In the heart of downtown KC once stood Vaughan's Diamond, a prominent building at the convergence of Delaware and Main streets at 9th St. The location held historical significance, being the starting point of an old Indian trail and later becoming a hub of commerce and activity.

On January 11, 1932, an explosion tore through the lobby of the Midland Theatre, then known as the Loew’s Midland, marking one of the most tragic events in the building’s history.

Metcalf South Shopping Center opened in 1967 at 95th and Metcalf as Johnson County’s first fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall, anchored by Sears and the Jones Store and promoted as a one-stop destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Expanded in the 1970s and renovated in the late 1980s, it later struggled against newer competitors and changing retail habits, closing in 2014 after years of decline.

In 1977, Kansas City became the birthplace of one of the most successful marketing innovations in fast food history: the McDonald's Happy Meal. The concept emerged from a simple observation by local advertising executive Bob Bernstein, whose agency had been working with McDonald's franchises since 1967.