Institution

The library was the center of development for this portion of the Kansas City downtown area, now called The Library District. Bounded roughly by Broadway, Main, 6th, and 12th Streets, the Library District now includes several housing and business areas. The Library District houses seven buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Central Library itself, many of which can be seen from the Terrace.Spaced around the Rooftop Terrace are several interpretive plaques that describe what visitors can see. They provide historical images of the very buildings that visitors are viewing and describe their importance in Kansas City's development. The beautiful and unique landscaping of the Rooftop Terrace utilizes several drought-resistant plants, some of which are native to the area. These plants include native prairie grasses, prairie drop seed, side oats, prickly pear and Pennsylvania sledge.

This outdoor terrace was created when the former roof was removed. Below the cement pavers are pipes that provide water to the drought-resistant plant species. Highlights of the terrace include a giant chess set in the southwest corner, a large forty-foot wall used to show movies on summer nights, and a skyline view that offers a chance to see much of the historic Library District.

Rooftop Terrace

The Kansas City Public Library dates back to 1873 when the public school system allowed citizens to browse its only encyclopedia and borrow books from a single shelf of circulating titles. The city's first dedicated library opened in 1889 at 8th and Oak Street. In 1960, the library operated branches through the city and opened a new central library that included the first special collections department and reading room.By the 1980s, the library's collections and programming exceeded the capacity of its 1960 facility. In 1999, a commitment of $50 million in public funding and private donations allowed the Central Library to renovate and move into its present location, the former headquarters of the First National Bank in 2004. The move included a multi-year effort to renovate and restore the bank to its original grandeur while converting it into an ideal facility for library programming. The remodel also funded updates and modern conveniences such as custom designed tables that offer power outlets for portable computers. The library maintains a special collection of videos and a small theater in the former bank vault. It also maintains a small café that offers food and drink from local vendors. The First National Bank building was constructed in three separate building campaigns (1904-1906, 1926, and 1964). The concrete and steel building features elements of the Neo-Classical and Chicago School. The original Wilder and Wight three-story building, dominated by colossal Ionic columns and highly embellished double-leaf bronze doors at its main façade, was modified in 1926 when a fourth floor was added, and a four-story annex to the east was constructed. The marble-sheathed, five-story expansion to the north occurred in 1964. Edward T. Wilder and Thomas Wight studied architecture under the firm of McKim, Mead and White (the architects of the neighboring New York Life Building). Subsequently, Wight became one of Kansas City's most influential architects. The building was later purchased by Boatman's Bank, prior to it becoming the Central Library in the Kansas City Public Library system.

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.

Central Library, Kansas City Public Library

The Community Bookshelf installation on the south wall of the Central Library parking garage has become a signature attraction of downtown’s Library District. The garage was completed in 2004 and occupies the block of West Ninth Street between Baltimore Avenue and Wyandotte Street. A mural of 22 oversize book spines, standing 25 feet high, adorns the front of the garage. It is called the Community Bookshelf because community members were encouraged to recommend some of their favorite titles for inclusion. From those submissions, the Library’s Board of Trustees made the final selections.Many of the chosen books were uniquely Kansas City-themed, such as Tom’s Town by William M. Reddig and Carrie Westlake Whitney’s Kansas City, Missouri: Its History and Its People, 1808-1908. Other notable works include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez, and Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. Children’s classics by authors such as Margaret Wise Brown, Dr. Seuss, and Laura Ingalls Wilder are also represented.Dimensional Innovations of Overland Park, Kansas, created the book spine graphics by using digital imaging software to alter scans of rare volumes and printing the images on signboard mylar. The design earned the company first place for unique signs in the 2006 International Sign Contest. Because of the Community Bookshelf’s striking design, the garage is frequently confused as the actual Library and is found on lists of the area’s most interesting structures.The east and west sides of the garage also feature artwork. Over the east entrance is an enlarged version of Bob Price Holloway’s The Kansas City Connection, which features depictions of famous local figures – among them Walt Disney, who lived in the city and opened his first animation studio at 1127 E. 31st Street.On the west side of the garage are two postcard images that have been enlarged and printed on screens. The views show the surrounding Library District in the early 1900s, when it was a bustling downtown center.The site of the Library parking garage was once home to the Sam S. Shubert Theater. Constructed in 1906 and designed by Chicago architect Charles E. Fox, the theater boasted a fireproof design and a seating capacity of 1,625. The venue attracted notable performers of the period, including comedian and actor Eddie Foy, who appeared in the Shubert’s opening night show “The Earl and the Girl.”The Shubert brothers—Samuel S., Jacob J., and Lee—created a theatrical empire during the first half of the 20th century, producing more than 600 plays, revues, and musicals and booking roughly 1,000 shows in theaters throughout the U.S. However, Kansas City’s Shubert Theater struggled through the Great Depression as live performances fell out of fashion with a public that more frequently turned to motion pictures and radio for entertainment. It closed after the 1935 season and was demolished the following year to make room for a two-story parking garage.The property was purchased by First National Bank in the 1950s. Along with the bank building, it was sold to the Library in 2000.

