Michael Bushnell
Reporter

Leisure activities have long been a part of Northeast life. This historic postcard published by Max Bernstein of Kansas City, MO shows the tennis courts on the Concourse in what was then called North Terrace Park.

In the background, the western cupola of the colonnade can be seen as well as the berm that Gladstone Boulevard was constructed on. LaBelle Terrace, the short street that connects Lexington Avenue with Gladstone Boulevard, can also be seen under construction as it passes the tennis courts.

A pro shop for the tennis courts was located in the basement of the St. Francis Apartments at 300 Gladstone Boulevard.

Today, the tennis courts have been replaced with new futsal courts that draw hundreds of youth soccer players daily during the warmer months of the year. The south end of the former courts were reconfigured as basketball courts which are also popular during the summer months.

The steep terrace from Gladstone Blvd. down to the tennis courts was re-imagined as a gravity slide and children’s playground in 2014 and 2017 thanks to a pair of community grants from Kaboom!, a non-profit organization that partners with neighborhoods to build playgrounds.

The postcard was mailed to Miss Virginia Campbell of North Jefferson Street in Marshall, MO. The personal message reads: “Dear little girlie, Didn’t get to see you very long but certainly thought you to be a dear, sweet little darling. Sure wish could see you often. Did you kiss papa goodbye for Aunt Mollie? Write to me sometime.”