If you drive or walk past the 19 beautiful 1890s and early 1900s mansions built in historic Hyde Park’s Janssen Place, you might think that time stands still.

Today these homes look very much the same as when each was completed, and the first owners moved in, more than a century ago. But, in fact, the neighborhood’s permanence has been built on hard work, patience, and persistence.

Drawing from their new book Janssen Place: A Unique Kansas City Neighborhood: Still on Parade After 125 Years, authors Bruce Mathews and Stephen Mitchell examine the vision of railroad magnate Arthur Stillwell to develop the city’s most affluent neighborhood, the first homes constructed there beginning in 1897, when it was coined “Lumberman’s Row,” and changes to the neighborhood during the Great Depression and post-World War II years. They also discuss a new era of Janssen Place homeowners committed to the restoration and preservation of their historic properties.

Mathews is a retired photographer turned author and historian, who was selected as a 2011 recipient of the Kansas City Spirit Award, given annually to individuals who have made the city a better place to live. His 2020 book, Mount Washington Cemetery: In Search of Lost Time, was awarded Book of the Year by the Historic Kansas City Foundation.

Mitchell, a local attorney who practices business and real estate transaction law, is a longtime advocate for the preservation of Kansas City’s historic neighborhoods. A resident of Janssen Place since 1985, he’s been involved in the restoration of his home and others and has served as president of the Janssen Place Lot Owner’s Association and vice-president of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association.

Books will be available to purchase at the event.