Blame Racist J.C. Nichols For Harsh Times At Historic Bryant School

Credit where it's due . . . This bit of rhetorical tap dancing managed to overlook generations of KCPS mismanagement in order to blame some dead white guy for a vacant building. 

Here's the story . . . 

The district moved toward repurposing the building, a title search revealed plat and deed restrictions dating back more than a century that limit use of the tract where the school building sits to single-family housing or a school.

“We’ve had multiple closed school sites, but this is the only one that has these kind of unique restrictions,” said Jesse Lange, KCPS manager of planning and real estate.

The restrictions trace back to J.C. Nichols, who is known for using restrictive covenants in the Country Club District that prevented Black and Jewish people from occupying homes he developed. A Supreme Court decision later ruled those restrictions unenforceable. The district said it explored possible mechanisms to remove the restrictions on the school property, but found little hope of succeeding with them.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Future of Kansas City's historic Bryant School at stake

Kansas City Public Schools wants community feedback on three proposals - two of which would demolish the 100-year-old building