Three Gables Farmhouse

With a foundation dating back to 1824, this historic Kansas City home fell into disrepair and faced demolition in 2013. At that time, local Liberty businessmen Andy Mackey and Mike Yeates took an interest in the history of the property known locally as the Three Gables Farmhouse and decided to acquire and renovate the property. Thanks to these preservation efforts, it remains the oldest extant building in Liberty and is also one of the oldest remaining structures in the Kansas City metro area. The stately brick building was added to the 1820s foundation sometime around 1860 and today, the building serves as a stark reminder of the scale of urban growth in Kansas City as it was once an isolated rural farmhouse and is now home to a real estate company in a sprawling suburb.

Sometimes referred to as the Poage-Arnold Farm, these two families were the first settlers on this land. Around 1824, about two decades after the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled through this area and about two decades before the first substantial efforts to build what would become the town of Kansas (and later, Kansas City), the Poage's built a simple, two-room home. Local residents Thomas and Martha Arnold purchased the property in 1851 and built the brick structure around 1860, adding to the foundation of the previously built home. The use of brick and other materials to construct the present Three Gables Farmhouse using the Gothic style of architecture was likely aided by the arrival of new railroads to the area.

As the Kansas City area grew to encompass Liberty, the farmland was sold for residential development. By the 1970s, Three Gables was part of a growing suburban area. In 1976, the house was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places but in the decades that followed, it fell into disrepair and may have been demolished if not for the sturdiness of its walls. The property was eventually sold in 2000 and new owners planned to eventually invest in demolishing the building to improve their ability to sell the land to support new construction. This plan was halted by foreclosure on the property in 2013 and was deemed the number one on Historic Kansas City's Most Endangered list. At that time, Liberty businessmen Andy Mackey and Mike Yeates purchased Three Gables at auction with the intention to maintain and preserve the historic house. By 2014 the two partners had preserved the building and used it as the headquarters of a real estate business.

Three Gables has also been listed as one of Clay County’s seventy-six most significant historic buildings. Many of the residence’s original inhabitants are still buried on the old property, in what is now a community cemetery down the street.

Foat, Lindsey. What’s the Oldest House in the Kansas City Area?, Flatland. March 19th 2018. Accessed July 14th 2022. https://flatlandkc.org/people-places/whats-oldest-house-kansas-city-area/.

Gregorian, Cynthia Billhartz. Three Gables, perhaps Kansas City’s oldest house, saved from ruin, Kansas City Star. June 7th 2014. Accessed July 14th 2022. https://www.kansascity.com/living/star-magazine/article488460/Three-Gables-perhaps-KC%E2%80%99s-oldest-house-saved-from-ruin.html?fbclid=IwAR2uus535uoCEVqa_3Je_XqHJEQTBFUb268uvoU51LEX8b4tdJq7iGCPAaw.

THE POAGE-ARNOLD HOUSE “THREE GABLES”, Missouri Preservation. May 17th 2013. Accessed July 14th 2022. https://preservemo.org/the-poage-arnold-house-three-gables/.

Koppelman, Tess. Doomed Three Gables Farm in Liberty finds saving grace, Fox 4 KC. October 10th 2013. Accessed July 14th 2022. https://fox4kc.com/news/doomed-three-gables-farm-in-liberty-finds-saving-grace/.

A Rich History and Culture, Historic Kansas City. Accessed July 14th 2022. https://www.historickansascity.org/kansas-city/#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20Kansas%20City,town%20of%20Westport%20was%20established..