The Community Bookshelf installation spanning the south façade of the Central Library parking garage has become a frequently photographed downtown landmark. Standing 2½ stories high, it depicts 22 towering book spines that bear the names of 42 classic titles suggested by the public. Another art installation on the east side of the garage, The Kansas City Connection by local artist Bob Price Holloway, features notable figures in the city’s history. In the early 20th century, the garage location on West Ninth Street was home to the Sam S. Shubert Theater, which operated from 1906-1935. It was razed in 1936 to make way for a parking structure.

Community Bookshelf, looking east on the 10th Street. Photo: Mike Sinclair

Community Bookshelf/Parking Garage

Since 2004, the former First National Bank building at the corner of 10th and Baltimore has been home to the Central Library. The bank was officially organized on March 1, 1886, with an authorized capital of a million dollars and a paid capital of $250,000, Colonel James Abernathy and James Lombard opened the original First National Bank in downtown Kansas City in the Junction Building, a former building that is now home to a fountain that divides Main Street. Kansas City was only 33 years old at that time as Missouri officially incorporated the City of Kansas on March 28, 1853.The bank grew along with the city it served, leading to the completion of this bank building in 1906 as a three-story structure featuring elements of the Neoclassical and Chicago School style of architecture. The front is dominated by a row of six Ionic marble columns, each 34 feet high and weighing approximately 48 tons, as well as intricately detailed, 13-foot bronze doors. The deliberately imposing facade conveys permanence and security, desirable traits for a financial institution when the building was constructed.A fourth floor was added in 1926, and a north expansion was completed in 1964. A succession of banks occupied the space until 1999, when Bank of America consolidated its Kansas City offices and vacated the historic building. By that time, the Kansas City Public Library had outgrown its headquarters inside the Board of Education Building at 12th and McGee streets and leaders began searching for a new location for its main library. Through a public-private partnership headed by the Downtown Council, and utilizing funds from federal, state, and municipal sources, as well as corporations, foundations, and individuals, the Library raised the nearly $50 million needed to convert the old bank building into a dynamic, urban library. HTNB was the principal architect for the project and began renovations in 2001. The Central Library was the cornerstone of a newly established Library District, which spans from Main Street west to Baltimore Avenue, and from 8th to 11th streets. A public grand opening was held on April 12, 2004.

Located on the northeast corner of 10th Street and Baltimore Avenue in the historic former First National Bank building, the Central Library serves as the main resource center for the Kansas City Public Library system. The Library has been at its current location since 2004 and anchors the downtown Library District. Both public and private funding were used to convert the old bank building into a library. The exterior architecture is original, and elements of the interior bank lobby, named Kirk Hall in honor of businessman and Library advocate Phil Kirk, were restored to their original grandeur. Visitors to the Central Library will find many interesting spaces including a lower-level bank vault converted into a 28-seat movie theater, the third-floor Grand Reading Room with skylights, the fifth-floor Rooftop Terrace, and two formal art galleries.

