Named for Kansas City mayor Dr. Johnston Lykins, when it was first platted, the Lykins neighborhood seemed far from his mansion on Quality Hill. With Walrond Avenue (later renamed Benton Boulevard) as its western border, the Lykins area spread south from Independence Avenue with a mix of middle- and upper-class residences, quality businesses and top-ranked neighborhood schools. Among the public schools were Whittier and Lykins.
Along with Monroe Avenue, Ninth Street was the premier residential street of the Lykins neighborhood. In the late 1880s, Thomas King Hanna, Charles R. Hicks, John Cutter Gage, Mary “Gertie” Hanna Whipple and Horace G. Craig all built expansive homes on large pieces of property along Ninth Street from Walrond Avenue east to just past Porter Road (renamed as Cleveland Avenue). Lining the north side of Ninth Street, these mansions were set far back from the street, some of the private properties extending as deep as Eighth Street
and beyond. While the homes along the south side of Ninth Street were smaller and closer together, they provided homes for residents who desired to live in affordable houses yet along a prestigious stretch. In the 1920s and 1930s, “the Belle of Ninth Street” was Lena Tripp Biondo who lived at 3707 East Ninth Street. She was so named because she loved to dress up and to wear fancy hats.
While Twelfth Street also had a mix of residences, much of Lykins’ commercial development spread along this street and included shops, warehouses and a fire station. Bales Baptist Church was also built along Twelfth Street. Single-family residences interspersed between upper-scale apartment buildings were built along Walrond Avenue and provided easy access to public transportation and other major streets.
For a time, the northeastern part of the Lykins neighborhood had its own amusement park known as Forest Park. While Forest Park was short-lived, this venue and other parks located throughout provided recreational outdoor activity and entertainment for residents and visitors alike. Kansas City was expanding to the east and city limits were enhanced to incorporate those districts. Discovering the history of the Lykins neighborhood is not new as it was documented in 2000 by neighborhood historian, Harold Dellinger. While no longer an elite part of town, the Lykins neighborhood continues to thrive with pockets of conscientious and hardworking residents and business owners.
Sadly, all but two of the mansions along the north side of Ninth Street have been demolished. In recent years, though, the Urban Farming Guys have relocated here to help rejuvenate this part of town to be a self-sustaining living community with a mission of restoring dignity to an inner-city district. When the Lykins neighborhood was featured in the 2016 Northeast Kansas City Historical Society Fall Homes Tour, revitalized residences opened their doors to show visitors how much these houses have to offer. The Lykins neighborhood remains an integral part to the Northeast Area.
