The City Beautiful: Kansas City

We asked local teens to submit their favorite photos of Kansas City, and one thing is certain… through their lenses Kansas City truly is a City Beautiful.

City Skyline

They were called Beautiful Dreamers: the men who had a vision for Kansas City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that she would become a City Beautiful. A city lush with gardens, sparkling with fountains and bejeweled with exquisite architecture and respected museums. Now, more than 100 years later, the legacy of JC Nichols, August Meyer, George Kessler, William Rockhill Nelson and others can still be seen in the parks, boulevards and buildings they helped to create. Photo by: Marissa Bruns of Shawnee, KS.

Loose Park

Loose Park has been called “a jewel in the city.” Built in the 1930s on the site of the Civil War Battle of Westport, the park transformed the land from a gruesome memory to one of the most exquisite parks in the entire city. The centerpiece of the park is the municipal rose garden and its fountain, but the surrounding acreage includes beautiful gardens and trails surrounding a duck pond and fountains.  Photo By: Lauren Maxwell of Kansas City, MO.

Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium is one of the six oldest baseball stadiums in the United States, and it has often been referred to as one of “baseball’s most beautiful parks.” With its trademark Kansas City fountains and waterfalls, The K has created one of the most picturesque backdrops for a ballgame in the entire nation. With last year’s renovations, the Little K offers a carousel, miniature golf and games for the entire family. Photo By: David Sullivan of Independence, MO.

Liberty Memorial

The Liberty Memorial honors the lives of the Americans who served in World War I. R. A. Long, the founding president of the Liberty Memorial Association, said, “From its inception it was intended that this Memorial should represent on the part of all people, a living expression for all time of the gratitude of a grateful people to those who offered and who gave their lives in defense of liberty and our country.” Today, the National World War I Museum is one of the finest museums in the country, preserving and presenting the history of the Great War. Photo By: Kyra Webster of Kansas City, MO.

Plaza

Beautiful is what it was created to be. The Plaza, modeled after the architecture in Seville, Spain, was the first American shopping center built for shoppers “arriving by car.” The Plaza is adorned with statues, fountains, plants and artwork, including our city’s most famous fountain, the JC Nichols Fountain. The fountain, created by Henri-Leon Greber, depicts four equestrian figures representing the four great rivers: The Mississippi, Volga, Seine and Rhine. As Kansas City is the “city where the rivers meet,” we can’t think of a more appropriate landmark. Photo By: Sarah Wacker of Overland Park, KS.

Kansas City mom and KCParent.com web editor Kristina Light loved seeing all the photos taken by talented KC teens and enjoyed writing about the top 5.