Contributor

New Friends is a life-size bronze sculpture from a limited edition of 36, created by artist George Lundeen. It depicts two children (modeled after Georges own children, Annalise and Warner) freeing pigeons from a stack of boxes in which they stand upon. One bird sits on the head of each child while the others are flying about and perched around them. New Friends is inspired from one of Lundeen's earlier works called Old Friends, which depicts an older man feeding pigeons. 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.George Lundeen is an American artist and owner of Lundeen Sculptures in Loveland, Colorado, established in the mid-1970s. He is a member of the National Sculpture Society and National Academy of Design. Lundeen was a Fulbright-Hays Scholar studying at the Academia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy and obtained a Bachelor of Art from Hastings College in Nebraska and a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Illinois. His works can be seen in private and public locations throughout the country.

New Friends bronze sculpture by George Lundeen

Close up of New Friends female child with birds

Old Friends, an earlier sculpture of Lundeen, was inspiration for New Friends

Website

Official website of the City of Fountains

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.

New Friends Sculpture

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

Mill Creek Park

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

Faye Duncan Littleton and the Nichols' Scrapbooks

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. 


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.

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.

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

The Plaza Tower Building was one of the first buildings designed for the Country Club Plaza and the first to include a European style tower, which became a common architectural theme for the district. Designed by Edward Buehler Delk in 1923, the two level building features elements of Spanish architecture and a Flemish gable lined in red brick. The seventy-foot tower resides on the southeast corner of the building and includes arched entrances, upper level balconies, spiral pilasters, ornate terra cotta moldings that adorn the doorways and glazed tiles that wrap around the base.J. C. Nichols strategically chose the merchants on the Plaza with an intentional mix of everyday needs and unique stores, often referring to the group of shops as “one large department store.” Within its first year, the Plaza began drawing business away from downtown. One of the first tenants to the Tower Building was the Avon Shop, a woman’s dress and accessory store, which opened on October 1, 1924. Other occupants opening the same month were a beauty parlor, dressmaking shop, hardware store, Ford auto agency, radio equipment store, stationery supplier, and an art gallery. In 1936, a small building was built to the east of the tower, originally the site of a Sinclair filling station, which connected the Tower Building to the Suydam Building, the Plaza’s first built building. Within the tiles on the southeast corner of the Tower Building, is one commemorating Edward Buehler Delk. The bright blue tile features his last name D-E-L-K and the word architect artistically arranged (ARC-HI-TECT) around a square and triangle, which are the tools of an architect. Notably on either side of Delk’s tile, are several tiles that contain a symbol that was utilized by fascists over a decade after this building’s completion. While the swastika has been closely associated with Adolf Hitler and Nazism, the origins of the swastika date back over 10,000 years and is believed to have symbolized health, fertility, and good fortune. The tiles on the Plaza are reverse swastikas, and it is important to note that prior to its association with European fascism, variations of this design were used by cultures all around the world for many purposes, including in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism; patterns in ancient Asian art; in Greek currency; in Medieval and Renaissance architecture; in African pottery; and in Native American and southwestern tribes during healing ceremonies. Demonstrating how the meaning of symbols can change throughout history, the association of the swastika design with German Nazis during and after World War II has the occasional eagle-eyed visitor to the Plaza to express understandable concern about these tiles.Architect Edward Buehler Delk was born in Schoharie, New York in 1885. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907 and the following year, toured Italy and Greece to study Greek and Roman architecture. He served in the Air Force during WWI but stayed in Europe to study city planning at the University of London. He came to Kansas City in 1920 after accepting an invitation to serve as a consulting architect for the J. C. Nichols Company on the Country Club Plaza project. For inspiration in planning the Plaza, he traveled to Spain, Mexico, and South America with partners from the Hare &amp; Hare Company and George E. Kessler (1862-1923), a German born landscape architect who helped shape parks and boulevards throughout Kansas City. Upon return, Delk’s work began with designing the Suydam and the Tower Buildings. He designed many buildings, homes, and churches throughout his long career, including working with Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940 on two projects and designing the Starlight Theater in 1950. Delk has been awarded the prestigious Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects and has several pieces of work on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.

Plaza Tower Building

Designed by Edward Buehler Delk, the Suydam Building was the first building built for the Country Club Plaza, opening in March 1923. Situated on the block to the north of what was the only structure to predate the shopping district, Chandler Landscape and Floral Company (1916), the Suydam Building offered goods and services for the residents of the newly developed Nichols neighborhoods and patrons arriving by automobile. The building offered six business spaces, and was named for one of its first tenants, the Suydam Decorating Company which featured high end home furnishings. Other early occupants included Claude Keyes Drug Store; a dry cleaner; the portrait studio of photographer E. Blanche Reincke; Mrs. M. C. Chisholm’s, a millinery and sportswear shop; and Marinello Beauty Shop, which advertised being Kansas City’s first salon to get a “permanent wave”.Service-oriented businesses quickly found the Plaza to be advantageous due to its proximity to Nichol’s newly-built, affluent neighboring suburbs and ease of accessibility by car. The same block to the Suydam Building housed the Plaza Garage, which offered 144 parking spaces and tire and battery charging services, as well as two of the Plaza’s first service stations; a Sinclair filling station on the south and White Eagle Oil and Refining Company on the north. The Ford dealership Barker-Hurley Motor Company opened the following year. The tradition of the Plaza Lights started here at the Suydam building in 1925. The shops decided to decorate for the holiday, lining the sidewalks with small Christmas trees, and Plaza leasing manager Charles Pitrat hung a single strand of lights above the building's doorway. The first time the Plaza featured continuously strung outdoor lights was in 1928 on the newly opened Plaza Theater and its accompanying 72 foot tower. However, it wasn’t until the following year when colored bulbs lined all of the buildings on the Plaza, showcasing their unique architecture and starting the annual tradition of the Season of Lights. Every year on Thanksgiving night, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony kicks off with performances and celebration. At 6:52pm the switch is flipped, turning on the colorful lights strung around every building, then ends with a fireworks display. The lights shine nightly through mid-January. Edward Delk designed the Suydam Building to echo the charm of old Californian buildings and included ornate Spanish detail. It features a stucco façade with a low pitched roof of apricot and Indian-red toned clay shingles, ornate cornice detail, glazed tiles containing blue, red, green and yellow accents, and metal balconies on the second level. Horizontal bands of polychromed terra cotta wrap around the building, separating the first and second levels, and contain “CCP” branded medallions accompanied by what appear to be dragons. Additional structure was later added to the north side of the building, on the site of what was the White Eagle filling station. Architect Edward Buehler Delk was born in Schoharie, New York in 1885. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907 and the following year, toured Italy and Greece to study Greek and Roman architecture. He served in the Air Force during WWI but stayed in Europe to study city planning at the University of London. After accepting an invitation to serve as a consulting architect for the J. C. Nichols Company on the Country Club Plaza project, Delk came to Kansas City in 1920. For inspiration in planning the Plaza, he traveled to Spain, Mexico, and South America with partners from the Hare &amp; Hare Company and George E. Kessler (1862-1923), a German born landscape architect who helped shape parks and boulevards throughout Kansas City. Upon return, Delk’s work began with designing the Suydam and the Tower Buildings. He designed many buildings, homes, and churches throughout his long career, including working with Frank Lloyd Wright on two projects in 1940 and designing the Starlight Theater in 1950. Delk has been awarded the prestigious Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects and has several pieces of work on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.

