Crispus Attucks School, named after an African American who was the first person killed in the American Revolution, was constructed in 1905.
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Crispus Attucks School
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American Jazz Museum
Established in 1997, the American Jazz Museum features educational programming, a jazz club called the Blue Room, and exhibits showcasing the life and music of Louis Armstrong, Ell
Charlie Parker has long been celebrated by artists, writers, and musicians.
During the days of public segregation, Kansas City’s 18th and Vine area developed into a self-contained community. The intersection of 18th and Vine served as the hub of a bustling business and entertainment district—the heart and soul of an African American community, bounded by Independence Avenue on the north, Troost Avenue on the west, 27th Street on the south, and Benton Boulevard on the east.
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During his short life, Charlie “Bird” Parker changed the course of music. In the 1940s, Parker along with Dizzy Gillespie pioneered Bebop, a revolution in music.
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Acknowledgements
Charlie Parker's Kansas City was made possible through the assistance and collaboration of several individuals and organizations. Curation and content was spearheaded by Chuck Haddix of the Marr Sound Archives at UMKC Libraries. Jason Roe of Kansas City Public Library provided editorial oversight. Jon McGraw of KC Jazz Alive provided project support. Web development and design was performed by David LaCrone and Levi Hoffmeier of Kansas City Public Library.
Charlie Parker grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, a community divided against itself by the Missouri/Kansas state line. The two Kansas Cities were worlds apart. While Kansas City, Missouri, famously cultivated graft and corruption in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kansas City, Kansas, led the temperance movement. Charlie Parker lived in both worlds; he was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and came of age as a man and musician in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Ella Parker's Home
Addie and Charles lived in Charles' mother's duplex at 844 Washington Boulevard before Charlie was born in 1920. They lived there with little Ike, Charles' son from a previous relationship.
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Charlie's Childhood Home
When Addie became pregnant with Charlie, she and Charles moved nearby to a two-room apartment above the Kesterson and Richardson Grocery Store.
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Douglass School
Charlie attended Douglass School down the street from his mother's apartment starting in 1925.