The core of this collection is a group of 4,000+ folders, each representing a city block. The folders have numbered squares representing individual parcels, to which small photographs were glued.
So to locate a specific building, you need to find the folder for your block, and scan the photos visually to see if your property appears. When viewing a block folder page, you can mouse over the preview image to zoom in; you can also use a mouse scrollwheel to adjust the zoom level.
Finding Your Block Folder
Option #1 (Easiest): Locate Your Block on the Interactive Map
- Visit the Map of blocks
Click through to the record for your block. Only a portion of the city has been mapped so this method may not work for you. - View the Block Folders
There may be only a few photos on a block folder, or there may be dozens. They generally appear in some kind of sequence, usually corresponding to the route that photographers took through the neighborhood.
For this reason both sides of a street often don't appear on the same folder. So you will want to check all adjoining block folders if you have trouble locating your building at first.
Option #2 (Easy): Search by Cross-Street
- Visit the Search by Cross-Street page
Enter the street name for your building, and that of the closest cross-street. This should yield a list of 1-5 block folders for you to review.
- View the Block Folders
There may be only a few photos on a block folder, or there may be dozens. They generally appear in some kind of sequence, usually corresponding to the route that photographers took through the neighborhood.
For this reason both sides of a street often don't appear on the same folder. So you will want to check all adjoining block folders if you have trouble locating your building at first.
Option #3 (Most Precise): Locate your Block on the District Map
- Start at the City Map
Using the interactive City Map, locate the district map for your building. The browser will attempt to detect your current location if that helps.
View Your District Map
Open the map for your District. You will have to zoom and pan around the image to locate the block that holds your property, which can be tricky. Sometimes the orientation of the District Maps is rotated 90 degrees so that East/West appears vertically. Streets should be labeled on the edges of the maps.
Blocks are indicated with an underlined number inside of a shape drawing of the block. Try not to be distracted by all the other numbers!
Underlined numbers represent the block folder number
Enter the block number into the "Find Block Folders" search on the page to get the link for the folder.
- View Your Block Folder
There may be only a few photos on your block folder, or there may be dozens. They generally appear in some kind of sequence, usually corresponding to the route that photographers took through the neighborhood.
For this reason both sides of a street often don't appear on the same folder. So you will want to check adjoining block folders if you have trouble locating your building at first.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why isn't my house in the collection?
The sad truth is that many property photos have been lost over the years. This collection was open to the public for many decades before coming to the Library in 2011. Frequent handling, theft and lack of preservation interventions likely contributed to the gaps you will encounter.
The city boundaries were also somewhat different in 1940 than they are today. Your home could have been outside the target area for the assessment, even if it's part of Kansas City today.
- How do I request a photo of a specific house or building?
Locate the property photo on the appropriate block folder using the process detailed above. Note the parcel number listed beneath the photo and enter it into the request form and enter your contact information. There is a $10 fee for private use or a $25 fee for commercial use. Once you have made payment, staff will pull the original folder and make a high-resolution scan of the building. You will receive the file via email.
- Why can't I just search for an address?
There were very few addresses associated with individual properties on the collection materials - we only know the general location of the block, based on the materials that have survived. While we have since identified hundreds of properties, this work is manual and time-consuming, so most people will have to do a little work to find a specific address.