Roeland Park: A community of “More than ordinary value”
Although he was very community-minded, John Roe probably never envisioned a town bearing his name. However, thanks to later residents of the area Roe eventually called home, he has as a namesake the northeast Johnson County community of Roeland Park.
After emigrating from Ireland in the mid 1800s, John Roe lived in Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, and then Missouri, where he worked as a bookkeeper and farm laborer. He saved his earnings and gradually acquired large land and cattle interests in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas. In 1883 and 1884 Roe bought 267 acres of the former Shawnee Indian Mission property. At that time the Mission, a school, and some farmsteads existed in the area that later became Roeland Park. Roe eventually acquired 1600 acres at an estimated $150 per acre. His land ran from approximately County Line Road (47th Street) to 64th Street, along part of Mission Road, and west to Nall Avenue.
In 1891, Roe began building a 16-room house on his Johnson County land. It was to be a new home for his wife Rosanna and five of his six children (one son remained on the Roe farm in Missouri). After its completion, Roe lived in the home with his family and an uncle and two nieces. Rosanna Roe passed away in 1893, and the eldest daughter, Isabella, became the female head of the household. The large Victorian home, located on the corner of Johnson Drive and Roe Avenue, was a landmark until it was razed in 1958 to clear the area for the 18th Street Expressway.
From Farms to Subdivisions
After their move to Johnson County, the Roe family soon became influential and active members of their community. John Roe is said to be the first person to pave roads in the area, and he helped to bring modern utilities to early residents. Roe also played a part in the development of William Strang’s interurban line. In 1905 William Strang purchased land from the Wornall family, east of Roe’s acreage, for an interurban line. Strang’s plan was to develop a railroad line from Kansas City to Johnson County. This electric line would transport people between downtown Kansas City jobs and Strang’s new suburban developments in northeast Johnson County.
Following Strang’s purchase from the Wornalls, John Roe granted an easement to Strang which enabled him to route the new Strang Line through Roe’s land. When completed, the Strang Line would run from Olathe to the Westport area. Soon after the Strang Line began transporting passengers through the area, in 1907, Herman Beers purchased property between Roe and Delmar, from Elledge to County Line. The subdivisions of this area, “Beer’s Addition,” were the first urban development of the area later called Roeland Park. Two years later, the Strang Investment Company also platted part of the land purchased from the Wornalls as Southridge, a residential area. From about 1905 to 1925, as the area’s population steadily rose, the residents rode the convenient Strang Line, walked to the Kansas City bus, and shopped on Southwest Boulevard or at 45th and State Line. Students attended Roesland School (built on land leased and then purchased from John Roe, hence the spelling). After 1922, older students went to the new Shawnee Mission Rural High School. The Strang Line served Kansas City and Johnson County from 1906 to 1940.
During this period, some families in the area kept a few chickens, a goat, perhaps a few rabbits, and even a cow for fresh milk for their own use or to sell to neighbors. This agrarian custom heavily affected restrictions on later neighborhoods not far away.
After his death in 1902, Roe’s land was left to his children: Charles, Thomas, Katherine, Isabella, Margaret, and Ellen Roe Bryant. Over the years, the Roe family continued to be involved in the development of the area around their home. In 1921 Charles Roe, John’s son, platted the Mission Grove subdivision on part of his land northwest of the former Methodist Mission. In 1922 the land was sold to Frank Hodges, who held it for later development.
By 1923 the Roe heirs began to have tax problems. A series of mortgages and redemptions followed as the Roe women tried to hold on to the land their father had accumulated. After borrowing $60,000 for 1935 taxes, they divided the land, taking separate titles. The Roes slowly began to sell pieces of the land their father had left them. Part of Ellen Roe Bryant’s area became upscale Bryantwood southwest of Highway 50 and Mission Road. The early plat offered enormous lots on high ground, well sheltered from major roads. Sites ranged up to 200 x 300 feet. Homes had to cost between $12,000 and $15,000. This area is now part of Fairway.
Charles Vawter’s Roeland Park
The largest development in what later became Roeland Park was undertaken by Charles E. Vawter. While employed at Safety Federal Savings and Loan in Kansas City, Vawter became acquainted with a homebuilder. The two created a partnership, and in 1935, they began to build houses in the area of 48th and Belinder (now in Westwood).
By 1937 Vawter, who would become well acquainted with the Roe sisters, wanted to develop on a larger scale. Vawter was able to obtain land from the Roes that they had shielded from other developers for nearly two decades. The Roe sisters, Margaret and Isabella, liked Vawter, and gave him liberal terms. They were also “property poor” at the time and were ready to sell parts of their land holdings to ease their tax burden.
On June 5, 1937, the Charles E. Vawter Investment Company, Inc. was chartered in Kansas. On April 19, 1937, Vawter had signed a ten-year lease, with an option to buy, from Isabella Roe. The contract had a number of conditions: 1) Vawter was to obtain plat suggestions from the FHA by November 30, 1937, at his own expense; 2) plats could be filed only on land parcels he had paid for, “giving full consideration to the effect upon the whole tract;” 3) land not fully developed for residential purposes had to be kept and taxed as farm lands only; and 4) after December 31, 1937, Vawter had to pay all taxes and assessments on the land.
A schedule was drawn up specifying that Vawter was to purchase various size parcels, at $1,000 per acre, beginning with 2 ½ to 5 acres by November 30, 1937, and escalating to a 40 to 50 acre purchase by March 31, 1942. The balance of the entire lease was to be purchased by March 31, 1947. Perhaps because of their ages, or perhaps because they wanted quick progress, the Roe sisters’ contracts stated “Time is of the essence.”