Kansas City's First National Bank was completed in 1906 and became home to the Central Library in 2004

From First National Bank to the Central Library, 1906 to 2004

Exterior and Parking Garage

The first floor is also home to the Genevieve Guldner Gallery which offers a thousand square feet for traveling exhibits.

This small cafe is currently closed. The cafe was known as the Nine Muses Cafe until its closure during the global pandemic of 2020-2021 and included an original painting of the ancient Greek muses commissioned by the library. Here, visitors to the library can also view one of several unique clocks that are located on nearly every floor of the library. The Power and Light Building Replica Clock is believed to have been created in the 1950s, and was donated to the library by the former owners of the Power and Light Building in 2014.

Library Café (Closed Until Further Notice)

There are several details of note in Kirk Hall. Gold metallic paint has been used to replicate the look of the original gold leaf ceiling. The restored chandeliers were installed when the lobby was renovated in 1925. Original check-writing stands situated in the center of the lobby when it was a bank have been repurposed as catalog computer stations on the east and west sides of the hall.Completed in 1906, the original three-story structure was designed by architects Edward Wilder and Thomas Wight and features Neoclassical and Chicago School elements. The front is dominated by a row of six Ionic marble columns, each 34 feet high and weighing approximately 48 tons, as well as intricately detailed, 13-foot bronze doors. The deliberately imposing facade conveys permanence and security, desirable traits for a financial institution when the building was constructed. A fourth floor was added in 1926, and a north expansion was completed in 1964. A succession of banks occupied the space until 1999, when Bank of America consolidated its Kansas City offices and vacated the historic building.By 2000, the Kansas City Public Library had outgrown its headquarters inside the Board of Education Building at 12th and McGee streets and began searching for a new location for its main library. Through a public-private partnership headed by the Downtown Council, and utilizing funds from federal, state, and municipal sources, as well as corporations, foundations, and individuals, the Library raised the nearly $50 million needed to convert the old bank building into a dynamic, urban library. HTNB was the principal architect for the project and began renovations in 2001. The Central Library was the cornerstone of a newly established Library District, which spans from Main Street west to Baltimore Avenue, and from 8th to 11th streets. A public grand opening was held April 12, 2004.

The Central Library has been located in the historic former First National Bank building since 2004. Both public and private funding were used to convert the old bank building into a library. The exterior architecture is original, and elements of the interior bank lobby, named Kirk Hall in honor of businessman and library advocate Phil Kirk, were restored to their original grandeur. Visitors to the Central Library will find many interesting spaces including a lower-level bank vault converted into a 28-seat movie theater, the third-floor Grand Reading Room with skylights, the fifth-floor Rooftop Terrace, and two formal art galleries. The bronze entryway doors, each weighing one ton, lead into the magnificently restored bank lobby. Named Kirk Hall in honor of downtown developer, Library advocate, and former DST chairman Phil Kirk, the lobby area houses new and popular collections of books and other materials, as well as the Library Café and circulation desk.

Early 1900s postcard of the interior of the First National Bank building.

Kirk Hall

When the bank opened in 1906, this was the office of Edward F. “Boss” Swinney,41 First National Bank president from 1900-27, chairman from 1927-44. (Interesting fact about Swinney: He was hired as a cashier at the bank a year after it was founded in 1886 and worked his way up.) The chairman’s office has mahogany from Peru and a Connemara marble fireplace.43 There are “banded oak leaves and acorns in the crown molding, gold leaf on the coffered ceiling.” One of the doors led to a secretary’s office. Another “hidden” door is now a mechanical shaft that used to go to a tunnel under Baltimore Street. The tunnel is still there and is used for city infrastructure. Apparently, the tunnels were used by bankers in the vicinity to meet up; also, Shubert Theatre patrons used the tunnels to go to nearby hotels for a drink.

