I’ve been trying to get out and see the sights in my new city when the weather cooperates. Kansas City is known for it’s fountains and it’s sculptures and I had to check this one out especially since it celebrates the old garment district and something near & dear to my heart – sewing!
This button & needle statue is near the corner of 8th and Broadway downtown and is in the heart of what used to be the garment district. Apparently, from World War I through the 1940’s, the garment district here in Kansas City employed nearly 4000 people. There’s even a Kansas City Garment District Museum (which I wasn’t able to visit because it’s only open on Friday afternoons). According to their website though, during the heyday of the garment district, “1 out of every 7 women in the U.S. purchased a garment designed and made in Kansas City”. Pretty cool little piece of history.
If you’re in the area you have to stop by and see it. It’s right off I-70 in downtown Kansas City. There just aren’t enough sculptures/ statues that celebrate sewing!