Mill Creek Building

Mill Creek Park fountain (formerly J. C. Nichols Memorial Fountain) was designed in 1910 in France by sculptor Henri-Léon Gréber for New York millionaire Clarence H. Mackay. The cast bronze fountain features four heroic horsemen representing the world’s four mightiest rivers: the Mississippi, Volga, Seine, and Rhine. Surrounding the horsemen are four smaller figures of children playing on fish, a common feature in fountain design at that time. Clarence H. Mackay (1874-1938) was a key figure in the development of the international telegraph and heir to his father's empire which was built from profits mining silver. Mackay completed the three-story, 80,000 square foot Renaissance-style chateau, Harbor Hill, in 1902. Resting along Long Island’s Gold Coast, Harbor Hill cost more than $781 million and was the site of lavish parties, including a celebration of aviator Charles Lindbergh after his transatlantic flight in 1927. Mackay had collections of fine art and Renaissance-era armor and held back no expense in landscaping his marvelous estate. In 1910, Mackay commissioned Gréber and Harbor Hill became home to the fountain, centered amongst the mansion's grandiose garden. It is thought that this mansion gave rise to the famous novel, The Great Gatsby. Mackay fell victim to the Wall Street crash in 1929 and was forced to sell his collections. Following his passing, the bank foreclosed on the estate in 1940 and the remnants of the property were subject to vandalism before the demolition of the mansion in 1947.The equestrian fountain outside the former mansion was purchased with contributions from the Nichols family, the city, and fundraising efforts which raised over $50,000 in private donations. Mackay’s fountain was brought to Kansas City in 1951 by Miller Nichols, son of real estate and Country Club Plaza developer J. C. Nichols. Due to its condition, the fountain needed to be refurbished. Artist Herman Frederick Simon was hired and, in addition, created a replica of one of the fish figures, which had been missing prior to the purchase. Resting on the east side of the Country Club Plaza in Mill Creek Park, the fountain was installed and dedicated to J. C. Nichols in 1960. The Nichols family endowed the fountain to the City of Kansas City, now one of 48 city-owned fountains. Miller Nichols Charitable Foundation funded a large portion of the renovation of J. C. Nichols fountain in 2014, which included removing the sculptures and equipment for cleaning and replacing in some cases. An unexpected piece was also replaced after a New York family treasure was discovered in 2008. The Singer family had purchased a small statue of children playing on a fish from the Mackay estate in 1947, without ever knowing the fate of the others. The “fourth fish” was then purchased by the City of Kansas City in 2010 and replaced the replica in the 2014 renovation. The replica now rests nearby on a concrete pedestal accompanied by a plaque describing its history. Due to increased awareness of J. C. Nichols' connection to restrictive covenants that barred African Americans and Jewish residents from buying or renting property, and after months of debate from community leaders, the Board of Parks and Recreation voted unanimously on June 30, 2020, to rename the fountain. With the support of the Nichols family, the fountain and nearby parkway now bears the name Mill Creek. One can see the fountains running from Fountain Day, the second Tuesday in April when all of the City fountains are brought back life through October.

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.

Mill Creek Park Fountain

In 1967, Miller Nichols, son of Plaza developer J. C. Nichols commissioned New York sculptor Bernhard Zuckerman to build an exact replica of the fountain at the entrance of La Plaza de la Virgen de los Reyes (the Plaza of the Virgin of the Kings) in Seville, Spain. The Seville Light Fountain is one of many examples throughout the Country Club Plaza that reflects the direct design inspiration from Seville. The addition of this fountain and the adjacent tower in the late 1960s was intended to expand the Country Club Plaza within the original architectural design.Prior to its installation, the Municipal Arts Commission had concerns that the fountain might potentially diminish the Plazas effect. In a tight vote of 4-3, and with the stipulation that Nichols would pay the $32,000 for its installation on city property, the Commission approved the location. The fountain was gifted to the city from Nichols in addition to its companion structure the Giralda Tower, which greets visitors on the Plazas Northeast entrance. Both pieces were dedicated on October 12, 1967 as part of a ceremony honoring a new relationship between Kansas City and Seville as Sister Cities. La Fuente Farola, the original fountain-lamppost in Seville, was commissioned in 1928 as part of a public space reform program which expanded the Plaza de la Virgen de los Reyes district. The entrance to Mateos Gago Street, which leads to the iconic La Giralda bell tower, was remodeled, widened and included additions of a fountain and street lamps, creating the public square known today. The Seville Light Fountain on the Country Club Plaza is a replica of la Fuente Farola, sculpted from a variety of white and red marbles and features an iron lamppost on top. The central shaft stands 30 feet tall with a 6 foot square base, surrounded by a reflection pool that is 20 feet wide and two feet deep. Water flows into scalloped basins from the four Roman grotesque masks on each side, carved from white Ravaccione marble from Carrara, Italy. The fountain was in disrepair for years after the vault beneath collapsed due to a flood in 2006, causing damage to the piping and electrical panels. As part of the 2014 renovation made possible by the City of Fountains Foundation’s campaign Wish Upon a Fountain, new plumbing and electrical systems were installed. In addition, repairs were made to the structure as well as the pavement and sidewalks surrounding the fountain. Seville Light Fountain still flows and remains as one of the Country Club Plazas iconic landmarks.

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.

Seville Light Fountain

Real estate developer J. C. Nichols designed the Country Club Plaza using a heavy Spanish influence upon its construction in 1923. After visiting Seville, Spain in 1922, Nichols was inspired by the architecture and had plans to incorporate a tower into the Plaza’s design that was based on The Giralda. He never found the perfect location for a structure so large. It wasn’t until 1967 when J. C.’s son Miller brought the idea to life after the Chandler Landscaping and Floral Company moved out of the corner at 47th and Nichols Road.The Giralda is one of the most iconic buildings in Seville, Spain. It was built between 1184-1198 as a minaret (a slender tower used for prayer) that adjoined the Almohad Great Mosque of Seville. It was the tallest tower in the world at the time, standing at 320 feet and constructed with 35 ramps in place of stairs so the Sultan could ascend the tower on horseback. Centuries later, Catholics constructed a cathedral within the mosque and added a bell tower atop the minaret. Designed in Renaissance style, the bell tower housed 26 bells as well as a sculpture on top that turned to show the direction of the wind. The tower took on its iconic name shortly after, The Giralda, which translates from Spanish to weathervane. It was declared a National Heritage site on December 29, 1928. Using Spanish Colonial Revival style Nichols built a nearly half-scaled model replica of The Giralda, standing at 138 feet tall. The bell tower housed a large carillon (a pitched percussion instrument consisting of a minimum of 23 bells that are suspended, tuned in chromatic order, and played with a keyboard) which has been noted to contain 600 bells. It was manufactured by Schulmerich Carillons, Inc of Pennsylvania and had manual and automatic operating functions. The bells were set to chime on every hour and play music daily, while musicians also played live music on its keyboard.The tower was dedicated on October 12, 1967, along with its companion structure the Seville Light Fountain, which can be seen in the adjacent intersection. Attendance to the dedication included about 1800 Kansas Citians and 43 visitors from Seville, Spain, including their mayor Felix Morena de la Cova, who flipped the switch. This day also marked the beginning of the relationship between Kansas City and Seville as Sister Cities, an international program created by President Eisenhower to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation. During the ceremony, a 30-minute concert was performed by Liberty Memorial’s carillonneur that led with the song “People” from the musical Funny Girl. Concerts became a tradition throughout the 1970s, especially around the holidays.

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.

The Giralda Tower

The Fountain of Bacchus, historically known as the Pan and the Nymphs Fountain, was designed in the mid 1910s by Walter Gilbert, founder of the Bromsgrove Guild of Warwickshire, England. The lead sculpture is massive in size, standing 13 feet tall and 14 feet long and weighs nearly ten thousand pounds. The main, center figure depicts the Greek God Pan, some dispute it is Roman God Bacchus, looking down on nymphs as they court him in the garden while entwined in grapevines, offering shells, flowers and pine branches. Gilbert describes the statue as: <blockquote>“Pan the great god of the countryside (the atmosphere) being courted by the Nymphs of the Gardens, the Orchards, the Streams and the Woods. Pan looks down rather cynically because he knows that the nymphs do not always fulfil their promises. The gardens do not always flower, the streams run dry, the orchards bear no fruits and the trees without shade” </blockquote>Walter Gilbert (1871-1946), born in Rugby, Warwickshire, was a sculptor, metalworker, designer, teacher and writer. He studied and taught throughout Europe for many years and founded the Bromsgrove Guild in 1898. In the early 1900s he partnered with sculptor and metalworker Louis Weingartner, creating the famous gates at Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial, in addition to the Pan and the Nymphs Fountain.Gilbert originally designed the statue for the Moreton Paddox estate of British Major Robert Emmet (1871-1955). Emmet was born in Charlottesville, Virginia and studied at Harvard before marrying his wife Louise Garland in 1896. They moved to England in 1904 and built a Jacobethan home in Warwickshire, England, known as the Moreton Paddox, in 1909. With the onset of World War I, Emmet renounced his American citizenship to enlist as a British soldier. Emmet gave his home to the government and, using his own funds, converted it into a convalescent hospital. He served for many years and earned a Distinguished Service Order before returning home in 1919. The Pan and the Nymphs statue was created and installed in the grand gardens as the center of a fountain. Moreton Paddox was demolished in 1959.In 1960, the massive lead artwork was purchased and brought to Kansas City by Miller Nichols, son of real estate and Country Club Plaza developer J. C. Nichols and European art enthusiast. Because of its size, it was stored in several pieces for many years before being installed and dedicated to the Country Club Plaza in 1967. Pan and his nymphs are the centerpiece in the fountain's quatrefoil-shaped base, which also features a circular water ring on each side and a line of bubblers in the front and back. Bromsgrove Guild also designed other works seen on the Plaza, including Neptune Fountain and Diana 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.

