8 minute read
Celebrate Leawood!
City's history is on display as officials and residents plan events in honor of the 75th anniversary.
By Jackie Hostetler
The year 1948 was historic. It was a time of change and growth throughout the world. In May of that year, the United Nations declared Israel an independent state. Just prior to that, on April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) was established; that date became a worldwide day of awareness known as World Health Day. In September 1948, North Korea was established.
A bit closer to home in the U.S., NASCAR held its inaugural race for modified stock cars at Daytona Beach, and the first Polaroid camera was sold for $89.75 at Jordan Marsh Department Store in Boston.
Even closer to home, 1948 was the year the township of Leawood officially incorporated after the establishment of its first housing development. The housing development, which began the first phases of planning in 1937, comprised about 300 homes, with its boundaries stretching between what is now 79th Street and south toward 103rd Street. The city’s namesake, Oscar G. Lee originally purchased the land in 1922, and the Kroh Brothers later developed it.
Not a native Kansan, Lee migrated north to the Sunflower State from Oklahoma. Lee was a police officer and successful oilman, doing business in both Oklahoma and Kansas. Upon his retirement, Lee purchased several hundred acres in what is now Leawood. After Lee’s death, the land was acquired by the
business-savvy Kroh Brothers. Kroh Brothers Development, with contemporaries such as real estate mogul J.C. Nichols, carved out a significant portion of the real estate and development market across the Midwest and beyond. The Kroh Brothers were responsible for that first residential development in Leawood, as well as the original Ward Parkway Shopping Center, the original Leawood Country Club, and the Leawood’s original City Hall.
Due in large part to the efforts of Lee and Kroh Brothers Development, Leawood became a city of the third class on November 30, 1948, with a population of less than 2,000.
The original houses, now located in Leawood’s local historic district, were made of stone, brick, and clapboard. Like most of the Midwest, prior to residential development, the area was made up of farms and small, one-room schoolhouses. As a nod to the not-so-distance past, the streets of Leawood originally did not have sidewalks so they would resemble country lanes. This Leawood was designed to offer a quiet, suburban refuge from the bustling streets of Kansas City, Missouri, about 10 miles north of Leawood.
Pre-dating Lee and Kroh Brothers Development, the land that is present-day Leawood was originally Native American land. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, the U.S. government moved the Shawnee Indians to 1.6 million acres of land in eastern Kansas. President James Buchanan deeded the land to members of the Shawnee Indian Nation. Six hundred acres of the land became the property of Dr. Greyeyes of the Wyandot tribe, who later sold the land that would be developed into the northern portion of Leawood.
Following the sale of the land, the area became known as Oxford Township in the 1850s. The establishment of Oxford Township coincided with the historical era known as “Bleeding Kansas,” when Missourians and Kansans fought regarding whether Kansas would become a slave state or a free state.
In 1857, the “Oxford Fraud” occurred, a scandal involving voter fraud leading up to the Civil War. As the legend goes, proslavery forces padded election results in the Johnson County precinct of Oxford. When the final votes were tallied, local officials knew something was awry. The 1,628 proslavery candidate votes outnumbered the area’s entire voting population. At that time, only about 500 legal voters lived in the Johnson County area and fewer than 100 of them resided in Oxford. The invalidated votes sent ripples through the Democratic Party as they tried to gain control of the Kansas territorial legislature. Ultimately, the incident helped pave the way for Republican Abraham Lincoln to win the 1860 presidential election.
A Growth Spurt
Indeed, this particular area of northeast Johnson County holds a rich and colorful past, dating back well over a century, but historians understand that Leawood, as it is known today, is still quite young at only 75 years old. Within those 75 years, Leawood has grown from a small housing development with residents numbering 2,000 to its current population of 34,000. In addition to the population growth, Leawood has experienced notable
expansions in commerce and industry. According to Chris Claxton, director of Parks and Recreation & Arts for the past 25 years, economic development has been booming.
“The development has served the city very well, with many new restaurants and shopping areas over the past years,” says Claxton.
Claxton adds that, throughout its 75-year history, Leawood has seen major growth and improvement in government facilities, such as the three fire stations serving the community, as well as the development of park facilities, including the Aquatic Center, City Park, and Ironwoods Park.
To top it off, Leawood is home to some of the highestranking schools in the state. It seems as though Leawood may have something to celebrate.
This fall, Leawood residents are doing just that. During the first full weekend of October, Leawood celebrates its 75th anniversary.
The three-day event took months of planning by a committee of representatives from each city department and city clerk Stephen Powell. The committee, co-chaired by Claxton, worked diligently to execute the event with the attention and style that a community such as Leawood deserves.
“Time was a real challenge,” Claxton says. “We had several new staff members across all departments, and everyone was extremely busy. However, this group of professionals always comes through.”
Not only did the city departments give of their time and resources to make the event a success, but other community organizations helped out as well. The Leawood Foundation provided “swag bags” for the VIP tent during the Saturday Night Concert night. The Rotary Club and Historic Commission also provided volunteers throughout the weekend. The Leawood Chamber of Commerce was also instrumental in planning the celebration.
“We worked with the chamber to make it a weekend event. They also worked with us in lining up sponsors for the events throughout the weekend,” says Claxton.
The celebration will include a kids’ bike parade, a Touch-ATruck Event, a kids’ concert and carnival, food trucks, a Saturday Night Concert with performances by KC Aerial Artists, workshops with KC Aerial Artists, and more. Turn to page 22 for the lineup of events in the advertisement for the City of Leawood.
Claxton notes that her favorite part will be just watching the community enjoy the party.
A New Brand
In conjunction with the anniversary, the city of Leawood will unveil its new branding and logo design, as well as a new art installation. The proposed sculpture, titled Reaching, is being designed by Leawood native William Nemitoff. It draws inspiration from olive trees and is meant to represent roots reaching down into the community with branches reaching toward the sky. The sculpture honors the past while looking forward to the promise of the future.
It was the hope that the sculpture would be delivered in September, prior to the celebration. Due to supply chain issues, the unveiling has been delayed until winter or early spring 2024. When complete, the clear acrylic and powder-coated aluminum piece will have two bunches of 75 strands in honor of Leawood’s anniversary. It will weigh approximately 12,000 pounds and stand roughly 28 feet tall and 40 feet wide with color-changing LED lights throughout the entire sculpture.
The new branding campaign was led by local brand design agency, Willoughby Design Group. The new logo design features an updated tree icon with four branches that represent the four brand pillars or shared values of the Leawood Community. These values include Ease of Living, Curated Beauty, Strong Community, and Forward Thinking.
The “City of Leawood” wordmark has been updated to pay homage to the previous logo by using a distinctive “L.”
Leawood mayor Peggy Dunn has been pleased to help usher in the modernized design, in addition to the accompanying modernized sentiment.
“Our motto was always ‘Growing with Distinction,’” Dunn says. “We’ve actually come up with several new taglines, including ‘Living with Distinction’ and ‘Empowered by Community. Inspired by Possibility.’”
Dunn, who has been a part of the governing body of Leawood for 30 years, more than a third of its 75-year history, is optimistic about the next 75 years.
“As I look at the future city council and governing bodies, I hope they continue to serve Leawood with the attitude of a public servant. I hope they continue to do what they believe is best for the broader community. I hope they continue to work toward the common good for all. I feel like that has been something that has been very evident in the previous 75 years. I’d love to see that continue, and I have no doubt that it will,” she says.
