The Country Club Plaza: A Journey Through Time

Entries on This Tour

1. Introduction to the History of Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza

The Country Club Plaza is the first planned, suburban shopping center in the United States and was constructed in the early 1920s by Kansas City real estate developer J. C. Nichols. A central figure in Kansas City’s history, Nichols shaped the city's landscape with several suburban construction projects, including this shopping center which was designed in a unified, Spanish architectural style and was created to be automobile friendly with wide roads and ample parking. Today, the plaza is Kansas City's premier shopping center, home to many luxury retail businesses, entertainment venues, restaurants, and offices. It is also notable for its annual Christmas light displays, a tradition dating back to 1925.

2. Plaza Tower Building

Designed in 1923 by architect Edward Buehler Delk, the Plaza Tower Building was the first building on the Plaza to include a tower in its original design. It features Spanish inspired elements and the roof is crowned with a Flemish gable, adding architectural interest. Colorful tile and terracotta detail adorn the building's entrances and tower, including a tile that serves as Delk’s signature and several other tiles that occasionally arouse concern among area residents given their resemblance to a symbol that was utilized by fascists over a decade after the building’s construction (more detail below). As the Plaza began drawing business from downtown, Nichols strategically planned a unique mix of stores. The Tower Building opened with a woman’s dress and accessory shop, and within the same month other tenants included a hardware store, Ford auto agency, and an art gallery. It continues to house retail and restaurant space, and business offices on the upper level.

3. Mill Creek Building

Opening in March 1923, the Mill Creek Building (originally the Suydam Building) was the first building built for the Country Club Plaza. It was designed by the Plaza’s leading architect Edward Buehler Delk, echoing the charm from older, Spanish inspired Californian buildings with detailed accents. Original “CCP” branded medallions are still visible within the detailed bands. The building was originally named for one of its first tenants, the Suydam Decorating Company, and housed other businesses that offered goods and services that catered to the affluent patrons from surrounding Nichol’s developed neighbors and those arriving by car. The annual tradition of the Plaza Lights started here in 1925, when tenants of the building along with the Plaza’s leasing manager decided to decorate the sidewalks with small Christmas trees and a single strand of colored lights above a doorway. Today, the Mill Creek Building offers retail, business, and restaurant space.

4. Mill Creek Park

Local historian Bill Worley describes the importance of Kansas City's center for free speech.

5. Mill Creek Park Fountain

Mill Creek Park fountain (formerly known as the J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain) was brought from New York to Kansas City in 1951 by the Nichols family and is now one of the 48 city-owned fountains. The ornate fountain was designed and cast in France in 1910 for New York financier and telegraph mogul Clarence Mackay who was also a leading collector of fine art and Renaissance armor. The cast bronze fountain features four horsemen, representing the world’s four mightiest rivers, surrounded by four smaller sculptures of children playing on fish. One of these small fish sculptures had been sold prior to the demolition of Mackay's estate in 1947, so a replica of the fish was commissioned so that the fountain would match its original appearance when it arrived in Kansas City. The fountain was refurbished, installed, and dedicated to J. C. Nichols in 1960. The missing fish was eventually found and installed in a 2014 renovation. In recent years, city leaders have begun a process of recognizing the influence of J.C. Nichols in shaping the city in both positive and negative ways, including his use of racially restrictive covenants to bar African American and Jewish residents from his residential and commercial developments. In an effort to show that Kansas City parks are open to all, city leaders voted unanimously to rename the fountain on June 30, 2020.

6. Seville Light Fountain

Dedicated on October 12, 1967, this Kansas City fountain was a gift to the City of Fountains by Miller Nichols, son of Country Club Plaza developer J. C. Nichols. The fountain was created as a companion structure to the nearby Giralda Tower which was recently completed and also dedicated to honor the new relationship between Kansas City and Seville, Spain as Sister Cities. The fountain is an exact replica of la Fuente Farola, a fountain-lamppost in Seville's famous public district la Plaza de la Virgen de los Reyes. Seville's La Giralda bell tower, the structure upon which Kansas City's Giralda Tower was modeled, is also located in this square. The fountain was carved from a variety of red and white marble, stands thirty feet tall, and features an iron lamppost on top. Water flows from the central base out through four Roman grotesque masks into scalloped basins before reaching its surrounding 20-foot reflection pool. It is one of many examples throughout the Plaza that encapsulates its Spanish inspiration.

7. The Giralda Tower

Constructed in 1967, The Giralda Tower is one of the most iconic structures on the Country Club Plaza. Standing at 138 feet tall and including a bell tower and weathervane, it is a nearly half-scaled model of The Giralda in Seville, Spain. After visiting Seville in 1922, Country Club Plaza developer J. C. Nichols had plans for an iconic tower but a location was never decided. Years later, Miller Nichols, son of J. C., brought the idea to life when a local landscaping company moved out of the corner of 47th and Nichols Road (now Mill Creek Parkway). The Giralda Tower was dedicated on October 12, 1967, as guests from both Kansas City and Seville attended, including Seville’s mayor Felix Morena de la Cova, who flipped the switch. This also marked the start of the relationship between Kansas City and Seville as Sister Cities, an international program started by President Eisenhower to promote peace. Giralda Tower is adjacent to retail space and a parking garage, and while it is easy to observe the tower from the street level, the tower itself is not open to the public.

8. Fountain of Bacchus (Pan and the Nymphs Fountain)

The Fountain of Bacchus, historically known as the Pan and the Nymphs Fountain, depicts the ancient God surrounded by nymphs courting him in the garden. Weighing in at nearly five tons and standing 13 feet tall, the lead sculpture is centered in the fountain’s quatrefoil-shaped base with circular and bubbling water features surrounding it. The large work of art was designed by Walter Gilbert, founder of Bromsgrove Guild of Warwickshire, England in the mid 1910s for Moreton Paddox, the home of British Major Robert Emmet. It was purchased in 1960 by Miller Nichols but, due to its size, was stored in several pieces for many years. It was installed and dedicated to the Country Club Plaza in 1967.

9. The Plaza Theatre Building

The Plaza Theater opened in 1928, offering entertainment to the nation's first outdoor shopping district. Keeping with the Plaza’s overall theme, architect Edward Tanner designed the building using Spanish style elements, including elaborate detail along the roofline, around the arched windows and in the accompanying 72 foot tower. The detail continues to the interior with magnificent ceilings, decorative painted tile, and large carved wooden doors. The main foyer mimics a Spanish court, featuring a red tile floor, benches surrounding a fountain, and railed, second level balcony. Over the years, the theater presented award winning films, was the site for a series of performances sponsored by the Kansas City Music Club, and housed the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra. The theater closed in the spring of 1999 and the Restoration Hardware retail store renovated the interior before moving in later that year. The building is currently vacant, however, much of the original design is still visible and remains a significant landmark to the Country Club Plaza.

10. Boy and Frog Fountain

The Boy and Frog Fountain is an original piece crafted by Italian artist Raffaello Romanelli (1856-1928). It was purchased by John C. Taylor from Romanelli Studios in Florence, Italy in 1928. This whimsical fountain features a small marble basin with bronze figures of a frog shooting water at a nude boy. The basin is held up by a faun atop a dolphin and overflows into a round pool inlaid with pieces of colorful tile. It was installed on the Plaza in 1929 but has since been relocated from its original location.

11. Faye Duncan Littleton and the Nichols' Scrapbooks

Local author LaDene Morton tells the story of Nichols Company employee Faye Duncan Littleton and her enormous contribution to the preservation of the Country Club Plaza's history

12. Annual Plaza Traditions

One of J.C. Nichols’s greatest accomplishments in the success of the Country Club Plaza was creating a sense of community. He achieved this not only by building a unique shopping experience and installing art and courtyards that embraced people-oriented activity, but also with the celebration of holidays, events, and traditions. A few of these traditions date back to the early establishment of the Country Club District while some were created to promote the shopping center during the Great Depression. Many have endured years of patronage and others have been long forgotten.

13. Sister Cities International Bridge

The Sister Cities International Bridge was built and dedicated in 2000 to honor the relationships between Kansas City and its partnering cities. Sister Cities International is a program developed by President Eisenhower in 1956 to promote peace and understanding of different cultures through mutual respect and relationships. The local affiliation started in 1967 when Seville, Spain was named Kansas City’s first Sister City, and eleven other cities have been added since that time. The bridge is lined with a flag and a corresponding plaque for each of Kansas City's twelve Sister Cities in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The entrance is guarded by two six-foot Chinese Warriors, a gift from Sister City Xi’an, China.

14. Brush Creek Fountains

Designed by International Architects Atelier, the three geysers that create the Brush Creek Fountains were installed just south of the Country Club Plaza as part of ongoing improvements to Brush Creek and a beautification project completed in 1996. Brush Creek is a 10-mile tributary to the Blue River which has served as a natural watershed for centuries. Originally a swamp and location of unsightly industry, this area of land in the Brush Creek Basin was purchased in the early 1900s and transformed into beautiful residential and commercial developments. The waterway was paved in 1935 by Tom Pendergast as part of a plan to make Kansas City “the greatest inland city in America,” not realizing the improvement created favorable conditions for flooding. Many floods occurred over the years, with the most devastating taking place in September 1977, resulting in 25 deaths and one hundred million dollars in damages. This urged Councilmen Cleaver and Watkins to take action, first introducing the “Cleaver Plan” in the early 80s. The plan initiated a flood emergency team, replaced bridges, and improved the water quality with the addition of pumps for circulation and the Brush Creek Fountains.

15. Raphael Hotel

Constructed in 1923 by Kansas City developer J. C. Nichols as the Villa Serena Apartments, this historic Kansas City building has been home to the Raphael Hotel since 1975. The building's architecture was designed in the Spanish Renaissance style of architecture to complement the adjacent Country Club Plaza and was inspired by the fine apartment buildings adjacent to Central Park in New York. The Villa Serena was acquired by the J.C. Nichols Company in 1974 and opened as a European-style boutique hotel the following year. Highlights of the hotel include the ornate lobby with two eighteen-torch chandeliers and the courtyard featuring a white marble statue by Italian artist Bernard Zuckerman. The Raphael is a member of Historic Hotels of America and has received recognition for its preservation efforts by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

16. Diana Fountain

The Diana Fountain is a bronze replica of the original 1912 lead sculpture Diana and the Loves, and are the only two casts of the piece. The Nichols Company commissioned New York artist Bernhard Zuckerman for the replica as the centerpiece of the grand entrance of the Alameda Plaza Hotel (now Intercontinental Hotel) for its opening in 1972. The eight-foot wide sculpture depicts the Roman goddess Diana resting on the ground, surrounded by cherubs as they pursue her with flowers. It is located in the center of a round reflection pool, backed by a 17 foot tall wall fountain.

17. Wagon Master statue

Bronze sculpture of a wagon train leader sculpted by Gus Shafer. It is one of several monuments in the Kansas City area that commemorate the region's connections to the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails during the mid-19th century.

18. Tribute to Married Love

Tribute to Married Love is a bronze sculpture of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill seated next to his wife Clementine and was dedicated on May 12, 1984. It is a larger replica of its original, both created by Oscar Nemon. Sir Churchill was an influential political figure for many decades and created relationships around the world. His ties to Kansas City started when President Harry Truman endorsed an invitation to speak in his home state of Missouri, at Westminster College in Fulton. Here, he would go on to deliver the famous “Iron Curtain” address on March 5, 1946. At the reception following this event, Churchill met Kansas City’s Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark. Their partnership started a few years later when Hall discovered Churchill’s artistic talents and used several of his paintings to create a Christmas Card collection for Hallmark in 1950. Their friendship continued until Churchill’s death in 1965. During construction around the Country Club Plaza in 1981, Miller Nichols commissioned Nemon for a piece to adorn the busy street corner. Nemon chose a statue of Churchill due to his personal ties to the area. The nearly 6 foot by 12 foot sculpture is accompanied by benches and a sound box playing recordings of Churchill’s speeches, and is a reminder of his international contributions and friendship with Hall that started on the remarkable March day in Fulton, Missouri.

19. Plaza Time Building

Built at the start of the post-war construction boom, the Plaza Time Building provided Kansas City's growing Country Club shopping district with more office and retail space when it opened in 1947. The building was designed by architect Edward W. Tanner, a long-time partner of the Nichols Compan, utilizing a design that is consistent with the original Spanish aesthetic of the Plaza with familiar features such as a terracotta roof, red brick accents, and colorful tile around the windows. The iconic clock tower features arched openings, terra cotta cornices, a decorative tile facade, and a rounded dome capped with blue and yellow tile, topped with a decorative finial. During his career, Tanner designed a variety of structures, including airfields and regional hospitals during the war, several buildings on the Plaza, and more than 2000 homes in the Kansas City area.

20. Pomona Court

Once the site of a Standard Oil filling station, Pomona Court was established on the Plaza in 1969. As filling stations became less necessary for the Plazas business, they transitioned into courtyards and public spaces. The architects of this fenced, brick courtyard won an award for its design. It’s showpiece is the large fountain that features a life-size bronze statue of Pomona, the Roman Goddess of orchards and vineyards. A one of a kind imported from Italy, Pomona was sculpted by Donatello Gabbrielli and cast by Marinelli Studios. She is centered on an elevated basin of polished marble, as water cascades into a large trefoil-shaped pool accompanied by a spray ring.

21. New Friends Sculpture

New Friends is a bronze sculpture created by American artist George Lundeen. The sculpture was gifted by Miller and Jeanette Nichols to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Country Club Plaza and dedicated on June 20, 1997. The bronze features pigeons flying about as two children (modeled after George's own children, Annalise and Warner) are freeing them from the platform of boxes on which they stand.

22. Mermaid Fountain

The Mermaid Fountain was installed on the Plaza in 1930 after the J.C. Nichols Company purchased two 300 year old marble mermaids from Italy. The mermaids are situated at the outer edge of the fountain and blow into a conch shell as water streams from the shell into the center of the pool. The circular water feature and bronze figure were not added until 1968 when the pool was reshaped into its current trefoil design, replacing the original rectangular pool. “A Morning Prayer” is the bronze statue, which depicts a child kneeling in prayer, as a plaque suggests for patrons to “Say Yours and Toss a Coin” for the Children of Mercy Hospital.

23. Allen Memorial Fountain

Allen Memorial Fountain was named in memory of the daughter and son-in-law of J.C. Nichols, Eleanor and Earl Allen who tragically died in a house fire on February 28, 1961. Both Eleanor and Earl worked for the Nichols company at one time and contributed to the success of the Plaza. This sentimental fountain is a tribute to motherhood and was imported from Italy and gifted to the Plaza by the couples' families in July 1962.

24. Pool of Four Fauns

The Pool of Four Fauns (also known as the Four Fauns Fountain) was installed on the Country Club Plaza in 1928. The four bronze figures were reportedly 200 years old when purchased in Brindisi, Italy by John C. Taylor and were placed into a small rectangular fountain designed by J.C. Nichols Company. Originally installed near 47th and Broadway, the fountain was relocated to its current location in 1958 upon completion of the small courtyard. Due to theft of three of the four fauns in 1964, replicas were made of the existing figure and positioned in place of the originals. Each faun shoots water across the pool, creating a tranquil spattering for patrons to enjoy.

25. Court of the Penguins

Outside the location of what was once Sears automotive center, the Court of the Penguins was dedicated to the Country Club Plaza on October 10, 1979. Following the flood of Brush Creek in September 1977, the Nichols Company had to repair and rebuild the Plaza. In his vision for creating an upscale shopping destination, Nichols introduced more artwork and architecture to the outdoor venue. At the same time, Court of the Penguins was constructed as part of an effort to create more public space. Designed by Kansas City artist Arthur Kraft, the three bronze penguins were cast posthumously and are the centerpiece of the brick courtyard, surrounded by two fountains and benches.

26. Sculpture of Ben Franklin, Kansas City

This bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin by American artist George Lundeen has graced Kansas City's Country Club Plaza since 1990. Located in a small courtyard in front of retail shops, the sculpture features one of America’s most notable Founding Fathers seated on a bench reading the Bill of Rights, accompanied by a cane and two pigeons. Franklin was a political figure, philosopher, author, inventor, and public servant. His relaxed position invites bystanders to sit with him.

27. Skelly Building

One of the few buildings on the Plaza not controlled by the Nichols Company, the Skelly Building was built as the marketing and financial headquarters for Skelly Oil Company in 1938. Skelly Oil Company was founded in 1919 by William Grove Skelly (1878-1957) and based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the “Oil Capital of the World.” After taking interest in the Burbank Field on the Osage Reservation, Skelly started buying tracts of land and setting records at oil-lease auctions under the “Million Dollar Elm.” He quickly became one of the world's largest independent producers of oil and natural gas. The Osage tribe was paid directly from these leases and recognized Skelly’s influence on their wealth, later naming him an honorary member of the tribe as Wah-tah-in-kah, meaning “Sassy Chief.” William Skelly was also a philanthropist for the Tulsa community and became known as “Mr. Tulsa.” In 1977, Skelly Oil Company was bought out and merged to create Getty Oil.

28. Valencia Place

Opening in 2000, Valencia Place is one of the largest projects ever completed on the Country Club Plaza. To prepare the location, brown brick apartment buildings that originally helped populate the Plaza district had to be razed. Some of these apartments were designed by prolific architects Nelle Peters and Edward Tanner, dating as far back as 1927. J.E. Dunn Construction Company broke ground in November 1997 with excavation of 210,000 cubic yards of rock. The large development has a ten-level office building, six-level parking garage, and an additional three-level retail building. Though Valencia Place is decades newer than most of the Plaza, designers maintained the Plaza’s Spanish-inspired style including a tower, earth toned color palette and a low-pitched, terracotta roof. Two notable features include the 7,000 square foot glass dome and a grand tiled staircase. The brick tower near the base of the staircase serves as pedestrian entrance for the free, public parking garage.

29. Quiet Talk Sculpture

Quiet Talk is a small, bronze sculpture by Utah artist Dennis Smith that was installed on the Plaza in 1987. The sculpture features a woman holding a small child in her lap, facing each other with their heads touching. This depiction of sweet embrace is noted by the artist to be whispered conversations of mother and child, creating a profound and spiritual bond that can return years later, even when the child is grown and the mother is far away.

30. Balcony Building

Architect Edward Tanner employed the Plaza’s unified Spanish Revival design for the Balcony Building which was completed in 1925. As one might expect, the structure features a large balcony along the upper level on the east side, as well as two Spanish style towers, ornate terracotta detail, a clay tile roof, shaped parapets, and a highly decorative central gable with a large, carved face that makes this building distinguishable. Throughout the years, the building has served as retail and restaurant space at ground level while the upper level primarily contained business and doctors' offices. A few of its earlier tenants include Steve’s Shoes, Huff Secretarial School, and an emergency room that was operated by two physicians. In 2010, the Balcony Building was threatened with demolition for a new office building, but the historic structure was saved due to preservation efforts and city ordinances that were designed to preserve historic structures while maintaining a neighborhood's unique architecture.

31. Alemán Court

Alemán Court was dedicated on May 7, 1947 as part of Mexican President Miguel Alemán's visit to Kansas City. Following the 100 year anniversary of the war between the United States and Mexico, President Alemán and President Harry Truman reciprocated first-ever state visits as part of a growing economic and political alliance leading into the Cold War. On this day, President Alemán also attended the commencement ceremony for the University of Kansas City (now known as the University of Missouri-Kansas City) and received an honorary law degree. The meetings symbolized a new era in U.S.-Mexico relations following a century of conflict, as both leaders shared optimism in a day of celebration and mutual cooperation, setting the tone for the decades to come.

32. Wild Boar of Florence

The Wild Boar of Florence is a life-sized bronze statue depicting a mythological Greek boar that was cast using a plaster mold dating back to 1612. The original bronze statue, nicknamed il Porcellino (the small pig), was turned into a fountain and showcased in a public market in Florence, Italy in 1640. The fountain became a symbol of good luck as one would place a coin in his mouth and rub his snout. The statue at this site on the Country Club Plaza is one of the early replicas done by the foundry of Ferdinando Marinelli out of Florence and was brought to Kansas City by the Nichols family in 1962. It pays tribute to the traditions of il Porcellino while giving back to the community, as a plaque next to the statue reads, “With Good Fortune For Your Children And The Children of Mercy Hospital. Rub His Nose - Drop A Coin."

33. Neptune Fountain

The Neptune Fountain on the Plaza was brought to Kansas City in 1953 by Miller Nichols, son of Country Club Plaza developer J.C. Nichols. The fountain depicts Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, riding in a horse-drawn chariot. It was originally located on the Pennsylvania estate belonging to Alba B. Johnson, president of the Baldwin Locomotive Company from 1911 to 1935. Years after Johnson's death, the fountain was salvaged and purchased for it's weight in scrap metal by Nichols and set at this location on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.

34. Triangle Building

One of three original structures to the Country Club Plaza, the Triangle Building was designed by Edward Delk and completed in 1923. Offering shops for everyday needs and services, its first occupant was a self-service Piggly Wiggly grocery store. In its first few months, the building gained multiple tenants before an additional unit was built the following year. As the Plaza became a destination for entertainment in addition to shopping, Clare Martin’s Jazz Club opened in 1938, bringing the first taste of jazz to the Plaza. Similar to other performance venues, white and African American musicians performed at Clare Martin's in front of an all-white audience. While the color line was strictly enforced throughout shopping districts like the Plaza until the start of the Civil Rights Movement, Kansas City was home to a small number of clubs that earned the nickname "Black and tan" because they open to all. The clock tower was built on the west side in 1992, staying true to the Plaza’s Spanish-inspired architecture and mimicking the tower of the Plaza Time Building. The Triangle building continues to be occupied by retail shops, offices, and restaurants. One of the central landmarks of the Plazza District, the Triangle Building remains an iconic landmark for both residents and visitors of Kansas City.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

The Country Club Plaza: A Journey Through Time

Created by Nichole Stahly on April 8th 2022, 6:13:16 pm.

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Description

This comprehensive tour takes users on a journey to a variety of notable sites and landmarks around Kansas City's renowned Country Club Plaza. Developed by J.C. Nichols in the early 1920s, the Plaza was the nation's first planned suburban shopping district with the automobile in mind. It features wide streets, welcoming sidewalks, and lots of [free] parking. The Plaza was originally the site of a swamp and rock quarry but has become known as the heart of Kansas City. It was designed using Spanish-influenced architecture and features a variety of artwork, including statues, fountains, and mosaic tiles, around every corner, in alleyways, and tucked into the beautiful landscape. Known as the City of Fountains, Kansas City contains over 200 private and publicly owned fountains, and is believed to have more than any other city other than Rome. Some of the most iconic and historical Kansas City fountains are located here at the Country Club Plaza. If time does not permit to explore this extended tour, a shorter, more concise tour named “The Heart of the Country Club Plaza” is also available.

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The Country Club Plaza: A Journey Through Time

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