Baseball legend Casey Stengel and actor William Powell attended this early KC high school

Central High School, on the corner of 11th and Locust Streets, was Kansas City’s first. It dates back to 1867.

But the building pictured in this postcard wasn’t the one where a handful of high school-aged students first attended classes.

That was the Starke Building (on the same site) which rented its first floor to the new Board of Education for what was known as Kansas City High School.

By 1883, the school had outgrown the arrangement, and moved into a small brick building just to the south. Within ten years, the city’s booming population required considerably more classroom space.

Starke was torn down, and a four story brick structure, connected to the old building next door, became home to the renamed Central High School in 1894.

Complete with a tower, a domed observatory and a large auditorium, the facility could accommodate 500 students. It was touted as “one of the best” in America by educators from around the country.

Unlike many high schools of the era, it offered classes in American history and Latin.

Because the city was booming, another wing was added onto the east side of the building in 1908.

Two of Central’s graduates during that time became world famous. One was Casey Stengel, the legendary baseball player and manager. The other, William Powell, headed for Hollywood and a his movie career that included the popular “Thin Man” films.

Central High School moved south to a new location at Indiana Street and Linwood Avenue in 1915. After that, Kansas City Polytechnic Junior College operated on the site.

The school was eventually razed, and the corner used for a while as a parking lot. Kansas City’s Municipal Courts Building opened there in 1972.

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