Fountain of Bacchus (Pan and the Nymphs Fountain)

Opening on October 9, 1928, the Plaza Theater was the first cinematic theater to open outside of downtown. While offering entertainment to the Country Club Plaza’s shopping district, the films also brought a sense of culture that J. C. Nichols envisioned for its patrons. Architect Edward Tanner took over original plans from Edward Delk, who both partnered with Nichols to build the Plaza, maintaining the Spanish motif in which the Plaza was designed after. The exterior of the theater features decorative metalwork, Baroque style detail along the roof and in the arch above the main entrance, accompanied by a 72 foot tower. Spanish elements continue to the interior with elaborate detail on the ceiling and in the facade bordering the screen in the auditorium, large, carved wooden doors, and decorative painted tile throughout. The main foyer mimics a Spanish court with a red tile floor, glazed tiles portraying Spanish military figures, an imported fountain surrounded by benches, and a staircase leading up to the railed, second level balcony.During excavation of the site, a giant tooth was discovered. The tooth measured five inches wide and weighed about two and half pounds. University of Kansas paleontologist Dr. H.T. Martin examined the specimen and determined it was from a Mastodon, which roamed as far south as Kansas City during the Pleistocene Ice Age. While the tooth seemed to be highly preserved, the collagen used for carbon dating was destroyed. However, based on further research, there is proof these large mammals lived here 10,000 years ago. The opening show at the Plaza Theater was “Street Angel” with Janet Gaynor, who was the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1951, the Kansas City Music Club sponsored a series of lectures and performances on Thursday mornings and featured participants including Emmy, Golden Globe, and four-time Academy Award winner Agnes Moorehead from Citizen Kane; Jessica Tandy from Driving Miss Daisy; Claude Rains from Casablanca; prestigious radio broadcaster Edward R. Murrow; and many others. The theater was remodeled in 1961 to accommodate the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra and again in the late 70s and early 80s, dividing the auditorium and balcony to install more screens, creating a triplex. The theater was owned by an affiliate of the Fox Company from 1931 through the 60s and had switched hands to Dickinson Theaters before it closed on April 4, 1999 due to looming competition from the 15-screen multiplex down the street. The interior was converted to accommodate the retail store Restoration Hardware, which vacated the space in 2017. While much of the original architecture remains intact, the building is currently unoccupied. Architect Edward W. Tanner was a long time partner to J. C. Nichols. After receiving a degree from the school of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Kansas, Tanner enlisted as an artillery instructor during World War I. When he returned to Kansas City he was hired as the principal designer for the Nichols Company, but left a few years later to open his own firm. During World War II, Tanner was contracted by the government to design regional hospitals and airfields. After the war he resumed business in Kansas City, also receiving commissions from Nichols while the two continued to build the city’s picturesque landscape. With other Tanner-designed buildings like the Plaza Time Building, the Balcony Building, and the Plaza Medical Building, the Plaza district came to be known nationally as “the Nichols towers with that Tanner wham." Tanner also designed more than 2000 homes in the area, including those of Tom Pendergast and Walter E. Bixby - one of his most modern designs and on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.

The Plaza Theatre Building

This whimsical fountain features bronze figures of a boy and a frog in an orange veined marble basin. The nude boy holds his hands up in delight as he frolics in a spout of water that shoots from the frog's mouth. The marble basin is held up by a bronze faun sitting on top of a dolphin, with a rather mischievous look on his face. The fountain overflows into a round pool with pieces of colorful tile inlaid in the bottom. The artwork was purchased from Romanelli Studios in Florence, Italy in 1928 by John C. Taylor, who was the Chairman of the Board for the J.C. Nichols Company. It was installed on the Plaza at 47th and Central Street in 1929, but was relocated to its current location years later. It also appears that the frog has been replaced, as the position of its legs differ from historical photos. Artist Raffaello Romanelli was born in Florence, Italy on May 13, 1856. At a young age, Raffaello acquired skills in drafting at his fathers studio, and at age 14 enrolled himself into the Academy of Fine Art. While studying, he continued to work with his father and learned the skill of sculpting marble. At age 20, he won the Academy’s annual prize in sculpture for a bas-relief, leading to a scholarship in Rome. When his father passed away in 1887, he took over the family studio, completed his fathers unfinished work and started creating marble portraits of distinguished individuals. By 1890, Romanelli reached international fame and started receiving commissions for grand monuments around the world. Throughout the years, he also created smaller works of various subjects, including religious figures, allegory, and animals. It is thought that he created more than 2300 works throughout his career. Raffaello died in 1928, passing on the studio to his son. Country Club Plaza developer J.C. Nichols was so much an admirer of Romanelli, that he named one of his 1925 residential developments south of the Plaza in his honor - Romanelli Gardens. The neighborhood features an array of statues and fountains.

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.

