Old Lee`s Summit Historic Neighborhoods

Old Lee’s Summit
Historic Neighborhoods
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is located twenty miles southeast of Kansas City.
Despite its rapid growth spurt over the past twenty years, historic Old Lee’s
Summit and its downtown central business district have remained the heart of the
community. With small town charm in a growing city, Old Lee’s Summit is a great
place to live, work, shop and play. A Homecoming parade may pass by your
front door or the sound of live
music may drift through your open
windows.
The Old Lee’s Summit
Historic Neighborhoods surround a
thriving and vibrant historic
downtown. In November 2009,
Downtown Lee’s Summit was
named a semi-finalist for the Great
American Main Street Award®. On
ninety-nine days out of the year
residents can enjoy family-friendly community events and festivals held downtown
that contribute to their quality of life. A St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Halloween
costume parade and trick-or-treating, Oktoberfest, and summer concerts are just
a few of the events held downtown with huge support from the surrounding
neighborhoods. Affordable homes, walkable streets, neighborhood schools and
parks, and convenient shopping make the area a popular place to call home for
young families and baby boomers alike. As the City’s government and civic
center, residents find plenty of volunteer opportunities just a few steps from their
front doors. Residents of the historic neighborhoods are highly engaged, and sit
on non-profit boards and City commissions.
Historic homes in the Old Lee’s Summit Historic Neighborhoods range from
affordable to grand, with the majority of homes in the neighborhoods ranging
from $100,000 to $300,000. A variety of architectural styles appeal to diverse
tastes, including 1880's farmhouses, early 1900's Queen Anne's, Colonial
Old Lee’s Summit
Historic Neighborhoods
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Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Revivals, 1920's Craftsmen
Bungalows, Gordon Van
Tine homes, mid-century
ranches and post-WWII
cottages. The city's Historic
Preservation Commission,
along with the Lee's
Summit Historical Society,
have worked arduously
together to identify,
document, and nominate
landmarks and districts for
inclusion on the National
Register. Their success is
evident in that there are
now five National Register Historic Districts in Old Lee's Summit, which are
designated by street signs with each district's name. National Register districts
include the downtown commercial district and four neighborhoods
surrounding it.
History The Town of Strother was founded in 1865 by William B. Howard (his
home is pictured above), as 11
blocks which now encompass the
downtown district. In 1868 the
name was changed to the Town
of Lee’s Summit, referring to the
area being the highest point on
the railroad between St. Louis
and Kansas City. Where Lee
came from is often disputed, with
some saying it was for General
Robert E. Lee and others for early
prominent settler Dr. Pleasant
Lea. An agricultural area with
Old Lee’s Summit
Historic Neighborhoods
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Lee’s Summit, Missouri
strong ties to the railroad, the railroad is
still a fixture in Old Lee’s Summit.
Residents still hear the familiar whistle
throughout the day, or can hop on the
Amtrak at the downtown station to visit
neighboring communities.
Early residents built large, grand
homes near the downtown district. Todd
George, the town’s Mayor, JC Jones, a
lumberman, the Cooper Family, owners of
the Lee’s Summit Journal, and other
prominent residents seemed to be in
competition for who could build the largest
home.
As with many older neighborhoods, a
period of decline fell upon Old Lee’s
Summit in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The Lee's
Summit Old Homes Group (OHG), established in 1987, brought together interested residents who owned, occupied, and were preserving old homes in Old
Lee's Summit. As Lee's Summit rapidly expanded from a town of about 28,000 in
1985 to almost 100,000 today,
the neighborhoods and the
downtown commercial district
began to suffer vacancies,
teardowns, and conversions of
residential to commercial. As a
result, the OHG evolved into not
only a social and networking
group but became an activist
group within the city to help
preserve and restore the
downtown and surrounding
neighborhoods.
Old Lee’s Summit
Historic Neighborhoods
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Lee’s Summit, Missouri
This was accomplished in a variety
of ways, including getting zoning
changes in neighborhoods to
maintain the residential character
and participating in city planning
processes to ensure that the
downtown commercial district and
surrounding neighborhoods were
preserved and protected. A close
relationship has been built between
the neighborhoods and the
downtown commercial district,
where they support and advocate
for one another. With great success, the downtown commercial district is thriving
and the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown are attracting more and more
young people and young families. The Old Homes Group has now itself evolved
into its 21st century version - an on-line Historic Neighborhood Group, where
residents, business owners, and property owners can share knowledge, air
concerns, and address issues effecting Old Lee's Summit.
For information about Lee’s Summit, Missouri, please visit the following:
Downtown Lee’s Summit
http://www.downtownls.org
City of Lee’s Summit
http://www.cityofls.net
Lee’s Summit Historic
Preservation Commission
http://lees-summit.mo.us/HPC/
intro.htm
Lee’s Summit Historical Society
http://www.leessummithistory.net
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Historic Neighborhoods
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Lee’s Summit, Missouri