“RNP the Blog”

I alluded to a new project that I was starting a few posts back and I feel like I am finally in a place to share a little bit about it.

If you live in Kansas City you may be familiar with the 64130 zip code. You might not be able to tell me off the top of your head where it is on a map but if I told you the “bad part of town” or mentioned Prospect Avenue the light bulb would most likely turn on.

If you don’t live in Kansas City the 64130 zip code is east of downtown and it is an area that has scene better days. It was recently featured in a Kansas City Star article as a so called Murder Factory. The zip code has the highest number of imprisoned convicted killers in the state of Missouri. To use a popular culture example I guess you could say that area is KC’s version of Watts or Compton.

Even back to my high school days growing up in Kansas City I remember being fascinated by this part of town. We used to drive through part of it on our way to the Plaza or downtown and it seemed like it was a completely different world, one that our parents told us to stay away from.

Since we have moved back to Kansas City I have found myself drawn to the area again. I drive through it now generally going the opposite direction from my house in Kansas City out to Raytown where my parents still live. I have always wanted to spend some time creating photographs of the area and I have started making time over the past couple of months to do so.

My interest isn’t to depict the area as it traditionally has been in the media and in photo journalistic endeavors like the Star’s recent feature. Why there is certainly that element in the area I don’t believe that is the complete picture.

This is a project that I am just getting started with and I don’t know exactly where it will go. If anyone reading this lives in the area or grew up in the area or has family/friends that live in the area I would love to add a portrait element to the work. This is the main reason I am even talking about the project at this stage. While I could try and find subjects walking the streets of the area (at a different stages this is a method I might pursue) it would be nice to have some people that are interested in having their portrait taken and perhaps they could open some additional doors for me.

I made a trip into the area a few weeks back with my large format camera and shot a single frame. Here is a brief video I put together which will give you a feel for the area.

The immediate area shown in this video is close to 63rd Street and Prospect and used to be a neighborhood until it was designated for development the infamous “Citadel Plaza.” From the developers website Citadel Plaza will be a “hybrid” of the traditional retail shopping center and the more contemporary lifestyle center consists of over 250,000 square-feet of retail (retail shops, a grocery store, a bank, and restaurants), residential units, 900 parking spaces and several commercial buildings.

Obviously this hasn’t come to fruition. What used to be a neighborhood is currently being reclaimed by nature while serving as a dumping ground. The city did come in a couple weeks ago and mow the area and pick up the trash (with the bill being sent to the developer according to the Kansas City Star) but in the current economic climate and the perception of the area you have to wonder if nature will take over the area before any development does.