Boy and Frog Fountain

<h3>PLAZA LIGHTS</h3>Every year on Thanksgiving night, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony kicks off with performances and celebration. At 6:52pm the switch is flipped, simultaneously turning on the colorful lights strung around every building, then concludes with a concert and fireworks display. The lights shine nightly through mid-January. Dating back to 1925, the plaza lights tradition started at the Suydam (now Mill Creek) Building, the first building erected for the Country Club Plaza. Plaza leasing manager Charles Pitrat hung a single, 6-foot strand of lights above the building's doorway while shop owners part of the Plaza Merchants Association lined the sidewalk with small Christmas trees. The first year the Plaza featured continuously strung outdoor lights was in 1928 on the newly opened Plaza Theater and its accompanying 72 foot tower. However, it wasn’t until the following year when colored bulbs lined all of the buildings on the Plaza, showcasing their unique architecture and starting the annual tradition of the Season of Lights. The first lighting ceremony took place in 1930 and since has turned into a 15-block holiday spectacle. The only year the lights have not been in operation was in 1973 when President Nixon called for the reduction of Christmas lights as to limit energy usage during an oil crisis. Starting after Labor Day, workers start to hang the colorful lights. They are lifted up with special trucks and scale the buildings using ropes and climbing shoes. As Thanksgiving approaches, midnight test-runs are performed to ensure all of the lights will turn on simultaneously, with a final test the day prior to the ceremony from 2:00-6:00am. Throughout the season, workers replace each burnt out bulb as needed, and the spent bulbs are turned into ornaments and giftable items available through local merchants. When the season ends the lights are carefully taken down, checked, tied up, and cataloged for storage; a process that typically takes until March. <h1></h1><h3>PLAZA ART FAIR</h3>Started in 1932 by the Plaza Merchants Association, the Plaza Art Fair has become a top-ranked annual event. As an unofficial kickoff to the fall season, the 3-day event is put on at the end of September, typically the third weekend after Labor Day, to celebrate local art, food, and music. More than two hundred merchants showcase a variety of art which is available for purchase for the hundreds of thousands of visitors. Many restaurants and musical performances are also part of the event. During the Great Depression, the Nichols Company started promoting their shopping districts to increase foot traffic and raise the spirits of the patrons. The first event was held on a single, then-vacant lot at the southwest corner of Nichols Road and Central, with a few vendors and paintings ranging from $1 to $10. Within a couple years, nearly 90 local artists were in attendance. The event moved around to various locations and has grown to encompass multiple city blocks. The only year the art fair did not take place was in 2020, due to widespread business closures and social distancing mandates from the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after the devastating flood on September 12, 1977, mass cleanup efforts allowed the event to transpire just ten days later.<h1></h1><h3>EASTER BUNNIES</h3>In celebration of spring, every year around Easter for about a month, a set of nine human-sized rabbits are placed around the Country Club Plaza. They were first displayed in 1922 at the newly opened Crestwood Shops, located in a Nichols subdivision just south of the Plaza. They were added to generate foot traffic and were the first annual tradition that led to other events throughout the year such as the midsummer sidewalk sales and Halloween festivities. When the Great Depression struck, the Nichols Company began promoting their shopping centers with the intent to increase business. The bunnies were dispersed from Crestwood to other Nichols' shopping districts in 1931, in which they quickly became the seasonal tradition for the Country Club Plaza.Each bunny has a name (Amy, Bess, Brian, Ellyn, Kate, Lee, Nicholas, Peter and Sue) which is painted on their statue; the jacket collar of the boys and the egg basket of the girls. Originally there was a fifth boy, Joe, who was stolen in the late 1990s and never replaced. Additionally, Amy was originally named Flo but her name was changed for the daughter of one of the maintenance personnel. In 1970, the other Wonderland Animals were added and in 1971 each bunny received a fiberglass coating to ensure their longevity. The bunnies also previously featured red lightbulbs in their eyes but were removed in 2001 to make them appear less frightening and create a more positive experience for patrons, as they continue to be enjoyed today.<h1></h1><h3>PLAZA FIESTA</h3>The Plaza Fiesta was a promotional summer event in the 1930s created by the Plaza Merchants Association with the help of Eleanor Nichols, daughter of Country Club Plaza developer J.C. Nichols. Perhaps in representation of the Spanish-themed shopping district or in honor of the transitioning relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, on July 7, 1936 the Country Club Plaza was transformed into a Spanish marketplace for the first annual Plaza Fiesta. The two-day event featured festive decorations, merchants dressed in Spanish-themed attire, an upscale food court, entertainment, and a mariachi band. One of the entertainment highlights was a tap dance by Señor Oliver Messmer to the tune of Goofus, originally a 1930 American instrumental. The price of admission was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children with an estimated crowd of 5,000 in attendance, including many notable Kansas Citians.The event was known to happen again in 1938, this time with increased entertainment and a crowd upwards of 20,000. Patrons experienced a four and a half hour show titled "Fiesta Follies" with local singer Lois Swaney as the headliner performing a rendition of the musical comedy Rio Rita. Due to limited documentation and photographic evidence, these are the only two years of occurrence.<h1></h1><h3>HALLOWEEN</h3>Halloween is one of the lost traditions on the Country Club Plaza. It was celebrated as early as 1932 and possibly through the 1950s, although photographic evidence only dates through the mid-1940s. The first known decorations in the early 30s were a giant jack-o-lantern and a witches shack that were accompanied by bundled corn stalks, located in an empty lot between Nichols Road and Ward Parkway. A 1937 photo shows a larger-than-life, grotesque witch figure and in 1945, small, flat “cut-out” figures were added atop buildings. This tradition may have become lost due to the transition of the holiday from community-based gatherings to a neighborhood activity. However, while decorations are no longer installed in celebration of the holiday, some local merchants offer trick-or-treating for children (and dogs) the day of Halloween.<h1></h1><h3>DOG MART</h3>Possibly a one-time event, the Plaza Dog Mart was hosted by the Plaza Merchants Association on September 22, 1934. A giant tent was put up in an empty lot at Ward Parkway and Central, the future site of the Plaza Medical Building, for breeders to showcase their dogs. One of the events photo bears a caption that offers a bit of insight which reads, “Country Club Plaza merchants sponsored a dog mart where people interested in buying a dog could see and inspect almost every breed of dog.” There is no documented evidence that this event occurred again, however, the Merchants Association later hosted dog shows at the Knabe Building auditorium.

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.

Annual Plaza Traditions

The Sister Cities International Bridge is a pedestrian bridge connecting the split streets of Ward Parkway over Brush Creek. This location was originally home to a footbridge that had been damaged in the Plaza flood of 1977 and later removed. Country flags line the bridge which represents each of Kansas City’s Sister Cities. Guarding the entrance to the bridge are two six-foot Chinese warrior statues. These bronze statues are replicas of the original terracotta warriors that were gifted from Xi’an, China, a Sister City established in 1989, for the commemoration of the bridge at the 2000 ceremony.Sister Cities International is a non-profit organization created in 1956 by President Eisenhower during a conference on civil diplomacy. Eisenhower envisioned a network of people-to-people relationships and partnered with civic leaders around the world to help build the solid structure for global peace, lowering the chance for new conflicts. SCI believes that in promoting peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation we can learn to appreciate one another's differences and build partnerships. To fulfill their mission, they engage in community development through arts, culture, business, trade, and education. Kansas City Sister Cities is the local affiliate created in 1967. The same year Seville, Spain was named Kansas City’s first Sister City. In addition to being a key inspiration in the design for the Country Club Plaza, Kansas City and Seville shared many similarities in social, economical, and cultural interests. They maintained a cultural and commercial relationship for twenty years but as time passed, the relationship dwindled. Kansas City was the only US city invited to Expo ‘92 World's Fair hosted by Seville, which reestablished some of their connection, including a gift from Kansas City of The Explorer statue. Kansas City currently has twelve Sister Cities while there are over 2000 partnerships in more than 140 countries in the international association. The following are Kansas City’s twelve Sister Cities and the corresponding year that each relationship was officially recognized. <ul><li>Seville, Spain 1967</li><li>Kurashiki, Japan 1972</li><li>Morelia, Mexico 1973</li><li>Freetown, Sierra Leone 1974 </li><li>Tainan, Taiwan 1978</li><li>Xi’an, China 1989</li><li>Guadalajara, México 1991</li><li>Hannover, Germany 1993 </li><li>Port Harcourt, Nigeria 1993</li><li>Arusha, Tanzania 1995</li><li>Ramla, Israel 1998 </li><li>Yan’an, China 2017</li></ul>

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.

