Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Collins: fit in, apartment complex, mattress)

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

SallyB, this sure is a lot fun! Wish you were here.

Where is Sally, anyway? Maybe I ran her off?


I was thinking there was a car dealership directly across from the Granada Theater on Maple. I remember that Diamond Bowl moved but I cannot recall where they were at before.

I don't recall a car dealer there. The old DB was located across Maple from The Granada, but a building down (north on Osage). If you Google Streetview, it is where the sign that says "Reception Hall" with a phone number. That sign and to the left of the rest of the building is where I picture the old DB to have been. And on down about half a block and across Osage is the "new" DB.
The Granada Sweetshop had its own entrance and was on the corner.

OK I thought I hadn't lost my mind yet, I did picture a separate entrance. For the life of me I do not remember another theatre than Granada. The Plaza Theatre dumbfounds me.

[MRG Dallas]

Katz may have driven the Crown Drug Store out of business at this location.

It probably did because CDS was already operating when my family bought the store in Alton Plaza and I'm sure that was 1955.

[WCHS'59]

MRG,

I am having trouble finding that sign and telephone number across from the Granada.

There is a "new" one story brick building directly across Maple from the old Granada. Is that where you have the Diamond Bowl?

The Plaza was on the south side of the square and I believe it was where there is no building now. It closed in the early fifties, but it sat vacant for many years. On at least one occasion they opened it up for a kids showing on Saturday when something was going on in town. I cannot recall when it was torn down.

The Electric was on north Main. I think it converted to a store immediately after closing. I had thought it was where Gateway Sporting Goods is but it seems now to have been in the building immediately north of it. And, that would make more sense because that building is taller allowing for a projection area.

Also, as I was viewing the area across from the old Granada on Spring Street I noticed there is still an automobile repair place there. In my days that was a Skelly Station. I had a flat fixed there one time for 75 cents--tube had a hole in it.

[MRG Dallas]

Ok, this is my mistake.

I did not realize DB was on Spring, I thought it was on Osage. I never remembered DB being directly across from the Methodist church, where I spent Vacation Bible School in Summer 1960. In looking at the maps, I had pictured both The Granada and DB on Osage.

However, I went to Oldkc.com and it has a DB matchbook which lists the address at 209 N. Spring. Google Maps does show a relatively new one story brick building with the address 201 North Spring "Spring Street Law Building" There is a parking lot next to it, so that would be where DB must have sat. The "new" DB thus is on the same city block, caddy-cornered on Osage.

So was The Granada also on Spring, or was it up on Osage? It sounds from your post above that it was on Spring, so I missed everything by a block!

The service station across W. Maple at Spring was a Skelly station I believe also. The KC A's and Skelly had a promotion once for some kind of a wiffle ball/nerf ball you could get at a station. Sure enough, the attendant was kind enough to look through boxes etc. and found one for me. I wouldn't doubt I still have it somewhere in the attic archives.

[WCHS'59]

MRG,

The current address of Diamond Bowl is 218 N. Osage. I do recall when I was a youngster they were making a move to that location. I do not bowl and have never been in there but I was surprised to learn that it has only eight lanes.

I am still trying to get a mental image of DB once being directly across from the Granada Theater.

The Granada Theater was on the southeast corner of Maple and Spring.

That would have placed DB on the northeast corner of Maple and Spring if the DB building extended to be directly on that corner.

With a former address of 209 N. Spring it may have been further from the corner. I am just conjecturing.

I still have images of coming out of the Granada and seeing trucks or cars behind window glass and I thought they were Dodge. But, time does have a way of altering my images sometimes--chuckle.

Also, next door to the Granada on the Maple side was Galen Boyer Pontiac and not too far west in the next block on Maple was Bostian Chevrolet.

The Skelly station would have been on the southwest corner of Maple and Spring.

And the church on the northwest corner.

[MRG Dallas]

I scanned the Independence listings on Oldkc.com to see if there were Square businesses listed that had addresses. There were only a couple, with Diamond Bowl fortunately being one. The other was a Scoggin Gasoline Turbulator Co. listed at 116 W. Kansas. There are many pics from Santa-Cali-Gon from 1940, 1947 & 1975 which would likely show some businesses in the background.

The DB was not right on the corner opposite Granada. It may or may not have been a second building to the north, thus the 209, but it was not the corner business as I recall. It might have been carved out as part of the building that was on the corner, but I suspect it had its own building. It would have stood where the parking lot is now adjacent to the 201 "Spring St. Law Bldg." It had a small sign, vertical I think, that you could see as you traveled up Maple, say at about a 10 o'clock angle. It was really a small alley with only 8 lanes. As you walked in the door, the locker rooms were off to the left, then the desk up on the left. Snack bar immediately to the right inside the entrance.

I know I was in a summer league during the week, 1960. I still associate the song "Alley Oop" with that which was out at that time lol.

We bought our Pontiacs from Galen Boyer and I thought it was on the south side of Lexington, east of River? Maybe it moved to that location from W. Maple. I cannot for the life of me remember a Bostian Chevrolet, would it have been there mid-50s and later?

[WCHS'59]

Moody Motors was on west Lexington a couple blocks east of Northern Boulevard. He sold Fords. One of the salesmen at that location, as the direct result of a Thunderbird sale, got mixed up with Sharon Kinne and she killed his wife.

The Moody Motors buildings are still there although they have been modified somewhat.

Galen Boyer moved to Noland Road along with just about everyone else but I cannot recall if Moody did or where he went. Boyer is still there on Noland.

I dont know when Bostian Cheverolet vacated or where it went. It would have to have been early sixties I would think. SallyB might know as her father worked there.

There was also a Gene Cable Chevrolet on N Main but he went out on Noland also.

Alley Oop was sung by the Argyles as I recall. I was a faithful reader of Alley Oop in the Examiner. His girl friend was Oola and his best friend was King Guz. I cannot recall the scientist that sent him back and forth in time, though.

When I was working in a grocery store, I could not handle a 100 pound sack of potatoes by myself. But Alley Oop got a job in a grocery store and the owner asked him to move 100 pound sacks of potatoes so he had one on his back and one in each hand--much to the amazement of the owner. That particular strip really hit home. Back then potatoes were generally sold loose rather than in 5 or 10 pound plastic bags.

[WCHS'59]

Taylor Oldsmobile was somewhere in the vicinity of the square I know not where. But he relocated to a new dealership on Truman Road just west of the Sanitarium. This was in the early 50s, also.

Taylor sold the operation to Ketchum Oldsmobile.

The 1955 four door hardtop Oldsmobile 98 was one nice car. It even had air conditioning.

[MRG Dallas]

I remember the names Moody Motors and Sharon Kinne. I still picture GB on Lexington for some reason, right past River where Lexington briefly bends to go due east. There was one of those classic "Bear Wheel Alinement (sic)" signs along the south side there.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bear...w=1920&bih=863

I don't see Lexington and Northern. Do you mean Winner Rd. where it looks like Lexington turns into Winner where I thought the Natatorium was located (the triangle with Crysler)? Two blocks east of where you described took me to Streetview and very near the Englewood Theatre (sad to see not much activity now in that part of town). Harris was the cross street. Is that the neighborhood of Moody Motors?

[WCHS'59]

Moody Motors was at 607 west Lexington.

The next street after Moody is Pendleton, then Union, then River Boulevard.

Lexington goes past Northern for a few more blocks and then splits into Chrysler and Winner at the railroad bridge.