KCK's PRAIRIE VILLAGE SHOPS was the first post-war shopping center in the Sunflower State.
Drawing from the J.C. Nichols Company
J.C. Nichols (1880-1950). A major real estate developer of the 20th century, he started work on his Country Club District in 1906. As planned, the District would contain several individual housing plats. One of the Kansas-side communities would be known as Prairie Village.
Photo from Wikipedia / Julian Felsenburgh
In 1941, Nichols bought four land parcels from the Porter family; these to be incorporated into Prairie Village. An obstacle presented itself in 1942, when Elizabeth Porter balked at selling her homestead (seen in the photo above). After 5 years of delicate negotiations, Nichols acquired the land. It was utilized for the construction of a shopping center.
Photo from the Johnson County Museum / City of Prairie Village, Kansas
A vintage snapshot shows some of the original Prairie Village tract houses. Each sold for the whopping sum of $6,000. By mid-1942, ninety-five had been built. After a 4-year -war induced- hiatus, construction resumed in 1946. An entire house was finished in one day. By 1949, over 1,000 had been completed.
Photo from State Historical Society of Missouri / J.C. Nichols Company Scrapbook
PRAIRIE VILLAGE SHOPS opened for business in mid-1948. One of eleven charter stores was John S. Watkins Drugs.
Photo from The J.C. Nichols Company
