The Paseo becomes MLK, Jr Boulevard in Kansas City

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Kansas City, MO - A street crew swapped out the first Paseo Boulevard street sign for a new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Boulevard sign Monday morning.

Late January, the city council voted to rename the iconic boulevard to honor the late civil rights leader MLK, Jr.

 

Until now, no street in Kansas City had been named for MLK, Jr, unlike many other cities that chose years ago to honor the civil rights icon by naming a street after him.

 The Paseo was Kansas City's first major boulevard, and designed in the early 1900's during the City Beautiful Movement. 

The Paseo parkway is modeled on the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, with more than 200 acres of parkland containing several Beaux-Arts-style decorative structures.There are more than 200 street signs to replace. 

Converting the Paseo into MLK, Jr Boulevard should be completed by the end of the summer.