The developer was to pay street construction costs, but he was allowed to keep income from rental properties on the land after December 31, 1937.
On the same date, Margaret Roe signed a similar contract with Vawter for 120 acres north of Isabella’s, to be sold on a similar schedule.
Isabella’s contract firmly stated that Vawter was to “diligently pursue the development and sale of such lands…consistent with good business…, and not limited by the agreement.” If the developer became bankrupt, the contract was void and none of Vawter’s heirs or creditors had any claim on the land. Vawter was barred from assigning any portion of the lands to another developer. Default on any terms in either contract voided both. Katherine (Kate) Roe was a lawyer; although she practiced in Chicago, she helped to word contracts handled by their Kansas City attorney.
Vawter’s plan was to build 1200 homes on 280 acres of Roe land. The first plat was called Roeland Park and was filed September 7, 1937. The second plat, on the east side of Nall from 51st Street to 55th Street, was filed September 16, and the first homes were built on the east side of Nall.
Vawter, in giving these subdivisions the Roe name, was paying tribute to the legendary Johnson County settler whose land Vawter purchased. Those subdivisions, the original incorporated area, gave their name to the city of Roeland Park.
Deed restrictions in the Roeland Park subdivisions permitted only single family homes with a garage “for not more than three cars.” Only members of the white race could own or occupy the dwellings, and no trailer, basement house, or barn could be used as a temporary residence.
A one-story home was required to have 700 square feet; a two-story home had to have 600 square feet on the ground floor. Setbacks were to be between 25-40 feet. Lots averaged 65 by 135 feet. Houses were in the $4,500 bracket. Perhaps because some residents in older areas kept animals, restrictions prohibited keeping “cows, horses, swine, sheep, goats,” and poultry “for commercial purposes.”
These restrictions were to stay with the land until July 1962 and would automatically renew for 25 year periods unless a majority of owners agreed, five years in advance, that the restrictions should change.
A Homes Association Declaration was filed in Johnson County the same date as the first plat. It reads much like other such documents, with the association required to develop and maintain streets; plant and care for greenery in public places; and provide the means for public utilities; septic tank disposal, and trash collection. Homeowner dues were to begin January 1, 1939, and unpaid dues counted as a lien on the property, a policy developer J.C. Nichols also practiced. A primary purpose of the association was to enforce restrictions in an area Vawter and Isabella Roe intended as a “residence neighborhood possessing features of more than ordinary value…”
1940s Bring Incredible Growth
Soon after World War II started, Vawter was caught with a shortage of building materials and some partially built homes. The government approved completion of the houses only after he agreed to hold these houses aside for rental by defense workers, especially those workers from the North American Aviation plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Vawter could not sell the houses until after the war ended. By that time, Vawter homes, popular with renting GIs, sold for about $8,000 to $12,000.
Key marks of Vawter’s pre-war houses are stone foundations and partial stone veneers on the front, with the exception of his “slab houses,” which had a concrete slab with no basement. After the war, reportedly due to a shortage of stone masons, basement foundations became concrete and houses had little or no stonework.
The suburban city became a study in contrasts. Early neighborhoods east and northeast of Vawter’s project resulted in an eclectic array of homes, some built on large wooded lots. People moved there to enjoy a bit of “country life,” with few paved roads, fewer of the smells and sounds found in the city, and lots of open land.
Those areas contrasted with the suburban subdivisions of Roeland Park, Roe Highlands, and Roe Manor Heights that Vawter built. By 1945, many houses were clustered together along paved streets, and new schools and churches were built to accommodate large numbers of newcomers. With the influx of more people, shopping became more viable and plans were made to develop a Roeland Park Shopping Center.
Around this time, Mission was planning to incorporate, which brought more changes to Roeland Park. To prevent his developments from being annexed by Mission, Vawter persuaded the Board of Directors of the Roeland Park Homes Association that Roeland Park should incorporate. On July 2, 1951, the City of Roeland Park was incorporated as a Third Class City, with a population of approximately 1875.
Roe Family Supports Roeland Park
As the northeast corner of Mission Township grew, the Roe Family enriched their community in many ways. John Roe’s heirs followed his example of generosity and civic support. They did make money on their land, but tried to be conscientious in choosing buyers, and in keeping their land intact. Their gifts, over and above cash donations, included land for St. Agnes Church and School, Bishop Miege High School, and the park where Roeland Park built its first public swimming pool.
The Roes leased, then sold, land for Roesland School. Kate Roe, who lived in a little stone cottage east of the Mission, leased land for the popular Old Mission Golf Course.
Street Names Change With the Times
As suburban development soared, names that marked the area’s Indian heritage like Quapaw, Arapahoe, and Washita, were changed to Canterbury, Falmouth, Reinhardt. In time Santa Fe Drive became 51st Street, and Vawter Parkway became Sycamore.
The street that salutes the Roe family has seen both physical alterations and name changes. In the 1920s, it was often called Roe Boulevard, although earlier it was called Rosedale Road. In 1933 Johnson County Commissioners changed it, by request, to Roe’s Land Street. By 1947 it was corrupted to Roseland Street, but eventually was simplified and officially made Roe. It stretches far beyond the boundaries of the immigrant’s farm and is now a major county thoroughfare, something John Roe undoubtedly would enjoy
--ALBUM vol. 10, no. 3 (summer 1997)