The bank Chairman’s Office in the southwest corner of Kirk Hall features Peruvian mahogany walls and a marble fireplace. A reproduction of a self-portrait by Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham hangs over the fireplace (the Library-owned original is on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art). Another Bingham work, General Order No. 11, is displayed behind the circulation desk. The chairman’s office has mahogany from Peru and a Connemara marble fireplace and detailed gold leaf on the coffered ceiling.

When the bank opened in 1906, this was the office of Edward F. “Boss” Swinney

Chairman’s Office

Moving beyond Kirk Hall, the décor becomes noticeably more modern. The north wing of the first floor is home to the Genevieve Guldner Gallery and OneNorth Technology Center. The Guldner Gallery is host to various local and traveling art exhibitions throughout the year, as is the Rocky and Gabriella Mountain Gallery on the mezzanine level.

This exhibit on the history of First National Bank was located on the north end of Kirk Hall, across from the book return area from 2004 until 2022. The exhibit included early photos of the building and biographies of bank leaders, including the first president, Col. James L. Abernathy. Given the exhibit's value and the interest of local residents in learning more about the early history of this building, it has been added as a contributing entry within this virtual tour of the library.

Bronze door detail. Central Library, 10th & Baltimore.

First National Bank Architectural Details and Exhibit (2004-2022)

First Floor

When the historic former First National Bank building was renovated and transformed into the Central Library, the aim was to retain many of the bank’s unique attributes. The vault is one of the most recognizable of these preserved features. Visitors to the lower lever will notice a massive 2-foot-thick, 7-foot-high vault door. Weighing 35 tons, it was so well balanced that it could be moved with just a single finger but now is permanently mounted in place.Since the Central Library opened in the former bank building in 2004, the vault has been used for public and private film screenings. The Stanley Durwood Foundation donated more than $200,000 for major design and technology upgrades and, in 2007, the space reopened as the Stanley H. Durwood Film Vault. Durwood founded the prominent AMC Theater Company and was a pioneer of the multiplex theater concept.

An iconic feature of the Central Library is the Stanley H. Durwood Film Vault. Located on the lower level of the Central Library, with walls of steel and reinforced concrete, it was a bank vault for more than 70 years before being redesigned as a mid-20th century movie theater. The massive vault door has been refurbished and remains permanently open. Another attraction is the Orval Hixon Gallery of portraits. Hixon was based in Kansas City and photographed hundreds of theater and vaudeville performers of the early 20th century. In keeping with the focus on film and media, the Vault Level also houses the Central Library’s audio-visual collection.

Stanley H. Durwood Film Vault

Hixon’s descendants donated nearly 150 prints to the Library in 2008. Portraits are featured throughout the Vault Level and periodically rotated in and out. A large-format Eastman Kodak camera used by Hixon is also on display in the gallery.

In addition to the theater, the Vault Level also houses the Orval Hixon Gallery, named for the prominent studio photographer of the early 20th century. From 1915 to 1930, Hixon photographed hundreds of rising stars of vaudeville, stage, and early film, including Eddie Cantor, Joan Crawford, and Al Jolson.

Orval Hixon Gallery on the Vault Level of the Central Library

Orval Hixon Photography Gallery

Vault Level

This was the bank's original boardroom which also included a spiral staircase. The room is named for investment banker Courtney S. Turner (1896-1986), an Atchison-born businessman who was president of the board of the Charter Bank and the “largest shareholder of the bank following the enactment of the Bank Merger Law in 1969.”[1] He was a “golf-course developer in Palm Desert” and made his fortune in credit finance and was “known for his eccentricities.”[2] He was also a “director and substantial stockholder of the First National Bank.”[3]

Courtney S. Turner Board Room 

In 1874, James M. Greenwood (1837-1914) was appointed Superintendent of Schools and supervisor of the library. The chair weighs 2,100 pounds and is sculpted from a solid block of marble; it was so heavy it was hard to find a place to put it in the library. The empty chair is a “classical memorial motif,” along the lines of the riderless horse.

