Category Archives: History

Sign of the Times

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Paying tribute to Noel Barnes, the man who designed and built the neon Town Topic sign that has become such an iconic part of downtown Kansas City. Noel was born in 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri and lived here all his life. He was a sign builder and hanger for the former Southwest Boulevard company, Signs, Inc., for more than 30 years. During that time he was also a loyal Town Topic customer, who became friends with Town Topic founder, Claude Sparks. One day Claude asked Noel if he’d design a sign for the restaurant, and the rest is history. Noel passed away in 2010 at the age of 84. We are grateful for his imagination, skill, patronage and friendship. Mike Schwabauer PhotographyTTSchwabauer 001

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A Streetcar Named….Town Topic!

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BroadwayMikeSBaltimoreMikeSWe are often asked, “Why are there 2 Town Topics so close together?” (19th and Baltimore, 20th and Broadway).

There actually used to be SIX Town Topics in downtown Kansas City, opened mainly from the late 1930s-mid 1950s. Claude Sparks located the restaurants next to the downtown streetcar stops. He knew people might want to grab a bite to eat when they got off the street car before going to work, or maybe get some dinner before they went home. The street car stops were close to each other, so the Town Topics were close to each other, too. It was a much different time when most businesses were downtown, and everyone lived and worked close by.

Let us know if you have other questions, and we’ll try to answer them in future posts!

Mike Schwabauer Photography

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