Memories of Westwood
Westwood is known for its quiet, treelined streets and inviting brick, stone, and stucco cottages. Although Westwood is not generally considered a historic community, at least three generations of Johnson Countians have made their homes there. Its well-planned streets, central location, and friendly residents make Westwood one of the most desirable communities in Johnson County. AS part of the survey of Westwood conducted in 1996, Mrs. Pauline Craig, a resident since 1938, shared her memories of building a home in Westwood.
Robert and Pauline Craig were married in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1936. While living in an apartment overlooking Armour Boulevard, the young couple decided they wanted to move to a home with a yard. Mrs Craig recalled her own pleasant childhood home, so that living in an apartment resembled life in a “cell block.”
With this in mind, the Craig’s searvh for the perfect home began. After looking in Jackson and Wyandotte counties, the Craigs settled upon the newly platted Westwood Court development in northeastern Johnson County. The Craigs contracted with the Kroh Brothers Construction Company to build their first new home. Construction began on their home in October 1937 and was completed in January 1938. Houses on their streed ranted in cost from $6,800 to $7,200. Most homes in the adjacent neighborhood of Roeland Park sold between $2,500 and $2,900. “We really went overboard when we bought this house, because we went out and looked and we couldn’t find anything we would even have for less than $5,000, so we decided to build our own.”
For Mr. Craig, he appreciated Westwood Court homes because of the Kroh Brothers, the location and especially the architect, Herbert Duncan. Duncan has been credited with designing many Kansas City and Johnson County homes in the 1920-40s. Mrs. Craig admitted admiring other homes constructed by the Kroh Brothers, such as their development along Lee Boulevard in northern Leawood. In fact, she preferred it to Westwood initially. Mr. Craig, however, strongly objected to Leawood because the drive was too far to downtown Kansas City.
The Craigs’ home is a good example of the late Colonial Revival style combined with the newly emerging Minimal Traditionalist style of the late 1930s. The Minimal Traditionalist style is characterized by modest, cubical proportions and minimized Tudor or Colonial style embellishment. Furthermore, the Craig home boasts superior craftsmanship and attention to detail not usually seen in this period. Mrs. Craig recounted how pleased they were with the competency of the carpenters and in particular with the head carpenter’s interior finishing work. Shortly after moving in, Mr. Craig discovered whiskey bottles lined up across the back of a wall. “Evidently, the head carpenter worked best when he had inspiration!”
--ALBUM vol. 10, no. 4 (fall 1997)