Downtown Kansas City History Walking Tour

Entries on This Tour

1. Jackson County Courthouse, Kansas City

The Kansas City branch of the Jackson County Courthouse was established in 1872. The current building was constructed in 1934 under Presiding Judge and future president Harry Truman. The ornate, Art Deco building was one of several structures built during the 1930s as part of a “Ten Year Plan” to sustain economic growth and provide employment in Kansas City during the Great Depression. Today the building primarily houses facilities for both municipal court and the Missouri 16th Judicial Circuit Court.

2. Kansas City Missouri City Hall and Observation Deck

Located on a hill, this 29-story skyscraper includes an observation deck that offers some of the very best views in the city. Planning for the building began in 1931 following a special referendum in which Kansas City voters overwhelmingly approved the city's ten year plan for infrastructure and public works development. The building design was heavily influenced by city political boss Tom Pendergast, whose concrete company profited from the city contract, as did other construction firms connected to the Pendergast political machine. This building is not only one of the ten tallest buildings in Kansas City, it is the fourth-tallest city hall in the world.

3. Fine Arts Institute of Kansas City (1911-1927)

This site was once the location of the YWCA Building, constructed in 1911. The Fine Arts institute of Kansas City, now known as the Kansas City Art Institute operated out of this location in offices on the 6th floor for many years. It was here in 1915, that famed animator Walt Disney had his first formal art instruction while attending Saturday art classes. The building was razed for an urban renewal project and is now the site of a surface parking lot.

4. Pickwick Complex

The Pickwick Complex, also known as the Pickwick Hotel or Pickwick Plaza, is a historic early multi-purpose building in downtown Kansas City. Built in 1929-1930, its location near local and federal government buildings made it a popular place for visitors conducting business. In addition to a hotel, the complex also housed offices, retail space, a parking garage, and a bus terminal. In the early 1930s the Pickwick Hotel was a favorite retreat for future President Harry Truman, who stayed there while writing of memoir of his political thoughts later called the “Pickwick Papers.” The complex went through a period of decline in the latter half of the twentieth century as the hotel was converted into subsidized housing and other portions were left vacant. It was eventually acquired by Gold Crown Properties, and in 2017 was converted into modern apartments following extensive renovations. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

5. R. A. Long Building, Kansas City

The R. A. Long Building was constructed by Robert Alexander Long in 1906 as the headquarters for the Long-Bell Lumber Company. At this time, Long-Bell was one of the largest lumber companies in the nation and Kansas City was a growing city and a distribution center. The construction boom in Kansas City, Omaha, and surrounding cities also made this an important market for the lumber industry. The Italian Renaissance building was designed by Henry Hoit and was notably the first steel frame tower in Kansas City. In 1956, the Long-Bell Lumber Company merged with the International Paper Company and two years later, the R. A. Long Building was purchased by what is now the UMB Financial Corporation. UMB continues to use this building for its offices and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

6. Kansas City Federal Reserve Building (1921-2008)

The building on 925 Grand Boulevard was constructed in 1921 as the home of the new Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. It was one of twelve Federal Reserve banks established around the country as part of the 1913 Federal Reserve Act, which created a central bank system. The building housed the bank until 2008 when it moved to a new headquarters in Penn Valley Park. It has remained vacant since then, but is currently in the process of being converted into a hotel complex. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

7. Commerce Trust Building; Commerce Bank of Kansas City

The Commerce Trust Building, also known as the National Bank of Commerce Building, is the headquarters for the Commerce Bank of Kansas City. The bank originally began under Francis Reid Long, who migrated to Kansas City in 1865 with $20,000 to invest in the growing city. The timing of the bank's founding after the Civil War was ideal as the city was chosen as the terminus of several railroads and included the first railroad bridge connecting this area with Missouri. The bank grew rapidly and its founders determined to create a new headquarters building in the heart of Kansas City’s growing business district. Designed by Jarvis Hunt, the Commerce Trust Building was constructed between 1907 and 1908 by the George A. Fuller Company. The fifteen-story building has maintained most of its historic features, such as its large bronze and copper clock.

8. William Thornton and Charlotte Crosby Kemper Memorial Fountain

Artists Lori Doolittle and Alvin Holm designed this unique downtown Kansas City fountain to resemble the ancient stone bowl which is on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The fountain was dedicated in 1999 in honor of the Kemper Family and their commitment to Kansas City. The artists added features that preserve energy as part of their effort to reflect themes of conservation, art, and technology into the design of the fountain. The artists also worked to blend aspects of the fountain to match the architecture of nearby buildings, including the Commerce Bank headquarters.

