visited only a few times in the 60s. You might think I've been away longer that I was there so why am I so still taken up with my long ago hometown? I'm just funny that way. Was taken away against my will so I guess it wouldnt take a psychologist to tell why I still am attached at the hip to Independence, MO. Very attached to my family and friends and my town. Sob. It's done me a world of good to see and share all of the above info and pix. Yea! And thank you.TTYL

Sally mentions a Safeway several blocks from the square on West Maple. She mentions the building is long gone.

There was a Safeway in the 1300/1400 block of west Lexington and the building is no longer there. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

There was a Safeway in the 200 block of south Main, which is now according to Google Earth a Bible College. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

There was a Safeway in the 400 block of west Lexington. The building is now Westminster Hall belonging to the First Presbyterian Church. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

There was a Safeway on the southwest corner of Truman and Sterling. The building is now a shoe store. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

Maybe there are more former Safeway stores around town that operated in the fifties.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Sally mentions a Safeway several blocks from the square on West Maple. She mentions the building is long gone.

There was a Safeway in the 1300/1400 block of west Lexington and the building is no longer there. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

There was a Safeway in the 200 block of south Main, which is now according to Google Earth a Bible College. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

There was a Safeway in the 400 block of west Lexington. The building is now Westminster Hall belonging to the First Presbyterian Church. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

There was a Safeway on the southwest corner of Truman and Sterling. The building is now a shoe store. This Safeway was operating in the fifties.

Maybe there are more former Safeway stores around town that operated in the fifties.

Congratulations All on Page No. 100 The KC posters probably wonder what the heck we can talk about for this long

Sally's Safeway in 1948 was at 324 W. Maple. This looks to be right across Maple from the Granada as the building there now is 323. I don't ever remember a Safeway next to Diamond Bowl or across from the theatre, does anyone? Or maybe the street numbering is slightly different now and it was further east. In fact, I don't remember what was ever next to Diamond Bowl at that corner.

Also at 1320 W. Lexington This would be the grocery just east of the Natatorium swimming pool.

220 S. Main

11115 Van Horn Rd.

By 1957 the latter three were still around, Sally's store was gone, but there was one at 23rd St. at 11213. Which looks to be NE Sterling and 23rd, where a Walgreen's is now perhaps. I should remember that one as that was directly on our way home from Alton Plaza.

Edit: 324 in 57 was the US Army Recruiting Station. 322 was Lund Motors. Granada was listed at 325, Sweet Shop at 327. Galen Boyer was at 313-17 and Stockwood Tire at 314-316

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Congratulations All on Page No. 100 The KC posters probably wonder what the heck we can talk about for this long

Sally's Safeway in 1948 was at 324 W. Maple. This looks to be right across Maple from the Granada as the building there now is 323. I don't remember a Safeway next to Diamond Bowl or across from the theatre, does anyone? Or maybe the street numbering is slightly different now and it was further east.

Also at 1320 W. Lexington

220 S. Main

11115 Van Horn Rd.

By 1957 the latter three were still around, Sally's store was gone, but there was one at 23rd St. at 11213. Which looks to be NE Sterling and 23rd, where a Walgreen's is now perhaps. I should remember that one as that way directly on our way home from Alton Plaza.

What do you have for 417 W Lexington in the fifties?

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by SilverDoc

Look at the old Stapleton airport they had to close in Denver, for example. The city grew, and soon they were surrounded by the city, and even had runways out over I-70! So..when they decided to move the airport further north, they settled on 33,920 acres, or 53 square miles! People out there asked "Why?"

Yes, they asked why, but it did not do any good, chuckle.

By area, it is the largest airport in the U.S. and second largest in the world.

Those runways over I-70 were the first structures to go when the airport finally opened in 1995. For some reason, highway traffic always backed up under those bridges even though the roadway did not narrow.

The terminal still receives a lot of derision for looking like a circus tent and the roof is, indeed, fabric.

Several years and several hundred million dollars were wasted trying to perfect an automated baggage handling system, which never worked. The original cost of $186m for the baggage system when the airport opened grew to almost half a billion dollars and the effort was abandoned in 2005.

[MRG Dallas]

What do you have for 417 W Lexington in the fifties?


1957- Krogers

Also for 1952

That's probably the one that moved over to 24 Hiway S/C within a year or two.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

What do you have for 417 W Lexington in the fifties?


1957- Krogers

Chuckle, I will buy that.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Sally's Safeway in 1948 was at 324 W. Maple. This looks to be right across Maple from the Granada as the building there now is 323. I don't ever remember a Safeway next to Diamond Bowl or across from the theatre, does anyone? Or maybe the street numbering is slightly different now and it was further east. In fact, I don't remember what was ever next to Diamond Bowl at that corner.

Interesting. I dont recall a grocery store there. Maybe Sally knows if it was close to the Granada.

I hope she is doing well and can return as soon as she can.

[WCHS'59]

I can remember Gentleman Jim Dobey wrestling in the main event at the Memorial Building in the fifties. Gentleman Jim lived on James Downey Road when the road was out in the country. He was a customer at C&J United Super where I worked and he had the worst case of cauliflower ears I have ever seen on a person. Cauliflower ears are a symptom suffered by a lot of professional wrestling people.


No wrestling going on, but the Truman Memorial Building had a ping pong tournament on the auditorium floor last Wednesday put on by the Independence Table Tennis Club.

The multiple participants were all gray haired or getting there as far as I could see.

The building has been very nicely restored. The building was originally dedicated on July 4, 1926. The restoration is now a few years old.

I asked a young lady if the “junior high school cafeteria” was still in existence but she could not say. She did say they had recently had a banquet there, though.


Sound baffles have been suspended from the ceiling to provide better sound in the auditorium.

There is a nice military museum in the basement as well as a number of “Presidential” meeting rooms.

The main entrance to the memorial building is via the basement from the Pleasant Street side across from the old high school. I noticed the Statue of Liberty that was at the corner of Maple and Pleasant at the school was missing. I believe it is now at the genealogical library on Kiger Road. I asked about it there, but another young lady said she did not know if it came from the former junior high school.

An huge elevator has been added to the memorial building that accesses all three floors.
The rest rooms were really extraordinary and even contain a shower.

Whereas the seats in the auditorium were once all wood, they now have wood backs and plush cushions.

I don’t recall the stage being as low as it seemed to be, but I doubt if it had been lowered.


I had my camera but when I started to take a picture, I received an error warning that my photo chip was missing. I had left it in my computer when I last moved my photos to the computer.