Dorri Partain
Guest columnist

One comment this news dog hears quite frequently is that “the neighborhood has changed”.

This line is usually spouted by someone who left the neighborhood for greener pastures years ago, probably because they themselves were looking for a change. Maybe they’re just being nostalgic for a time period long past, but when the news dog was just a pup, looking for a unique doghouse, a quirky old neighborhood called Northeast fit the bill. Lots of old houses, tree-lined streets, family-owned businesses within walking distance. Didn’t hurt that the Kansas City Museum, Cliff Drive, and the Indian Mound were close by, not to mention being just minutes from downtown.

The news dog can’t argue that things haven’t changed since that time years ago. Family-owned businesses have closed, homes and other buildings have been damaged, abandoned, then torn down. Familiar faces fade away. And things change.

It’s gradual. Only when looking back, perhaps through rose-colored glasses, do we see the changes. But a neighborhood is like a living, breathing creature- always changing shape, shedding it’s skin, to grow again. Buildings that were torn down make room for new, such as the ArtsBlock taking shape on Independence Avenue. New spaces attract new residents, who hopefully appreciate the older aspects of the neighborhood, and perhaps will invest in either an older home or create a new business venture some day.

For those who comment ”the neighborhood has changed”, the news dog offers this: time changes everything. The Northeast may be historic, but it is not a museum. Share your memories, tell your stories, and come back and experience Northeast as it is today.