About 18th and Vine – Downtown East, Kansas City
Historical Places, Historic, Interesting Places, Historic Districts
18th and Vine in Kansas City, Missouri is internationally recognized as one of the cradles of jazz music and a historic hub of African-American businesses. Along with New Orleans's Basin Street, Beale Street in Memphis, 52nd Street in New York City and Los Angeles's Central Avenue - the 18th and Vine area was a midwife to the birth of a new style of jazz. The jazz that evolved in the 18th and Vine district was distinctive. Simmered in the blues, Kansas City's jazz was a riff-based sound fueled by jam sessions in the district's crowded clubs. Many notable jazz musicians of the 1930s & 1940s made 18th and Vine their home, Charlie Parker being the most notable of the era from Kansas City. However, many call the city home or got their start in the city. The national historic district encompassing 35 contributing buildings was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
