Black Archives of Mid America

The Black Archives is a non-profit organization that serves the community by offering itself as an educational resource as well as a repository of every facet in African American culture; music, art, theater, education, the military, medicine, sports, religion and community affairs. The Black Archives was expressly created to collect and preserve the history of African Americans in the Midwest.

The Archives' also produces traveling exhibits, interpretive and educational programs that personify the roles of African Americans and their plight to dispel negative images.  It is currently located in the historic Parade Park Maintenance building at 1722 East 17th Terrace in the 18th & Vine Historic District.

Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibitions and films, visual arts exhibitions in the Art Gallery and Photography Gallery, the Blue Room Jazz Club, and the Gem Theater performing arts center. Public programming for all ages and youth education enliven the history and music at the center of the American Jazz Museum, entertaining and enriching jazz audiences while nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians.

The archives is located in the Parade Park Maintenance Building, which was designed in the Mission Revival style by Arthur L. Sparks in two segments in 1912 and 1916, forming its L-shape. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture and its association as a service building for the early development of Kansas City’s parks and boulevards system.

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