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| Title | Homer Roberts and Reuben Street |
| Abstract | Book excerpt about Homer Roberts and Reuben and Ella Street, early black businesspeople of Kansas City. Roberts was "one of the first African American car salesmen in the country" and Reuben Street was a cafe manager and hotel owner. Roberts was born in Ash Grove, Missouri in 1885 and came to Kansas City around 1900, admitted in 1906 as one of the first African Americans to Kansas State University. After service in World War I, Roberts became a pioneer car salesman in 1919 with offices at 1509 East 18th Street, moved in 1921 to 1516 East 19th Street. The Roberts Company Motor Mart was opened in 1923 at 1826-28-30 Vine Street, operating until 1929. Reuben and Ella Street owned "the most recognized hotel catering to African Americans in Kansas City," the Street Hotel, at 1510 East 18th Street. Their business started around 1900 upon their arrival from Oklahoma as a restaurant on 18th Street and moved in 1920 to the 2400 block of Vine Street as a hotel. |
| Notes | The Roberts Building, one of the first black-owned retail and commercial complexes in the country, would stand as a monument to Homer Roberts's initiative and business acumen (p. 120). The Street Hotel "became the favorite stop for musicians, athletes, and other celebrities as well as catering to a contingent of permanent guests. The pool hall on the first floor was the Monarchs' unofficial headquarters, and the Blue Room offered some of the finest of Kansas City's jazz artists" until World War II (p. 121). |
| Author | Charles Coulter
|
| Date | 2006 |
| Source | "Take Up the Black Man's Burden" Kansas City's African American Communities 1865-1939 |
| Location | MVSC BROWSING 977.8411 C85T |
| Publisher | University of Missouri Press |
| Chapter Title | 3 (Professionals, Businesspeople, and Others) |
| Page | 117-121 |
| Local Subject | Hotels
Firsts
Street, Reuben
Roberts, Homer B.
Street, Ella
Street Hotel
Automobile Dealerships
African Americans
Restaurants
|
| Illustrations | No |
| Item Type | Book Section
|
| Access This Item | This document is not available online. You may come to the Missouri Valley Room to view it or request a photocopy from the Library's Document Delivery service. http://www.kclibrary.org/copy-requests |
| Item ID | 216167 |
| CONTENTdm number | 10641 |