9. Land Bank Building

One of the cornerstone buildings of Kansas City's Financial District, this structure was completed in 1924 for the Kansas City Joint Stock Land Bank, the nation's fifth to receive a Charter under the 1916 Federal Farm Loan Act. This law provided guaranteed loans to farmers in recognition of the growing expenses farmers faced as agriculture became more reliant on advanced equipment and larger landholdings, as well as the unique challenges farmers faced when they tried to secure loans compared to other businesses. The building's design was recognized with the 1924 Business District's Gold Medal for architecture. For many years, Rothschild's department store was located east of this building while the New England National Bank remains to the west. The former bank across the street is now home to the Kansas City Public Library.

10. Central Library, Kansas City Public Library

Located in the historic former headquarters of First National Bank, the Central Library serves as the major resource library for the Kansas City Public Library system. Offering breathtaking galleries and reading rooms, and an ingenious parking garage that looks like a bookshelf, the Central Library is consistently included in lists of the most beautiful public libraries in the United States. The former bank vault is now home to the Stanley H. Durwood film collection, while the old bank's 35-foot ceilings add grandeur to the main reading room. Located on the fifth floor of the Central Library, the Missouri Valley Room is the premiere collection of rare books and one-of-a-kind historical records related to the history of Kansas City. Patrons may use the reading room to view archival and genealogical materials that do not circulate beyond the library.

11. New York Life Building of Kansas City

The New York Life building is a high-rise in the Library District of Kansas City. Built in a Neo-Renaissance style between 1887-90 by famous New York City architects McKim, Mead and White, it was a symbol of Kansas City’s prosperity in the late 19th-century as well as its reliance and faith in the money coming from the East, as Kansas City stood as a gateway to the West. The New York Life building is also considered to be Kansas City’s first skyscraper. The building mirrored the potential and investment coming to the area from all over the country, and it was the first manifestation of this prosperity. Today, the New York Life building is a centerpiece of the Library District neighborhood, and in 1970, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

12. Bunker Building

Walter A. Bunker managed the Kansas City chapter of the Western Newspaper Union. Its success led Bunker and his partners to erect the now-historic Bunker Building in 1881. Bunker felt it prudent to build in the downtown region because he believed in Kansas City's potential to become a meaningful urban center, a view shared by speculators from the eastern part of the country. Investors, architects, and workers came to Kansas City in droves during the 1880s, resulting in a downtown building boom and a doubling of the city's population.

13. Baker–Vawter Building; Sosland Building

The Baker-Vawter Company, a national producer of steel filing cabinets and other office-supply products, hired a Kansas City architectural firm in 1920 to design its "Western Office and Factory" facility in Kansas City. The architectural firm of Hoit, Price & Barnes went on to design numerous buildings in Kansas City, from skyscrapers to residential buildings, many of which survive today as historical landmarks. The Baker-Vawter Building stands as one of the firm's earliest projects and continues to serve as a representation of the firm's contributions to the area's industrial architecture. The Sosland family of Kansas City acquired the building in 1950 and used it for their growing publishing company which began in 1922 with the publication of a weekly magazine for area flour mills. Similar to many other buildings in the area, The historic structure is now home to loft apartments.

14. Old New England Building

The Old New England Building was the tallest building in Kansas City when it was completed in 1888. The last few decades of the 19th century were a time of immense population growth and the area saw an influx of investors, architects, and builders who had previously created some of the leading buildings in cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago. The completion of buildings like this signaled Kansas City's growth into a regional powerhouse. The building was the original home of the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company and featured fifty-seven fireplaces, two elevators, and two walk-in safes on each floor. The architectural design includes a two-story high oriel bay window and five unique ornamental carved stone seals of five New England states. The building was later used by Trans World Airlines and now serves as residential loft-style apartments.

