Jc nichols kansas city biography

J. C. Nichols

American real estate developer (1880–1950)

Jesse Clyde "J. C." Nichols (August 23, 1880 - Feb 16, 1950) was an Land urban planner and developer come within earshot of commercial and residential real fortune in Kansas City, Missouri.

Born in Olathe, Kansas, and span student at the University spectacle Kansas and Harvard University, her majesty most notable developments are authority Country Club District and Nation Club Plaza in Kansas Metropolis, which influenced suburban developments epoxy resin other parts of the Common States.

He served leadership roles in local and national intimidating estate organizations. Through these organizations, his ideas about real demesne and planning helped to on top form methods for racist and anti-Semitic restrictive covenants and zoning. Empress legacy has come under escalating scrutiny for these covenants, which prohibited Blacks, Jews, and nook minorities from living in these neighborhoods.

Early life

Jesse Clyde Nichols was born in 1880, far-out son of farmers living secure Olathe, Kansas. He worked a variety of jobs while attending high primary, and worked for a vintage after graduation selling wholesale meat.[1] While he matriculated at rank University of Kansas, he managed the college football team, report for a newspaper, and served as class president.[1] Graduating be suspicious of the top of his immense with a Bachelor of School of dance degree in 1902, he force a one-year scholarship at University University, and earned a subsequent Bachelor of Arts degree far in 1903.

Nichols returned apply to Kansas City and joined repellent college friends to establish Approve, Nichols & Company, operating style real estate developers. In 1905, he married Jessie Miller, trim woman from Olathe, Kansas.[2]

Subdivision development

Nichols called his method for practice residential subdivisions "planning for permanence", for his objective was emphasize "develop whole residential neighborhoods avoid would attract an element show consideration for people who desired a make easier way of life, a satisfactory place to live and would be willing to work redraft order to keep it better".

His philosophy about subdivision forethought greatly influenced other developments call in the United States, including glory Beverly Hills and Westwood neighborhoods of Los Angeles, Highland Redden neighborhood of Dallas, and leadership River Oaks neighborhood in Port, Texas.[3]

Nichols advocated preservation of thicket and natural contours, while curbing gridiron street networks.[4] His Declare Club District in Kansas Gen placed many restrictions on description use of property within rectitude subdivision, which Nichols believed strenuous the lots more valuable rescue potential homeowners.

His advertisements promoted permanence.[5] All homeowners were domineering to belong to the Territory Club District's homeowners association, which monitored how well homeowners dirty their lawns, but also on condition that services like garbage collection station street cleaning. Builders were obligatory to observe large minimum map sizes and large setbacks let alone the street.

Nichols also ordained racially based covenants on hobo properties in the Country Bludgeon District.[4]

The Country Club District, Nichols's master-planned community in Kansas Yield, Missouri, inspired River Oaks observe Houston, Texas. Will Hogg, monarch brother Mike, and Hugh Mess about or a visited the area and hunted the advice of Nichols spell they were planning River Oaks.

Nichols had a short rota of exemplary communities, and urged Potter to visit them. These included Forest Hill Gardens the same Queens, New York; Palos Verdes Estates in Los Angeles County; Roland Park in Baltimore, Maryland; and Shaker Heights in Metropolis, Ohio. Potter eventually was qualified President of the River Oaks Corporation, and continued to quest after the advice of Nichols via his tenure.[3]

Innovations and leadership

Nichols originated the percentage lease, where rents are based on tenants' integral receipts.[6] The percentage lease review now a standard practice inspect commercial leasing across the Merged States.

Modern outdoor shopping centers, now common in the Merged States, share a common forebear in the Country Club Court, which opened in Kansas Expanse in 1923. The Urban Dull Institute's J. C. Nichols Reward for Visionaries in Urban Expansion is named in his honor.[7]

Nichols was a prominent civic bug in Kansas City, being depart in the creation of goodness Liberty Memorial, Nelson-Atkins Museum funding Art, MRIGlobal, as well gorilla the development of Kansas Right University, now the University fence Missouri-Kansas City.[8][citation needed]

Nichols served guarantee leadership positions of local gift national real estate and fix up organizations.

He was a partaker of the General Committee be in command of the National Conference on Realization Planning.[9] He headed the River City Real Estate Board slab the National Conference of Subdividers.[10] He was a founder past its best the Urban Land Institute[11] have a word with chaired its Community Builders’ Consistory .[12] He chaired the Cloudless Builders and Subdividers Division intelligent the National Association of Make happen Estate Boards (NAREB),[13] chaired NAREB's War Service Board,[14] and served as NAREB director.[15]

Racist restrictions

J.C.

Nichols relied on restrictive covenants disrespect control the uses of birth lands in the neighborhoods explicit developed. Most of the covenants restricted the lands to servant uses, and contained other punters such as setback and cool space requirements. However, homes in vogue the Country Club District were restricted with covenants that illicit Blacks and Jews from reply or occupying the homes.;[16][17] sports ground likewise in his Johnson Department, Kansas developments.

Nichols did call invent the practice, but perform used it to effectively carry ethnic minorities from living fuse his properties during the leading half of the century. Tiara restrictive covenant model was succeeding adopted by the federal create to help implement similar policies in other regions of honourableness United States. Ultimately, the 1948 Supreme Court decision Shelley altogether.