Sister Cities International Bridge

Brush Creek is a tributary of the Blue River and serves as a watershed for the Blue River Basin. The 10.5 mile creek begins in Johnson County, Kansas flowing north-northeast into Jackson County, Missouri and continues east before reaching the Blue River. Ironically, it was named for the foliage that once grew along its banks. The most prominent and well-known area of development around Brush Creek is at the site of the Country Club Plaza, developed by J.C. Nichols in the early 1920s. The history of the Brush Creek Basin dates back to 1864 during the Civil War, where the two-day Battle of Westport took place. At the time European settlers moved to the area in the late 1880s, it became the site of many industrial trades and farms as it was situated south of city limits. This area included a brickyard, a 20 foot deep swamp, a dump site, a stone quarry, a lumberyard, and a coal mine located to the east near the Blue River. By 1893, landscape architect and engineer George Kessler was hired to develop the Kansas City’s Parks and Boulevards System and was completed in 1915. The plan was designed with city development and expansion in mind, including the construction and paving of thoroughfares, integrated landscaping, and incentives for residential development. The land in the Brush Creek Basin was first acquired in the early 1900s for residential use by William Rockhill Nelson and J.C. Nichols. After developing several surrounding neighborhoods, Nichols acquired the plat of land where he would build the Country Club District. Apart from residential homes, the plan for the district included a shopping center which became the Country Club Plaza and opened in 1923. By 1931, political boss Tom Pendergast put forward a ten-year plan intending to make Kansas City “the greatest inland city in America” by improving hospitals, roads and sewers, increasing job opportunities, and ensuring the development of buildings. Part of the ten-year plan included the widening and paving of Brush Creek to control flooding and in 1935, Pendergast’s owned Ready-Mixed Concrete Company was hired. Some backlash followed politically and environmentally, as the work done actually created a more conducive environment for flooding with decreased foliage and increased water speeds. A 1970 report from the U.S. Corps of Engineers cautioned that Brush Creek could reach flood levels within an hour of a heavy runoff event. The most devastating flood occurred in 1977 when 16 inches of rain fell on September 12 and into the night, cresting up to 6 feet high in some areas. The rushing water moved massive amounts of debris, swept cars away, and caused damage to streets, bridges, and structures; a broken gas main ignited, causing an explosion which started fires in buildings along 48th Street; and half of the businesses on the Country Club Plaza (77 of 155) were inundated. The flood resulted in over one million dollars worth of damage and tragically the deaths of 25 Kansas Citians. A state of emergency was declared and the city implemented an “80-day clean-up” effort. Plaza businesses began repairs and reopened in this time, however, hundreds of families to the east (downstream) remained in temporary housing for months following. Councilman Bruce R. Watkins led an effort for property owners to call out the “unevenness” of City Hall’s disaster response and [then] Councilman Emmanuel Cleaver II testified to Congress, which resulted in a proposal for flood control measures and a beautification plan. The “Cleaver Plan'' was introduced in the early 1980s which called to widen and deepen Brush Creek and to replace the low bridges which eliminated choke points of debris, finally passing in 1987. During the rebuilding phase, Plaza businesses transitioned from neighborhood shops to higher-end retailers and in 1991, the city partnered with the Corps of Engineers for the beautification project. Over the next several years, water pumps and three geyser-like fountains were installed to increase water circulation which helped to improve the water quality by reducing fecal coliform bacteria. At one time, the bacteria was 10-15 times higher than the maximum recommended levels, giving the waterway the nickname “Flush Creek.” After a 1998 flash flood that took the lives of 12 residents, a flood emergency management plan and team was created. In addition, the Plaza Riverwalk and a gondola were established, and the Sister Cities International Bridge replaced a smaller footbridge damaged by the flood. Most recently, a 25-year plan to improve sewage runoff and sanitation was introduced in a 2010 deal with the Environmental Protection Agency.<h3>Features along Brush Creek</h3><ul><li>Brush Creek Fountains (times of operation vary) - (1) near gondola dock at Wyandotte St; (2) at Baltimore Ave; (3) between Brookside Blvd and Oak St </li><li>Sister Cities International Bridge - Pedestrian bridge honoring the relationships between Kansas Cities twelve Sister Cities</li><li>Ambiance On the Water - Gondola rides - Generally runs from April to October by appointment </li><li>Plaza Riverwalk - 1 mile paved path from Roanoke to Rockhill (paved on both sides) - Trail extends further east to Blue Banks Park at the mouth of the Blue River  </li><li>Greenway Park - From Brookside Blvd east to the Blue River</li></ul>

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.

Brush Creek Fountains

This historic Kansas City structure was built within the former Loma Linda subdivision which was built as the city expanded and previously home to a rock quarry and brick year. In 1919, Sunset Hill Gardens opened for business at this location and the former flower shop was later moved to 4901 Glendale Road where it now serves as a private residence. As this area became home to the Country Club Plaza, developer J.C. Nichols saw the potential of this area overlooking the Plaza to offer luxury apartments that would resemble those next to desirable areas of other major cities. Inspired by the luxury apartments overlooking New York City's Central Park, the McCanles Construction Company built the Villa Serra Apartments in a style that complimented the Plaza's architecture in consultation with Nichols. The nine-floor structure utilized a mirrored design with the building consisting of two identical sections divided by an eight-foot concrete wall.The Villa Serra Apartments featured modern fire-resistant construction methods using thick brick walls that also reduced the cost of utilities and limited noise for residents. These features, along with the prime location on Ward Parkway were featured in the first advertisements for the Villa Serra Apartment Hotel in the summer of 1928. Rates ranged from $70 per month for a "bachelor suite" to three-bedroom and two-bath units for $200 per month, and all units included laundry service and maid service as well as utilities. The building was also home to a beauty salon in a space that is now home to the hotel's Chaz Restaurant. In addition to affluent residents of the city, tenants included TWA who utilized an apartment for pilots and flight attendants in an era when the city's main airport was closer to the city center.In 1974, the J. C. Nichols Company purchased the building and began a 180-day renovation process to prepare the structure for conversion to a luxury hotel. The hotel opened on September 8, 1975. Maxine Hill, the first manager of the hotel, had previously worked as a teacher before becoming a travel agent and spending three years working at the neighboring Alameda Plaza Hotel, now the InterContinental Kansas City. Famous guests who have stayed at the Raphael include Marvin Gaye, Steve Martin, Barbara Walters, Walter Cronkite, Frank Zappa, and George McGovern.The hotel is best known for its Spanish Renaissance architecture and its twin watch towers above the guest rooms on the hotel's highest levels which offer some of the best views of the Country Club Plaza, especially during the holidays. The hotel is also known for its ornate lobby featuring an oak-paneled ceiling and twin eighteen-torch chandeliers. In its early years, the lobby walls were adorned with salmon-colored velvet that required weekly vacuuming. The hotel patio has been home to a hand-carved marble replica of "The Boy With the Thorn" since 1976 when it arrived from Italy. The hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Historic Hotels of America program.

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.

Raphael Hotel 

The Diana Fountain is a bronze replica of the original lead sculpture Diana and the Loves created by Walter Gilbert, founder of Bromsgrove Guild of Warwickshire, England. The eight-foot wide sculpture depicts the Roman goddess Diana lying on the ground with her bow and arrows, surrounded by cherubs as they pursue her with flowers. As enthusiasts of European art, the Nichols Company commissioned New York artist Bernhard Zuckerman for the Diana replica as the centerpiece to a grand display at the entrance of the Alameda Plaza Hotel (now Intercontinental Hotel) when it opened in 1972. The bronze sits on a pedestal inside a round basin and backed by a large wall fountain, 17 feet tall and 56 feet wide, designed by Kansas City architecture firm Kivett &amp; Myer. Diana was the goddess of wild animals and the hunt, often seen accompanied by her bow and arrow or deer. She was eternally young and beautiful and a defender of her virginity, later becoming known as a goddess of the moon, as the moon was a symbol of chastity. Despite this, she was also worshiped by women seeking to conceive. She was also the guardian of children and patron to the slaves, especially those seeking asylum. The Diana Fountain encapsulates her mythological image and is described by her creator Walter Gilbert as: <blockquote>"Diana, the virgin goddess, exhausted by the chase, has fallen behind the fir tree (the emblem of chastity) and is imploring the water spouting from the tree to hide her from the Loves pursuing her and pelting her with flowers."</blockquote>Diana and the Loves was originally cast in 1912 for Moreton Hall in Warwickshire, England, the private residence of Charles Garland, son of the co-founder for the National City Bank in New York. It still rests at its original location, which is now the campus of Warwickshire College of Agriculture. These are the only two casts of the piece. Bromsgrove Guild of Warwickshire also created two other works of art seen on the plaza, the Fountain of Bacchus (also originally located on the Moreton estate) and Neptune 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.

Diana Fountain

This statue sculpted by L. E. “Gus”
Shafer is a larger-than-life depiction of a wagon train leader. 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.The artist used
his own face as a model for this sculpture. The bronze statue stands on a large limestone rock. It
was a gift from Catherine and Miller Nichols, their four daughters, and the
artist. &nbsp;It was dedicated on September 8,
1973.

A plaque accompanying the statue reads:

<blockquote>"God slumbers in the rock He
breaths in the plant He dreams in the animal He awakens in man. – An Indian
proverb." </blockquote>

Other nearby bronze plaques
recount the history of the Santa Fe Trail and the Civil War Battle of Westport
that happened nearby.

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.