Greenwood Memorial Chair

This section offers multiple areas for children and children's activities. In the children's section, librarians lead story times for all ages, curate age-appropriate reading lists, and more. In the teen room, the library provides resources for homework help and hosts crafting and game nights.The second floor includes a mural by local artist Lisa Campbell Ernst. The second floor is also home to the Digital Media Lab, a 3D printer, and the teen digital initiative.

Frances Families Children’s Library-Aquila Young Adult Library  

Frances Families Children’s Library and Aquila Young Adult Library  

Second Floor

The bank lobby once included two "nests" for snipers who stood guard whenever the bank was open to prevent theft. While First National was never robbed, there is a bullet hole in the glass on 3 South that is believed to been caused by a shootout across the street at what was the New England Bank Building.

Based on 20th-century reading rooms, the room has a 34-foot-high glass skylight ceiling, mahogany paneling, and custom reading lamps. To construct the Reading Room, a hole was cut from the fourth level slab, and steel girders running east to west were removed. The girders were each 30 inches tall and 30 feet long and weighed 18,000 pounds. They were cut into thirds for easier removal by cranes.

Effie Mae Winders Kauffman Grand Reading Room

This conference room features the original painting Town of Kansas which was completed by Anthony Benton Gude in 2004 in the style of his grandfather, legendary artist Thomas Hart Benton. The Library commissioned the painting by Anthony Gude who has a studio on a farm his grandfather bought near Frankfort, Kansas, a small town is northwest of Kansas City

The conference room features the paining Town of Kansas (2004) by Anthony Benton Gude

Room 310 Conference Room

Kansas City in the 1920s and 30s was under the rule of "Boss" Tom Pendergast. Pendergast was born to Irish immigrant parents in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1875. He relocated to Kansas City in 1894 to join his brother James, a successful businessman and saloon owner. Because of his powerful social influence, James was voted city alderman of Kansas City's First Ward, and younger brother Tom watched his every political move closely. When James died in 1911, Tom ran for his brother's seat and won. Pendergast stepped down from the city council in 1916, and quickly rose up the ranks in Kansas City Democratic politics to become the chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party in 1925.As chairman, Pendergast created a political machine that effectively controlled the entire city. During the Great Depression, Pendergast financed aid operations and worked to create jobs for poor and working-class Kansas Citians who could not find work. During Prohibition, he bribed the Kansas City Police to turn a blind eye to his illegal bootlegging operation and gambling rings. He fixed elections to keep friends in power, and in return, Pendergast ensured that his businesses received government contracts. Pendergast's most famous political protégé was Harry S Truman. Pendergast helped Truman win a county government position in 1922, which paved the road for his 1934 election to the United States Senate. Truman, of course, would go on to become vice president, and then President of the United States in 1945. Pendergast's machine began to come crashing down in 1936 when the newly elected governor of Missouri, Lloyd C. Stark, indicted 278 people in Pendergast's circle for voter fraud. 200 of those men saw jail time. Later that year, federal authorities discovered that Pendergast had interfered in a city lawsuit against an insurance company, earning him $750,000. Pendergast declined to include this sum on his tax returns. From this, federal authorities charged Pendergast with tax evasion, proving that he had skirted nearly $500,000 in federal taxes in 1935 and 1936 alone. Pendergast pled guilty and spent 15 months in jail, plus five years of probation. After his time in prison, Kansas City tried its best to erase Pendergast's political influences. City officials passed several anti-corruption measures and city officials hired by Pendergast were fired. With Pendergast's downfall, the era of machine politics in Missouri was officially over.Tom Pendergast died of a heart attack in 1945 at the age of 72.

This bullet hole can be found in the south windows on the third floor. While its exact origins remain a mystery, it likely dates to the 1920s or 1930s, also known as The Pendergast Era. It may have been the result of a shootout gone awry during a bank robbery across the street from the Central Library, then the First National Bank.