15. Savoy Hotel and Savoy Grill (1888-2014); The Savoy at 21c and 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City

This historic Kansas City building was home to the Savoy Hotel starting in 1888. Five years later, the hotel added the Savoy Grill, the longest-operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River. The restaurant and hotel closed following a 2014 fire, but the building was later renovated and reopened by the 21c hotel chain to include a contemporary art museum along with many tributes to the history of the former historic establishment. Soon after the hotel reopened, the former dining room of the Savoy Grill reopened as the Savoy at 21c Restaurant. Visitors to the restaurant can sit in a booth that was the preferred location of Harry S. Truman and view a series of historically significant murals that were created as part of the restaurant's 1903 opening. These murals by Edward Holslag depict early Kansas City history from pioneers departing Westport on the Sante Fe Trail to the arrival of steamboats on the Missouri River. A short hallway connects these historical works to a contemporary art museum that is open to the public 24 hours a day within the new hotel's lobby. A virtual tour of the hotel's art gallery and restaurant, including the murals by Edward Holsalg, is available within this entry.

16. Historical Marker: Camp Union

Dedicated by the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas City in 1957, this marker commemorates Camp Union, a small fort built by U.S. troops at this location in 1861. It consisted of barracks and service buildings surrounded by a 200 square foot earthwork. Various companies of the U.S. Reserve Corps were stationed here to protect Kansas City from Confederate attacks beginning in June 1861. Troops would remain here for the duration of the war.

17. Kansas City Slide Company 1913-192); Kirk Building, Crossroads Academy

Constructed in 1908, this building is historically known as the location of the Kansas City Slide Company, where famed animator Walt Disney worked as a cartoon artist. The Kansas City Slide Company occupied this site from 1913 to 1920, moving locations shortly after Disney was hired. In 1925 the building was expanded, but like many structures in the area, deferred maintenance caused the building to become dilapidated. As a champion for downtown Kansas City revitalization, local real estate developer Phil Kirk purchased and renovated the building in 1983. Years later, Kirk leased the building at $1 per month for a newly established charter school, Crossroads Academy, which continues to occupy the site since 2012.

18. Kansas City Fire Department Headquarters; Central Exchange

Completed in 1906, this stately structure served as the headquarters for the Kansas City Fire Department and was known as Fire Station No. 2. Considered one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the city, the building features a grand temple facade composed of four square pedestal bases, three ornamental stone saucers, four large, ribbed Doric columns supporting an entablature, and recessed arched windows. Not only did the building offer a grand appearance, it was also one of the best-equipped and most efficient fire stations in the country at the time of its construction. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. From 1984 until 2020, the building was home to Central Exchange, a women's leadership organization that was established in 1979 by Beth Smith and Marjorie Powell Allen.

19. Folly Theater, Kansas City

The historic Folly Theater is Kansas City’s oldest theater and entertainment venue, dating back to 1900. It still operates as a functional theater today (showing live theater, jazz performances, national touring shows, and other programs) and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although the Folly Theater is seen as a place of quality, family entertainment, the theater’s origins were based in vaudeville, burlesque, and, later, striptease performances, showcasing nationally acclaimed artists such as Gypsy Rose Lee and Tempest Storm. In the 1920s, however, the Folly Theater (then named the "Shubert's Missouri”) produced dramatic productions and even featured the Marx Brothers and a young Humphrey Bogart. After falling into disrepair in the 1970s, the KCMO community took up the cause and saved the Folly Theater, and it is now one of the most important theatrical and historical sites in the downtown area.

20. Barney Allis Plaza and Fountain

This large fountain was built in 1985 as part of a redesign of the Barney Allis Plaza, and urban park located above a parking garage at the site of the city's first convention hall which was built to host the Democratic National Convention of 1900. That convention hall was used until the 1930s and today, the plaza where it once stood is a tree-lined urban park that features several statues and is named after the manager of the former Muehlebach Hotel which was located across the street. That historic hotel is now part of the Marriott Hotel. Barney Allis managed the hotel for three decades beginning in 1931. Despite his short stature of 5 foot 3 inches, Allis had a tremendous presence and ran the hotel in a way that left a positive impression on visitors to the city. Allis earned a reputation as a perfectionist and his leadership bolstered the hotel's reputation which compelled a number of celebrities, including the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and future President Harry Truman, to choose to stay at the Muehlebach. The fountain is on the north end of the plaza and features 112 water jets. The plaza was first created in 1956.

21. The North American Conference of Homophile Organizations / Phoenix Society for Individual Freedom Historical Marker

This historical marker commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first National Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations. Dedicated on October 12, 2016, at the corner of 12th and Wyandotte in Kansas City, the marker shares the history of one of the early LGBT civil right organizations in Kansas City, Missouri, The Phoenix Society for Individual Freedom, and its founder, Drew Shafer. The marker was created with the help of community members, historians, activists, and the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, which is housed at the Miller Nichols Library at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.