Wagon Master statue

Tribute to Married Love is a larger than life bronze sculpture depicting Sir Winston Churchill seated next to his wife Baroness Clementine Spencer-Churchill. This 6 foot by 12 foot sculpture is a larger replica of the original Married Love, which now resides on the grounds of The Churchill's former family home in Chartwell, Kent, South England. Married Love was created by British artist Oscar Nemon, known for his many works of Churchill and other notable individuals. Nemon was commissioned for the sculpture by Miller and Jeanette Nichols in 1981 as a showpiece at this major intersection into the Country Club Plaza in tribute to Churchill’s political connections to the area and friendship with Joyce C. Hall, founder of Hallmark (1910).Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) was an influential political figure for Britain. He served in the House of Commons, was elected as a Statesman from 1901 to 1915 and Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955, and won the Nobel Prize in 1953. In response to the invasion of Nazi’s into Czechoslovakia in 1939 and the onset of World War II, Churchill started a national coalition, partnering with Premier Joseph Stalin of Soviet Union and United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt to promote unity through alliance in resistance to Germany. Once the war ended, the Soviets and their communistic policies were quickly gaining control of eastern Europe. Dr. Franc McCluer, President of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, invited Churchill to speak at the school. Carrying on the allied relationship of Churchill and President Roosevelt, successor and now-President Harry Truman endorsed this invitation personally with a hand written note at the bottom remarking, “This is a wonderful school in my home state. Hope you can do it. I’ll introduce you. Best regards, Harry Truman.” Churchill accepted the invitation and on March 5, 1946 he gave his famous “Iron Curtain” speech - titled “Sinews of Peace” - which warned of the Soviet’s control and is seen by many as the initiation of the Cold War. The Hall-Churchill relationship started when the two first met during the reception of the “Sinews of Peace” speech. It wasn’t until a few years later when Hall was reading a book written by Churchill, Painting as a Pastime, that he realized Churchill had artistic talent. Hall proposed an idea that would showcase a variety of Churchill’s paintings in a series of Hallmark Christmas cards. Churchill was modest about his own work and hesitant at the thought of it not selling, however, he quickly responded telling his lawyers, “That’s a good firm. Make a deal with them!” Hallmark was granted a three-year contract with sole reproduction rights to Churchill’s art. First, eight oil paintings were sent to be considered and photographed for the card collection. In 1950, the first boxed set collection was released, receiving four and half million pre-orders. With that success, Hallmark produced more of Churchill’s work over the years which included cards, calendars, and prints. This relationship with Hallmark led to Churchill's first art exhibition, “Winston Churchill, The Painter,” which debuted at Nelson Gallery of Art on January 22, 1958 and traveled the country. After Churchill’s passing in 1965, Joyce Hall and long time friend Dwight Eisenhower flew to England together in a White House aircraft for Sir Churchill’s funeral services. Artist of Married Love Oscar Nemon (1906-1985) was an admirer of Churchill and known for creating many sculptures of him. Born as Oskar Neumann to a Jewish family in Osijek, Croatia, he was a self-taught artist with instinct and affinity for portraiture and sculpting, commissioning work in his teenage years. With rising anti-Semitism after World War I he moved to Vienna, Austria and worked as an apprentice with local sculptor Anton Hanak. A short time later he set up a personal studio where he commissioned portraits while experimenting with expressionism and cubism. His uncle owned a bronze factory which allowed him to cast his work. After a year he moved to Brussels, Belgium and studied at the Académie des Beaux Arts. Here, he won a Gold medal and went on to show at his first major exhibition. Shortly afterward, he changed the spelling of his birth name and started a career. Nemon had a personal charm, amusing his sitters with stories and anecdotes, drawing their animated impressions to produce his expressive sculptures. Throughout the 1930s Nemon sculpted many notable people, including Sigmund Freud, in which the wooden bust is now on display at the Freud Museum of London. As the political landscape continued to darken with the uprising of Hitler, Nemon moved to England and in 1941, he met Patricia Stuart and started a family. World War II struck personally tragedy to Nemon as he lost his mother, grandmother, brother, and most of his extended family as victims of the Holocaust. This is when his admiration for Churchill grew stronger. Nemon first met Churchill at La Mamounia hotel in 1951 and secretly sketched him in the dining room, impressing both Sir and Lady Churchill. They developed a friendship and Nemon went on to sculpt Churchill many times. In one sitting, Churchill attempted to sculpt Nemon, which is now on display at the Chartwell home. In 1981, the Country Club Plaza continued to rebuild and expand after the devastating flood in 1977. As Miller Nichols oversaw the construction on the Wornall bridge at Ward Parkway, he pursued to adorn the southwest corner with a new piece of art. Oscar Nemon was a personal recommendation from Nichols’ dentist and determined that a statue of Winston Churchill would be fitting due to his connections to the area. After deciding on a companion piece to his original sculpture Married Love, the $250,000 bronze was commissioned. To help pay for the artwork, Nichols partnered with the English Speaking Union who arranged a theatrical performance to spark interest. The ESU is a program established in the UK in 1918 that empowers peace through better communication between people of different cultures and countries, in which Churchill was Chairman from 1921-1925. On November 28, 1982 a benefit was held at the Folly Theatre in which the one time showing about Churchill’s life, “Churchill” succeeded in raising the funds. A Tribute to Married Love was installed on the Plaza and dedicated on May 12, 1984 and is accompanied by benches and a sound box playing recordings of Churchill’s speeches. The statue is a reminder of the 15 year partnership and friendship with Joyce Hall, the relationships he built with notable political figures from the area, and the remarkable day in Fulton, Missouri that started it all.

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.

Tribute to Married Love

Edward Tanner was the principal designer for J.C. Nichols when construction started on the Plaza in the early 1920s. Though Tanner left a few years later to form an independent firm, Nichols and Tanner remained partners on various projects throughout their careers. Their style was nationally known as “the Nichols towers with that Tanner wham.” Edward Tanner was born in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas in 1896 and grew up in Lawrence. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1916 with a degree from the newly established School of Engineering and Architecture. After graduation, Tanner moved to Kansas City and joined the firm of Shepard, Farrar, and Wiser. He later worked for the Concrete Engineering Company before enlisting in World War I in 1918 as an artillery instructor. When the war ended, he joined the Nichols Company as their principal designer and helped develop the Country Club Plaza alongside founder J. C. Nichols and principal architect Edward Delk. A few years later, Tanner formed his own independent practice, Edward W. Tanner and Associates, although he remained an ally with the Nichols Company throughout his career. In 1942 he partnered with Ansell Mitchell to form Tanner and Mitchell, in which they executed plans for regional hospitals and airfields for the United States government in World War II, including Whiteman Air Force Base in Knob Noster, Missouri and Hays-Walker and Great Bend airfields in Kansas. After the war, Tanner and Associates remained and received contracts for houses, apartment complexes, commercial buildings, churches, and service stations. J. C. Nichols Company was his primary client and also served for years as the company’s Vice President on the Board of Directors. Tanner designed many of the buildings on the Country Club Plaza and around the area including the Sears and Roebuck retail store, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company Building, Plaza Theatre building, and Linda Hall Library on the campus of the University of Missouri - Kansas City. He also designed more than 2000 homes in the area, including those of Tom Pendergast and Walter E. Bixby, which is on the National Register. In 1961 he partnered yet again to create a new firm, Tanner, Linscott, and Associates, before retiring in 1964. When Edward Tanner died on April 26, 1974, he left behind an architectural legacy that continues to shape Kansas City.

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.

Plaza Time Building

The location of Pomona Court was originally the site of a Standard Oil filling station before the courtyard and fountain were installed in 1969. Plaza developer J.C. Nichols created the autocentric shopping district with several filling stations, but as the needs of patrons changed, so did the Plaza. By the 1960’s, the filling stations began transitioning into small courtyards, inviting and allowing patrons to stop and take a moment to admire their surroundings. McArthur-Jarchow Architects received an award for the design of this public courtyard. The centerpiece of the large fountain is a life-sized bronze sculpture of the Roman Goddess Pomona, imported directly from Italy. Using the ancient lost-wax technique, Pomona was sculpted by Donatello Gabbrielli (1884-1955) and cast by the Fonderia Artistica Ferdinando Marinelli studio out of Florence. Pomona is derived from the Latin word “pomum” meaning fruit. She is the Roman Goddess of vineyards and orchards and is said to be a wood nymph. In this sculpture, she is depicted holding bunches of grapes as she catches the draped cloth falling from her nude body. The bronze is positioned in the center of a polished marble basin and pedestal in which water cascades into a large trefoil shaped pool. The pool also contains a ring-shaped water feature that sprays water from the outer edge towards the center. A bronze plaque accompanies the fountain and reads: “This noted Italian sculptor intended the statue to represent the sustenance and richness that comes from the Earth. From his original model, only two figures have ever been made. This bronze casting and a marble carving that stands in the King’s Palace, Bangkok, Thailand.” Artist Donatello Gabbrielli was born in 1884 in Scandicci, Florence, Italy. At an early age his parents recognized his skill in drawing but due to family trouble he was not able to attend the Academy. Instead, he began an apprenticeship at Professor Cesare Fantacchiotti’s Studio, a technically difficult school. Gabbrielli was first limited to rough-hewing marble figures, one of the steps in removing imperfections in the stone, but as he acquired better skill, he went on to create his own models winning exhibitions in Leghorn (1909) and Montenegro (1910). In 1922, Gabbrielli inherited Fantacchiotti’s studio and tools upon his passing. He was appointed the Professor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 1954 and died the following year.

