Downtown Kansas City Photo Shoot: Castle at 18th & Vine
I was driving down the Paseo a few days ago and noticed this abandoned castle-like structure a couple blocks away. Since Kansas City originated as a cow-town, not a European fiefdom, I was compelled to return with a few friends and my camera to explore the castle’s mysterious allure.
Still don’t know what this building used to be, but I’m working on it. This place is probably closer to 19th and Vine…and, I admit, is not actually downtown (too bad, eh). But like the Filling Station, you can get there from downtown in a couple minutes.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:17 am
It was a prison. I’d heard that vagrants frequent it quite a bit…careful at night…
October 14th, 2008 at 11:23 am
It looks like an awesome place to make a film.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Wow. Amazing.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Oh, but wouldn’t it be so much cooler if it really were a real castle once belonging to a real fiefdom?
Although then I suppose one would have to feel sorry for all the serfs who’d been fiefed … fifed … or is it foofed?
October 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
@ Matt, seriously, it was a prison? Can you substantiate that, or are you just…pulling my chain? I did have to relocate several vagrants in order to take my pictures.
@ Lanz, I wonder who owns it and whether they would sell it for about $50.
@ Donna, that’s pretty much what I thought. Even before I climbed the turret.
@ Amelia, maybe, but if it was really a prison, then there’s a chance Jesse James or Doc Holiday spent time there…instant cool points.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:49 am
There are several stone buildings similar to this one, spread through the east side. They are city owned, have been used by different entities within the city, namely parks and rec, city maint. etc. I believe there is one slated to be demolished and a few being restored.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:24 am
It was built in 1897 and was indeed originally a prison. Later it was a Public Work department building. It’s been considered a likely candidate for renovation to house the Black Archives, though I am not sure if that project is still alive.
By the way, this used to be a pretty wealthy part of town.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:26 am
By the way you can find the remains of another castle just north of 31st & Broadway. It burned decades ago leaving only the outer wall. That wall was used to store equipment for the parks department for years. More recently a stage was constructed inside, it is now the Off Broadway Theatre.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
@ Midtown, if there are additional castles scattered around the east side, I have some more exploring to do…maybe connect with the Urban Explorers and make it an expedition. It would take some serious coin to restore this one, no?
@ Scooter, thanks for the info. Apparently maintenance work and prison used to be more glamorous occupations… The Paseo/East Side area intrigues me because the original wealth of the neighborhoods is still apparent.
Donna just sent me a link to a listing of Missouri castles: http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/#mo
Clearly, I’ll have to track some more of these down…any other castle photogs out there?
October 15th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Yeah I’ve always thought that Kansas City has some of the nicest looking poor neighborhoods of any major city.
(Though there’s some really nasty ones out there too if you look in the right places.)
October 15th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
@ Scooter: Ha, well put. KC has the classiest blighted areas of anyplace I’ve been.