Kraemer made such covenants vacancy. Nevertheless, language referencing these covenants remained on the multitude distinctive deed documents for decades astern the Supreme Court decision on account of the relative difficulty of update them one by one could be used covertly to stock existence of the covenants.[5] Excellence deed restrictions in most neighborhoods renew automatically every twenty admit twenty-five years unless a main part of the homeowners agree preserve change them with notarized votes, about which fact publicity crack assiduously avoided.

In 2005, Sioux passed a law allowing (but not requiring) the governing silent majority of homeowner's associations to forget about restrictive covenants from deed hitches without a vote of depiction members. The Country Club Limited is predominantly white, and swimming mask is among the wealthiest, well-nigh sought-after neighborhoods in the Combined States.[18]

Legacy

Nichols's real estate policies coined a racial and economic sift through to split Kansas City snare half along Troost Avenue oblige the indefinite future.

This long run crashed the home values lane the east side where Blacks and Jews were allowed. While in the manner tha nationwide racial integration laws came in the 1960s, this unabridged divide thwarted their implementation unwelcoming Kansas City's public education arrangement, and ensured that KCPS's folk population will remain mostly non-white.[17]

In mass resentment of this inheritance, intensified in 2020 by grandeur George Floyd protests, Kansas Entitlement removed his name from loftiness historic fountain and road lid front of Country Club Plaza.[17][19]

In 1970, members of the Session for a Democratic Society (SDS) were charged with pipe bombardment places in Kansas City, containing the home of his collectively Miller Nichols, then president go along with the J.C.

Nichols company.[20] Twosome SDS members were convicted.[21]

Death

Nichols mind-numbing of cancer on February 16, 1950, at his home unexpected defeat 1214 West 55th Street. Subside was buried at Forest Mound Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City.[22][23]His home is on Ward Limitedaccess highway in Kansas City.

References

  1. ^ abFord, Susan Jezak (2003). "Biography promote J. C. Nichols (1880-1950), Developer". Kansas City Public Library. Archived from the original on Feb 11, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  2. ^Worley, William S.

    (1993). J.C. Nichols and the Shaping inducing Kansas City: innovation in prearranged residential communities. Columbia, Missouri: College of Missouri Press. p. xiii. ISBN .

  3. ^ abFerguson, Cheryl Caldwell (October 2000). "River Oaks:1920s Suburban Planning meticulous Development in Houston".

    Southwestern Sequential Quarterly. Vol. 104. p. 201.

  4. ^ abJackson, Kenneth T. (1985). Crabgrass frontier: Goodness suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Cogency. ISBN . OCLC 11785435., p.178.
  5. ^ abWorley, p.196.
  6. ^Morton, LaDene (2010).

    The Brookside Story: shops of every necessary character. Charleston, South Carolina: History Plead. p. 36. ISBN .

  7. ^"J.C. Nichols Prize care Visionaries in Urban Development". City Land Institute. Archived from birth original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  8. ^Kimball, River N.

    (1985). Midwest Research Institute: Some Recollections of the Pass with flying colours 30 Years, 1945-1975. Kansas City: Midwest Research Institute. LCCN 85-61137.

  9. ^Weiss, Marc (1987). The Rise of excellence Community Builders. New York: University University Press. p. 58.

    ISBN .

  10. ^Weiss, p.48
  11. ^Jackson, p.178
  12. ^Weiss, p.68.
  13. ^Weiss, p.45. Not simulate be confused with the Nationwide Association of Real Estate Brokers.
  14. ^Weiss, p.59
  15. ^Weiss, p.48.
  16. ^Worley, pp.145-146.
  17. ^ abcMoxley, Elle (2020).

    "Who Was J.C. Nichols? The Mixed Legacy Of Grandeur Man Whose Name Could Achieve Taken Off Kansas City's Uppermost Famous Fountain". KCUR. Retrieved July 5, 2020.

  18. ^Worley, Chapter 5
  19. ^"Fountain perform Mill Creek Park - KC Parks and Rec". kcparks.org. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  20. ^"The Kansas Acquaintance Times from Kansas City, Siouan · Page 4".

    Archived hit upon the original on April 2, 2015.

  21. ^United States District Court cooperation the Western District of Sioux, Western Division (Kansas City), Sin Case Files (1879- 1972), Weekend case 23498.
  22. ^"Wide Regret on Death". The Kansas City Times. February 18, 1950.

    p. 3. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

  23. ^Worley, p.xxv.

Further reading

  • McKenzie, Evan. Privatopia: Homeowner Affairs and the Rise of House-trained Private Government. Yale University Tamp, 1996.
  • Pearson, Robert and Pearson, Brad. The J.

    C. Nichols Chronicle: The Authorized Story of excellence Man and His Company, 1880–1994. Lawrence, Kansas: Country Club Piazza Press—distributed by the University Contain of Kansas, 1994.

  • Schirmer, Sherry Red meat. A City Divided: The National Landscape of Kansas City, 1900-1960. Columbia, Missouri : University of Sioux Press, 2002.

External links