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.

Pomona Court

The white marble mermaids featured in this large fountain were reportedly 300 years old when purchased in Italy by the J.C. Nichols Company. Originally installed on the Plaza in 1930, the mermaids were featured on the sides of a rectangular shaped pool, surrounded by landscaped trees and flowers. In 1968, the fountain was renovated and it’s current trefoil-shaped pool replaced the rectangular pool. The two mermaids are positioned resting on their side, each blowing into a conch shell as water streams from the shell toward the center of the pool. At the same time the pool was reconfigured, a circular water feature was added with a small bronze sculpture featured in the center of the ring. The sculpture is named “A Morning Prayer” as it depicts a child kneeling in prayer. A plaque at the front of the fountain states, ““A Morning Prayer” for the Children at Mercy Hospital. Say Yours and Toss a Coin”. The artist are unknown for both the mermaids and "A Morning Prayer".

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.

Mermaid Fountain

In July 1962, the Allen Memorial Fountain was dedicated in memory of Eleanor Nichols Allen and Earl Wilson Allen who tragically died in a fire at their home in Mission Hills, Kansas on February 28, 1961. Eleanor (1909-1961) was the daughter of Country Club Plaza developer Jesse Clyde “J.C.” and his wife Jessie Eleanor Nichols. In the early 1920s Eleanor worked for the Nichols company and helped organize the Plaza Merchants Association, which oversaw the tenants of the Country Club Plaza and planned events to increase foot traffic. Earl (1907-1961) also worked for the Nichols Company as an architect. They wed in 1936 and were survived by their two daughters, Susanne Eleanor and Mary Louise. The bronze fountain was imported from Italy and sculpted by artist S. Gemignani of Florence, according to the plaque nearby. It features a woman bathing while seated on a marble pedestal. A young child stands on a small turtle below, looking up toward her as water from her cloth trickles onto his chest. A mother duck and her ducklings stand on the edge of the quatrefoil pool as water sprays from their mouths toward the center. The collective impression is a sweet sentiment and tribute to motherhood.

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.

Allen Memorial Fountain

In 1928, president and chairman of the board of J.C. Nichols Company John C. Taylor purchased four small bronze fauns in Brindisi, Italy. Reportedly 200 years old at the time of purchase, each figure featured a water spigot and were all in a unique pose. They were installed on the corners of a rectangular reflection pool on Broadway between 47th Street and Alameda Road (now Nichols Road). The fountain was relocated to its current location, Plaza Central Park in 1958. Unfortunate theft occurred in 1964 and three of the four fauns were stolen. Replicas were made of the existing figure, the reason why the four are now identical. Designed by the Nichols Company, the Pool of Four Fauns was constructed with brick walls and uniquely shaped colorful tiles laid at the bottom, while the fauns shoot water across the pool. A plaque was installed on the east end that honors the 1928 purchase and installation of the bronze figures, as well as defines a faun. It reads, “A faun, in Roman mythology, is characterized as half human and half goat, similar to Pan in Greek mythology. Fauns are children of Faunus, one of the oldest and most popular of Roman deities. He was the Spirit of the forests, plains and fields.These bronze figures were purchased in Brindisi, Italy in 1928 by John C. Taylor and placed on the Plaza that year by the J.C. Nichols Company for the enjoyment of Plaza visitors”.The fountain is accompanied by a wooden bench inlaid with Spanish tile which invites patrons to take a break from their activities to enjoy the tranquil spattering of water. The courtyard also features tile artwork depicting a scene of a Spanish farmer which is mounted above a marble bench, relocated from its original location on Ward Parkway between Wyandotte and Central Streets.

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.

Pool of Four Fauns

Court of the Penguins is a small brick courtyard that was constructed in 1979 in an effort to create more public space around the Country Club Plaza. This location was previously the site of the Sears automotive service center and farm store, located across the street to the South of the Sears department store. This Sears department store was their first location in a suburban shopping center, opening in November 1947. Sears closed the stores in January 1975, but after Brush Creek’s devastating flood in 1977, the Plaza had to repair and rebuild many of its businesses. At this time, the vision was to become an upscale shopping destination, so as grocery stores moved out, luxury shops moved in. In the effort to rebuild the Plaza, Miller Nichols looked for inspiration and guidance from the public spaces he admired in Europe. Along with adding luxury shops, Nichols continued to integrate artwork and architecture and created spaces to attract the interest and promote interaction amongst the Plaza’s visitors. One of these spaces was the Court of the Penguins. The brick courtyard was installed with benches and two fountains on either side of three dancing penguin statues, and lined with shrubbery to protect bystanders from the street. Both fountains feature three griffins placed back-to-back between two scalloped basins which flow into a square-shaped pool centered in a larger oval pool with a bubbling water feature on each end. The three, five-foot tall bronze penguins are posed in different positions and are the centerpiece of the courtyard. They were designed by Kansas City artist Arthur Kraft, however, the sculptures were cast posthumously, as Mr. Kraft passed away in 1977. Arthur Kraft (1921-1977) was an artist of fiction and created his artwork in a variety of mediums. Arthur’s first art instruction was held at the Nelson Gallery (now Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art) and his first works were displayed at the Plaza Art Fair at age 13, including matchboxes decorated with pipe cleaners and sophisticated oil portraits. After high school, he studied briefly at Kansas City Art Institute before attending Yale University, as well as served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war his studies continued and went on to receive first place at the Audubon Artist Society’s annual exhibition for his painting titled ‘New York as Seen by a Casual Observer Through my Great Aunt Jennifer’s Ouija Board.’ A second big achievement announced Kraft as the winner of the Alice Kimball English Traveling Fellowship at Yale in which he spent months studying and painting in Europe, leading to a showcase of his works at Jacques Seligmann Gallery in New York in 1948. Arthur moved back to Kansas City in the mid-1950s with the rationale that, “one is likely to be more slowly devoured by American commercialism here than in New York.” He was recognized by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of ten outstanding young men in 1954, alongside Robert Kennedy and Chuck Yeager, and was commissioned to make the trophy for this award the following year. Many of his other commissions consisted of mosaics and sculptures around Kansas City, as well as other locations around the country including similar penguin sculptures for a mall in Indianapolis, Indiana. Over the years, Arthur suffered from alcoholism, said to be triggered by trauma from an assault he experienced in 1959. He was admitted to the mental ward several times and wrote a book “Sounds of Fury'' (1971) based on his experiences and people he saw there, which was filled with sketches and descriptive writings. Arthur was later treated for cancer and died at the Veterans Hospital in Topeka, Kansas in September of 1977 at the age of 56. The Court of the Penguins was dedicated to the Plaza on October 10, 1979 and remains a delight today as children dance with and climb on the bronze penguins. One can also reminisce in the history of the surrounding architecture as the windows of the adjacent storefront were once the garage doors of the automotive service center.

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.

Court of the Penguins

This sculpture was a gift to Kansas City by Miller and Jeanette Nichols and was dedicated in 1990. A plaque on a nearby light post bears the inscription “Benjamin Franklin in Celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1971.”Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is regarded as one of the most extraordinary public servants in United States history. He was an American statesman, author, scientist, inventor, and philosopher. He founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, wrote the famed Poor Richard's Almanac, and promoted public services including a library, fire department, hospital, and an academy that is now known as the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he invented bifocal glasses, the odometer, and the Franklin Stove. In 1753, the American was awarded the Copley Medal, Britain's most prestigious award in science, for his pioneering experiments in the field of electricity. Franklin's political contributions include serving as a member and delegate to the Albany Congress, the colonial legislature, the Second Continental Congress, the Freemasons, a diplomat to France, and most notably was a member of the committee who drafted the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The amendments of the Constitution that came to be known as the Bill of Rights were approved by the House and Senate in 1789. Ten of the original twelve amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the states by December 15, 1791, and as a result of ratification, they became part of the Constitution.  American artist George Lundeen, the owner of Lundeen Sculptures in Loveland, Colorado, completed this sculpture of Ben Franklin in 1989 and it was dedicated the following year. Lundeen was a Fulbright-Hays Scholar, studying at the Academia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy, and obtained a Bachelor of Art from Hastings College in Nebraska and a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Illinois. He established his Colorado-based studio in the mid-1970s and is a member of the National Sculpture Society and National Academy of Design. His works can be seen in private and public locations throughout the country.

