So what will the city name for Dr. Martin Luther King? (Kansas City: appointed, maintenance)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by lovekcmo

I don't think an airport should be named after someone that isn't native from the immediate area. There's only two people I think would be appropriate for renaming the airport and that would be renaming KCI to either Harry S. Truman or Amelia Earhart, both local citizens of importance.

Didn't know Earhart was a local but agree with you otherwise, the only problem being that we've named so many things for Truman already.

How about "Jean Harlow International Airport"?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by lovekcmo

Everyone that I know locally, blacks and whites, wanted The Paseo back to Paseo and not from any disrespect towards MLK. I have read a lot of the KC Star and national articles about KC voting to rename it back to Paseo and the ugly comments people have left on these articles basically stating/implying that KC voters are a bunch of racist rednecks.

Preeeee-cisely.

I knew that's how people would interpret the story the moment I heard it reported without context on NPR.

[sub]

The Paseo is historical itself, and probably one of the coolest street names of all time. Surely they can find another street to rename.

[lovekcmo]

Amelia Earhart was born in Atchinson KS, but from what I read, she was almost born in downtown KC area, but her parents got back to Atchinson just in time. Atchinson is actually a closer drive to KCI than for most residents south of the river. Funny that you mention Jean Harlow, I've been a big movie buff fan for years, and it's incredible the number of early entertainers from KC. Jean Harlow I believe, from what I've read live, grew up on 30 something and Olive and I think I read her parents were married in the old Linwood Presbyterian Church. Maybe make Olive, namesake Jean Harlow and Joan Crawford I think grew up in the NE part of KC, could go on and on with names of famous past people. True about so much named after Harry S Truman, I think KC-Amelia Earhart "Int" airport sounds good. And I think the MLK fountain at the Plaza and then a new grand Blvd up North named Rev Dr MLK Blvd would work, or 63rd street from State Line into Raytown or KC at Blue Ridge Cutoff. I'm not up for renaming established street names, etc, but all for new streets being named, which there will be plenty off coming up for north of the river.

[lovekcmo]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Preeeee-cisely.

I knew that's how people would interpret the story the moment I heard it reported without context on NPR.

This just so irritates me what people are thinking, and this is one time, where non KC residents are 100% wrong about us. I jokingly told one of my black co-worker female pals yesterday, when she was so happily talking to me about how the vote went and that Paseo was coming back, that her vote for yes made me a redneck racist to the rest of the country. She laughed and said the world is just crazy. She's a sweet cute lady.

[lovekcmo]

one last, other thing I found interesting about the vote. I think everyone that I know that voted no, not to change the name back to Paso, were transplant residents from either the west or east coast vs. everyone that I knew that were natives voted yes.

[lovekcmo]

Charlie Bird Parker could/should have a street "nicknamed" like Philadelphia does, in KCK where he was born, Wallace Beery street nicknamed somewhere in Clay County MO where he was born, Ginger Rogers in Independence, Oliver Gates in KC. Henry Perry. Downtown KC has Petticoat Lane. KC and metro could so much with doing this subtle extra on streets, would educate residents and visitors of KC's rich history.

[MarketStEl]

Just so you all know:

Both The New York Times and The Washington Post carried good stories on the vote. Both of them provided context and background. The Post's story especially captured some of the dissension within KC's African-American community over the renaming.

In telling the backstory, The Post also let readers know that the City Council basically ran roughshod over the Parks and Recreation Board's own guidelines for naming city boulevards, citing KCUR:

The Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board refused a suggestion to replace The Paseo signs with King’s name in 2018, according to KCUR, noting that streets were to be named after people who had made significant contributions to the city and that the 42-acre Martin Luther King Jr. Park has honored the civil rights leader since 1978.

But I'm surprised and a little upset at the Times reporter's story. In it, he repeatedly calls the street "Paseo Boulevard," noting after the fourth reference that it is "also known as" The Paseo.

The reporter is African-American, and I'm a little upset because the bio at the end says he's a national correspondent based in Kansas City.

In which case, I wonder how long he's lived here. If any of the following has changed from how I remember things growing up, let me know:

Yes, all streets in Kansas City have designators ("street," "avenue," "drive," "boulevard," "parkway," "road"...) as part of their legal names, and the ballot question asked whether the name should be changed back to "The Paseo Boulevard."

But - and this was a relic of the days when city street signs omitted them on named streets except for those named "road," "drive," "boulevard," or "parkway" (a practice the city originally maintained when it adopted the current white-on-green signs in the early 1970s but dropped later in the decade) - Kansas Citians never used the designators in speech except in the case of those four.

The notable exceptions to this rule were Broadway and The Paseo (both "boulevards" but not referred to as such). "Blvd" still doesn't appear on signs for The Paseo, whereas I have seen some signs refer to "Broadway Blvd".

There is a street called West Paseo Boulevard in the 20s, but otherwise, no one in Kansas City calls the main thoroughfare "Paseo Boulevard." It's simply "The Paseo" even now.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by lovekcmo

I like the idea of a secondary name on an already established street such as you described in Philadelphia, The Paseo could be honorary MLK Drive, or any street, without having all the changes of a streets name. 31st St could be Walt Disney Drive, so much could be done with honoring local and national citizens. Another thing I thought of with honoring MLK without naming a street would be to rename the Nichols Fountain at the Plaza the MLK fountain.

Chicago does this, as well... you'll have streets with a given name that is in use, but also segments of it designated by a secondary sign with the honorary name.

[MarketStEl]

Regarding naming or nicknaming a street for Walt Disney, who I agree deserves the honor:

I think that street should be 9th, which runs past the still-standing 1895 Kansas City Public Library.

It was there that Disney checked out the book on animation that launched him on his career.