Kansas City Missouri 18th & Vine Lincoln Building

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Following World War I until around 1930, the 18th and Vine area experienced a significant building boom. During these years, the district increased its reputation as a center for black commerce and entertainment and the black population increased by 25 percent. While blacks could shop at white-owned businesses, they encountered prejudice and discrimination that included being unable to obtain credit and not being allowed to try on clothes prior to purchase. C. A. Franklin, owner and editor of the Kansas City Call noted by 1940, 57 percent of businesses in the district were black owned.

One building that stood out in the commercial district was the Lincoln Building. The Kansas City Call wrote about the building being the hub of the African American community's business wheel. The Lincoln Building was a three-story building built in 1921 for J. H. Huppe who owned the Lincoln Furniture store on the first floor. The first floor housed other shops, such as Matlaw's Men's Furnishings, and Hiram' cafe. The second floor contained offices for attorneys, doctors, and dentists who were some of the most prominent in the black community. One of the prominent attorneys was Thurgood Marshall who was chief attorney for the NAACP. He argued a case for desegregation of the Swope Park Swimming Pool in 1952, and two years later argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education,Topeka, Kansas before the Supreme Court. The third floor held two large dance halls. The Lincoln Dance Hall and the May Flower Club were regularly rented out for jazz performances and private parties.

The Lincoln Building was home to the local chapter of the NAACP and the National Urban League during the late 1930s. The Kansas City Chapter of the NAACP was formed in 1915 and the National Urban League in 1919. They both worked to influence legislation and social reform for African Americans within the city. In 1940, the nationally known black baseball team, Kansas City Monarchs, relocated their office to the Lincoln building. The Monarchs were heroes in the black community, and parades were held every year to honor the opening of each season. The Monarchs produced stars such as Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, and Buck O'Neil. In 1981, the Lincoln Building was renovated for offices for the Black Economic Union which has purchased other buildings in the area for future development.