22. Aladdin Hotel

When it opened in 1925, the Aladdin Hotel was the tallest building in Kansas City. The 16-story building was designed by architect Phillip T. Drotts in the Italian Romanesque style, with architectural highlights that included a white limestone facade on the first through third floors with arches and terra cotta detailing, ten-story brick pilasters topped with life-size terra cotta female figures, sets of five arched, recessed windows on the 16th floor, and a pyramidal roof. The Aladdin is architecturally significant but also serves as a reminder of the city's prosperity during the early 20th century when grand hotels helped attract major conventions, a critical part of the local economy, and a source of civic pride. As of August 2022, the hotel is closed but its current owners acquired it in December 2021 and plan to redevelop the historic hotel. The Aladdin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Downtown Hotels in Kansas City, Missouri district, which consists of seven hotels and numerous other structures.

23. Hotel Phillips

The Phillips House Hotel was Kansas City's tallest hotel when it opened in 1931, replacing the previous Glennon Hotel. Future President Harry S. Truman ran a men's clothing store at the hotel in its early years. The Great Depression was marked by job losses, construction slowdowns, bank failures, and other types of financial disorder throughout the country, yet downtown Kansas City enjoyed relatively consistent growth in the 1930s, partly as a result of the backroom deals organized by the city's political "boss," Tom Pendergast. Until his downfall, Pendergast used his connections and influence within the city's political system to keep taxes low (roughly half of other comparable cities) during the 1930s, primarily due to the fraudulent manner in which his city handled and recorded financial and political deals. While the immediate and long-term effects of Pendergast's actions harmed many residents, it also helped others and facilitated some of the construction projects in downtown Kansas City that included the construction of Hotel Phillips which was only one of several Kansas City skyscrapers built during the decade. Similar to this historic structure which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, many of Kansas City's historic downtown buildings from this era include detailed ornamentation and architectural details that reflect the connection between skilled labor and the city boosters who made secured the votes of workers.

24. Muehlebach Hotel

From the time of its construction in 1915 to mid-century, the Muehlebach Hotel was one of the centers of Kansas City social life. The luxurious hotel was built by the son of the city's famous brewer and hosted celebrities, famous athletes, and even presidents and foreign dignitaries. The hotel is also the site of the first band performance to be broadcast over the radio, the birthplace of the Barbershop Harmony Society, and the place where Harry Truman stayed while waiting for the 1948 presidential election results. The Muehlebach, along with several other downtown hotels, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. After closing in 1986, the Muehlebach was acquired by Marriott Hotels and incorporated into the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. In 2018 it was announced that Platform Ventures will convert the historic hotel into an apartment building.

25. Kansas City Club Building; Hotel Kansas City

Now home to Hotel Kansas City, this historic structure Gothic Revival-style building served as the headquarters for the prestigious Kansas City Club for nearly 80 years. The Club was first formed in 1882 to provide a place for the city’s business class to socialize. In 1922, the organization celebrated the completion of this building which offered numerous amenities for club members, including guest rooms, meeting spaces, athletic facilities, and a banquet hall. With declining membership reflecting trends in other cities, the club sold the building in 2001, and most of the structure was converted into apartments. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. In 2020, Hyatt Hotels converted the building into Hotel Kansas City, preserving its historic features such as the two-story stained glass mural in the main ballroom crafted by Ronald Neill Dixon.

26. Kansas City Power and Light Building

The Kansas City Power & Light Building is a leading historic landmark in the city’s Power & Light District. The building was constructed in 1931 and served as the headquarters for the Kansas City Power & Light Company for six decades. The building’s Art Deco style and ornate rooftop lantern quickly made it a Kansas City icon. In 2014 the KCP&L Building was sold after its last tenant left. It underwent refurbishments and reopened in 2016 as a luxury apartment complex. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Downtown Kansas City History Walking Tour

Created by David Trowbridge on June 17th 2017, 7:04:26 pm.

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Description

Starting with the Jackson County Courthouse and Kansas City's historic City Hall this walking tour makes a quick stop through each of the leading districts of downtown Kansas City, Missouri to include the Financial District, Library District, Garment District, and the Power and and Light District. The tour includes over two dozen highlights of the city including historic buildings, markers and monuments, and several of the city's trademark fountains.

Entries on This Tour

Downtown Kansas City History Walking Tour

Description

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