River. It was there where he established a successful farm and built a large home, the first of many in the neighborhoods that grew along what would become Cliff Drive. By 1893, the family had sold or donated a large portion of the land for creation of North Terrace Park. Cliff Drive hugs the limestone bluffs and separates the stately mansions from the industry and train tracks of the Missouri River East Bottoms.
Today, Cliff Drive is the country’s only state-designated scenic byway in an urban area. The 4.5-mile paved road extends from Paseo north of Independence Avenue, through Pendleton Heights, east through Scarritt Renaissance and on through Indian Mound. On weekends, Cliff Drive is closed to traffic for the enjoyment of bicyclists, runners, hikers, rock climbers and skateboarders.
Scarritt Renaissance has a wide variety of styles of homes including Queen Anne, Mission, Beaux Arts, Chateauesque, Georgian Revival, Shingle, Victorian Eclectic, Shirtwaist and Bungalow mostly built between 1887 and 1911 for lumber barons, judges, the City’s first brewery and amusement park owners, other civic leaders along with the working class. The largest home and one of the most significant assets in the neighborhood was built for lumber baron Robert A. Long and became the Kansas City Museum in 1940. Serving as the City’s history museum, it is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation with new experiences that will tell meaningful stories of the city’s past, present, and future. This will include the life and times of Long himself, his family, including the legendary horsewoman Loula Long Combs, and the home he built known as Corinthian Hall.
Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association has adopted the mission of protecting and enhancing the quality of life in our historic neighborhood through active, engaged citizens that are now a richly diverse mix of cultures.
The Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood is working to revitalize the homes and businesses of the historic part of town while preserving the community’s architectural assets. This goal is being accomplished through community engagement, investment in public infrastructure, community safety and economic development. Much has been accomplished in preserving the neighborhood while moving it forward for future generations.
The Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood has gone through many transitions. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri, and has roots back to the city’s founding in 1850. The Scarritt name derives from Rev. Nathan Scarritt, a Methodist minister who moved to the area during the Civil War. Born in Edwardsville, Illinois in 1821, he arrived in Kansas City in 1848 to teach Kickapoo, Shawnee, Wyandot and Delaware Indians at Shawnee Methodist Indian Mission. He established churches among the growing communities of white settlers and was a founder and principal of the first high school in Westport. He built a home in Westport that still stands and is the oldest residence in the Westport area.
Concerned about disagreements over slavery and the expanding Civil War, Scarritt moved his wife, Martha Matilda Chick, and his family of nine children to the bluffs overlooking the Missouri
