We Shouldn’t Forget Our History, Or Those Who Came Before

You have to wonder about architects. Do they just see a vision in their minds of what a building should look like and then sell that concept to their client, convincing them that it’s the way to go matter what?

Red Bridge Shopping Center is a prime example. It was built in 1959 as a welcoming neighborhood shopping center with a primarily brick facade. Then in 2020 Wonderscope was built on the northwest corner of the Center. Mostly glass and bright colors in geometric designs, its three stories stick out like a sore thumb. Coming from the east on Red Bridge Road, you can see the roof from over a mile and a half away, looking like a blight on the treetops.

More recently, everyone has become excited about the new grocery store to be built soon. According to “The Telegraph”, “The new store front will mirror the architectural aesthetics and ambiance of the shopping center.” From the picture provided, it seems to be very angular and while there seems to be some wood veneer which echoes the somberness of the rest of the center, there is much more light coloring to this building. To “mirror…” they really should use brick. Maybe the goal here is to help tie in to the Wonderscope building which is somewhat kitty-corner to the grocery?

Whatever the reasoning is for either of these buildings’ exterior, it certainly would have been more admirable to consider the history of the area itself. Just to the east, between the shopping center and the Blue River, is a National Park Service informational exhibit marking actual swales (ruts) left by the wagon wheels of those who crossed the river on what has become known as the Three Trails (Oregon, Santa Fe, and California). This trail alignment then goes roughly down Holmes, passing Red Bridge Shopping Center. With all the pavement in the area today, it’s difficult to know the exact trail route, so there’s every possibility it actually crossed shopping center land.

The owners of this property should be proud of the heritage of the area and its contribution to emigration, trade, and mining; and that should be reflected in the architecture to better help us all remember.

Is a food desert a 20 minute drive or a 5 minute drive?

The January 4 edition of “The Telegraph” reports that the Ripple Glass bin is gone and not likely to be back at Red Bridge Shopping Center. Owen Buckley, president of Lane 4 which is the property manager for the shopping center, seems to be discouraging its return. Even though it says Ripple Glass, apparently there are those who think it’s simply a dumping site for things they don’t want. The purple bins are the best way to recycle glass since the recycling center at Red Bridge and 71 highway won’t take drinking glasses, but Buckley has an understandable point.

Interestingly, he went on to say that there are two other Ripple bins “within five minutes of the Red Bridge site” one of which is the Price Chopper at 103rd and State Line. That quote reminded us of a previous blog, No Food Desert Here, about the fact that the shopping center was losing its grocery store, but there was no need to worry because the Mayor was involved and would move some taxes around to see that the area got a new grocery store.

Anyway, in that blog where the area was being labeled a food desert, we included a report from KCTV5 which stated, “South KC Alliance President John Sharp said that nobody wants to live in a neighborhood where they have to make a 20-minute drive to get basic needs for their household.” That is a true statement and doesn’t actually say that the folks in the Red Bridge area would need to do that, but we did find the contrast with Own Buckley’s statement interesting.

Hickman Mills Nonexistent?

The closing of the Sun Fresh Market in the Red Bridge Shopping Center was announced recently; and it didn’t take long for the Mayor to jump on the political bandwagon:

“Our Red Bridge area deserves high quality services, including grocery and shopping options. I will work with area leaders and neighbors to secure a new store that will continue the resurgence of the Red Bridge Shopping Center and South Kansas City.”

While I’m sure he thinks this will gain him votes, which he doesn’t need since he will be running unopposed, it struck a nerve in another area of KC which he apparently does not recognize.

The Hickman Mills Community was annexed by Kansas City in the 1960s and is actually located in the southeast corner of Kansas City, yet it seems the mayor is denying its existence. To him, South Kansas City would appear to mean Red Bridge and Martin City because those areas are where the “resurgence” is.

The question is: Why does he believe the Red Bridge area is deserving of “high quality services” while he continues to ignore the dilapidated shopping centers in Hickman Mills which are nothing more than eyesores? Why does he not believe Hickman Mills is deserving of a “resurgence” and “shopping options”?

When running for office 4 years ago, the mayor actually had a community meeting in Hickman Mills in order to listen to concerns of the people living there. He even participated in a forum at Ruskin High School. In what many expected to be a close race, he was looking for votes wherever he could find them. Now it seemingly doesn’t matter and once again the Hickman Mills Community not only loses out but isn’t even recognized.

Kansas City could be a truly great city if the powers that be would stop trying to improve the already well-developed areas and focus more on areas of need. At the very least, they could acknowledge all areas of the city as being part of the city.