This bullet hole on the third floor has led to much speculation and serves as a reminder of a bank robbery that occurred across the street. 

Bullet Hole in the 3rd Floor South Window

Third Floor

The Missouri Valley Special Collections was established in 1960. The department’s namesake, the Missouri Valley Historical Society, existed from 1913 to 1940 as an organization of citizens devoted to preserving Kansas City’s history. The Society’s first president was lumber magnate John Barber White. His personal papers and library of more than 5,000 history and genealogy books were donated to the Library in 1933 and later incorporated into the Missouri Valley Special Collections, as were records of the historical society.Also among the MVSC’s notable acquired collections: more than 15,000 prints and negatives from local photographer Brookings Montgomery; the Ramos Collection, comprised of books and records on African American history and culture, formerly housed in the Lincoln High School Branch Library; and the postcard collection of Mrs. Sam Ray, an avid collector who donated her personal collection of more than 16,000 postcards in 1996.The original Missouri Valley Room was located on the third floor of the old Main Library at 12th and McGee streets. The research room featured an expansive mural by local artist Daniel MacMorris depicting significant events in the city’s early history. Additionally, an original 1855 map of Westport, Missouri, drawn by Kansas City’s first city engineer, Charles C. Spalding, was dedicated and put on display in 1989. The Library acquired the map from the Daughters of Old Westport, who also funded its restoration and framing.When the Central Library relocated to the historic First National Bank building at 10th and Baltimore in 2004, a new Missouri Valley Room opened on the fifth floor. The space was dedicated to the memory of Dr. William Stone Woods (1840-1917), chairman of the National Bank of Commerce (now Commerce Bank) and a major benefactor to many regional causes including William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri.A portrait of Woods is displayed on the east wall near the entrance. Spalding’s 1855 Westport map is featured prominently on the west side of the room. Other items of interest include a lithographic print of the 1887 National Agricultural Exposition in Kansas City, a replica of the “Corps of Discovery” sculpture, which honors the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1803-1806). The original sculpture by Eugene Daub was dedicated in 2000 in Kansas City’s West Terrace Park. Most of the special collections are housed in the closed stacks area on the north end of the Missouri Valley Room. Glass panels allow for a peek into the stacks and a view of large panoramic photographs printed on the ends of the compact shelving. This image, of an original held by the Library of Congress, shows the intersection of West 10th Street and Baltimore Avenue around 1909, including the First National Bank building (now the Central Library) on the northeast corner.Visitors to the Missouri Valley Room are welcome to peruse the browsing collections or request archival materials from the closed stacks. Front desk staff are available to assist with research requests and answer questions about the room.

Located on the fifth floor of the Central Library, the Missouri Valley Special Collections serves as the history arm and archives of the Kansas City Public Library. The department’s mission is to acquire and preserve materials documenting the history of Kansas City and the surrounding region and make them accessible to researchers and others in the general public. Thousands of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, postcards, and other records comprise the Special Collections. Core collections focus on topics such as Kansas City’s built environment and social history, African American history and culture, Native Americans and the American West, and the Civil War on the western Missouri border. These materials are accessible to researchers in the Missouri Valley Room, which features an extensive local history browsing collection, a hand-drawn 1855 map of Westport, Missouri, and other displayed art and artifacts.

Missouri Valley Special Collections and Missouri Valley Room

Named in honor of Kansas City philanthropist Gladys Feld Helzberg, this auditorium offers seating for 165 library patrons and feature unique doors that are nearly ten feet tall and made of African mahogany. Gladys Feld Helzberg was a writer for Kansas City’s Box Office Magazine after graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in journalism in 1927. She and her husband, Barnett C. Helzberg Sr., of Helzberg Diamonds, had three children and were known for their love of books.

Central Library, Kansas City Public Library

Rooftop Terrace

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources