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.

The Country Club Plaza was concepted by prominent local real estate developer Jesse Clyde “J. C.” Nichols (1880-1950). Nichols was a strong proponent of the suburbanization in Kansas City, and during the early twentieth century he developed many middle- and upper-class subdivisions. His planned neighborhoods featured quality homes, green spaces, automobile-friendly roads, and attractive landscaping and architecture.

From 1912 to 1921, Nichols acquired parcels of land in the Brush Creek valley. The area was generally considered to be an eyesore by locals. It was home to a dump, a hog farm, brick kilns and rock quarries. It was loud, odorous, and filled the skies with Black smoke. Nearby residents of the Country Club District complained of Brush Creek frequently. After he purchased the land, Nichols planned to eradicate the unsightly businesses and develop a commercial district to complement his suburban, residential neighborhoods.

Construction of the $5 million, 30-acre Country Club Plaza began in 1922. The plaza became the first planned, suburban “shopping center,” a term that Nichols coined himself. The center boasted a single, unified architectural style, Spanish Baroque Revival, which drew inspiration from cities in Europe, South America, and Mexico for the buildings and landscape. Nichols and his architects based the plaza heavily on Seville, Spain in particular. Critics at the time of construction felt the plaza was doomed to failure because it was too far from Kansas City’s downtown and too far from the streetcar lines. Some even dubbed the project “Nichol’s folly.” However, Nichols made sure that the shopping center accommodated automobiles by incorporating wide roads and parking spaces. This made the plaza more accessible to the growing class of suburban commuters that Nichols courted. Within a few years, dozens of businesses filled the plaza, ranging from doctors offices, department and grocery stores, and restaurants and entertainment venues.

The Country Club Plaza has had much financial success over the century. Even after a massive flood that caused significant damage to the plaza on September 12, 1977, the district quickly recovered and most of its merchants rebuilt their shops. In the 1980s and 1990s, the plaza added more upscale businesses to compete with indoor shopping malls. In the early twenty-first century, the plaza expanded with the construction of new retail spaces, such as Valencia Place and the Granada Shops. Many annual traditions and events are carried out on the Country Club Plaza, including the Plaza Art Fair, the Easter Bunny statues, and the Plaza Lights.

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