Lee's Summit History Museum (Old Post Office and City Hall)

Since 2015, this historic post office has been home to the Lee's Summit History Museum. The U.S. Treasury provided funds to construct the building, which was completed in 1939 and served as Lee's Summit's Post Office until the 1960s when the building became home to City Hall. In 2015, the building became the home of the museum and one of the anchors of the Lee's Summit Downtown Historic District.

William B. Howard founded the town in 1865, but Lee's Summit's first period of substantial population growth came much later in the 1920s. The community continued to grow into the 1930s despite the Great Depression, and expansion continued through the post-war years. Prior to this, the population increased slowly from 1,369 in 1890 to 1,467 in 1920, so the increase to 2,035 in 1930 and 2,263 by 1940 demonstrated how the community's proximity to Kansas City shaped the era.

In the postwar period, railroad traffic gave way to automobile traffic, a trend that led to rapid growth in once-isolated communities along the periphery of metropolitan areas like Kansas City.

Far more substantial growth occurred after World War II, and the old post office proved too small so a new postal facility was created. The building served as City Hall for Lee's Summit from the 1960s to 2006. A large mural titled "Pastoral," painted by Ted Gillien, a New York resident and artist, has hung in the building since 1963. The painting was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which included the employment of artists through the Works Progress Administration. 

Today, the building is part of the Lee's Summit Downtown Historic District which includes thirty-nine buildings, including the historic post office and city hall which now offers a variety of exhibits about the history of Lee's Summit.

Chisum, Denise. "Post Office (Former) -- Lee's Summit MO." The Living New Deal. livingnewdeal.org. Accessed December 9, 2021. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/old-post-office-lees-summit-mo/

Schwenk, Sally F. "Lee's Summit Downtown Historic District." National Register of Historic Places. catalog.archives.com. 2006. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63817605/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MO/05000889.pdf.

Zirschky, Martha. "It was founded in the mid 1800s by around 100 people. Look how Lee’s Summit has grown.." Kansas City Star (Kansas City) January 19th 2021. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/lsjournal/article248128980.html.