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.

Sculpture of Ben Franklin, Kansas City

The Skelly Building was constructed in 1938 as the marketing and financial headquarters for the Skelly Oil Company. Architect Edward Tanner designed this three-story commercial building using an Italianate style. With a boxy shape and flat facade, it features a low-pitched, hipped roof, tall symmetrical windows, and a central, campanile-style projection that displays the company logo. In addition, decorative brick patterns were laid within the facade between floors and tile detail under the eaves. Additions were made to the building in 1954 but continued to house Skelly’s offices until the company merged with Getty Oil in 1977. It remains a reminder of the importance of gas and oil to the early days of the autocentric shopping district, and currently provides retail, restaurant and business space. William Grove “Bill” Skelly was an oil man and philanthropist born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1878. His father instilled a strong work ethic and at a young age, William sold newspapers and cleared sidewalks in the winter. He finished public school at age 14 then studied for one year at Clark’s Business School. After school, he worked for his father hauling oil-well supplies in a horse drawn carriage which exposed him to the field. He worked for $2.50 per day as a tool dresser in the Venango Field in Pennsylvania and as an experienced oilman, was later sent to Oklahoma. In 1898, William enlisted in the Spanish-American War in the 16th Pennsylvania Volunteers for the Battle of Coamo in Puerto Rico. After the war, he moved to Gas City, Indiana and became a manager for Citizens Gas Company. Skelly continued to learn more about the industry and new technologies. In the early 1900s, the production of Ford’s Model-T automobile and demands of World War I led the oil boom to expand, moving to the west and south. Barrels of oil produced in the United States in 1900 totaled 6,000, compared to 11,000,000 in 1914. With so much potential and knowledge, Skelly chose to go independent. First he landed in Texas, but in 1916 moved to Kansas when the El Dorado oil field opened. Soon after, he founded the Midland Refining Company and went into production in 1917. Midland quickly became one of the largest operators. This same year, Skelly formed the Mid-Continent Oil &amp; Gas Association to ensure supplies were available for our allied forces in World War I. He partnered with owners of other major oil producers including Phillips Petroleum, Conoco Inc., and Kerr-McGee Oil Company, in addition to oilman Alf Landon, who would later become the Governor of Kansas (1933-1937) and the 1936 Republican Presidential candidate. On October 2, 1919, William Skelly incorporated Skelly Oil Company and established its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the “Oil Capital of the World.” He took interest in the Burbank Field on native Osage land in the early 1920s. By this time, the Osage had already established mineral rights as oil-lease auctions were being held for their land. Official auctioneer Colonel Elmer Ellsworth Walters held these auctions under a giant elm tree near the Osage Council House in Pawhuska, which became known as the “Million Dollar Elm.” On March 2, 1922, William Skelly set a new record when he partnered with Phillips Petroleum Company to purchase a quarter-section (160-acres), the first time a single tract sold for $1 million. The Osage was paid directly from the sales of successfully completed wells, in addition to interest, bonuses, and royalties. Between 1919 and 1928, more that $202 million was paid to the tribe. Unfortunately, the quick onset of wealth of the Osage brought on greed for the headrights to their land and led to a number of violent and suspicious deaths. On April 22, 1926, the Osage dedicated a 25-foot monument to Colonel Walters called the “Bond of Friendship” in honor of the success he had brought them. By 1923, Skelly became one of largest independent producers of oil and natural gas. He had introduced a new system to the Burbank Field which preserved gas pressure, allowing it to flow naturally, as well as a system of pipelines to move oil from the field to the processing plants. He became President of the International Petroleum Exposition in 1925, founded Tulsa's Spartan School of Aeronautics in 1928 and was a major donor for the construction of Tulsa’s Municipal Airport in 1929 and Tulsa University's football stadium in 1930. At the end of the decade, Skelly Oil had sales representation in 11 states, owned 471 bulk and service stations, and had more than 4000 franchise dealers. It was also one of the first companies to partner with the interstate, creating a truck stop program and started offering a credit card. As a public leader for civic, educational and charitable causes, Skelly became known as “Mr. Tulsa.” He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1939 for his charitable work in addition to the path he helped pave in the petroleum industry. The Osage tribe also recognized Skelly’s influence and made him an honorary member in 1949 with the name, Wah-tah-in-kah, meaning “Sassy Chief.” William Grove Skelly remained an industry giant until his death on April 11, 1957.

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.

Skelly Building

One of the largest projects ever developed on the Country Club Plaza, Valencia Place is a 10-story office building with a restaurant, six-story parking garage and three-level retail space. Groundbreaking for the $51.6 million project took place in November 1997 by J.E. Dunn Construction Company. It included excavation of 210,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock, primarily consisting of shale and limestone. In a commitment to work in harmony with the site and surrounding area, a portion of this excavated rock was recycled into foundation material after being crushed off-site. The 303 foot wide by 349 foot long by 60 foot deep hole was constructed into the underground parking garage and foundation for the large office building. Valencia Place is also ranked as one of Kansas City’s largest masonry projects, using more than 900,000 bricks and 10,000 pieces of cast stone for the construction of it’s 271,000 square-foot office building and 86,400 square-foot retail space. The office building and dome opened in the spring of 2000 with the highest lease rate in Kansas City. The new headquarters for Lockton secured the top four and a half floors of the office tower with other business offices below. The top floor of the dome is still home to its original occupant McCormick &amp; Schmick seafood restaurant, and a retail store below. The retail building opened in the fall. Though the price is high for tenants, Valencia Place is a prime location and added just what the Plaza needed, including more free parking for nearly 1600 vehicles in its six-level garage. Upon its opening, J.E. Dunn President and CEO Terry Dunn stated, “Valencia Place represents the continued growth and commitment to the prosperity of the famed Country Club Plaza - a jewel in the heart of Kansas City.” While the construction of Valencia Place is decades newer than most of the Plaza, design elements complement the existing and original style used. The building features an ornate facade, an earth tone color palette composed of eight different colors of brick, decorative tile, terracotta roof tiles, and a Spanish-style tower which serves as a pedestrian entrance to the parking garage. Two of the most distinguishing features are the 7,000 square-foot glass dome above the restaurant and the grand, tiled staircase positioned to the west of the tower, between the building's offices and retail space. Kansas City artist Carolyn Payne created the patterned tiles above the windows of the restaurant. Prior to the excavation for Valencia Place, several apartment buildings were razed along 46th Terrace, 47th Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue. Many of these were designed by architects Nelle E. Peters and Edward W. Tanner, who helped build Kansas City. Nelle Peters designed five of these apartment buildings on 46th Terrace, including the Santa Ana and Armada, and La Solana which is now the site of Townsend Place condominiums. Built in 1927, these three-level brown brick apartments helped populate the Country Club District early on. Peters was one of the most prolific Kansas City architects and one of the only successful women during the height of her career in the 1920’s. She designed more than 1000 structures throughout her career and has three historic districts named in her honor on the National Register of Historic Places, two of which are in the Plaza. Edward Tanner was the chief architect of the Country Club Plaza since its conception. The partnership of Tanner and Plaza founder J. C. Nichols was nationally known as, “the Nichols towers with that Tanner wham.” Tanner designed the Victory Court apartments along Pennsylvania in 1944-45, which were restricted at the time for tenants employed by essential industries during the war period. Unfortunately these small, multi-family dwellings could not survive the growing needs of the city and the Plaza.

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.

Valencia Place

Quiet Talk is a bronze sculpture created by Utah artist Dennis Smith in 1987. Smith's impressionistic style is said to be a window into his views on life - embodying his passion for transcendence and expressing the spirit of the human soul. Many of his works represent the innocence and spontaneity of children and the exuberance of life. Quiet Talk is one of Smith's "small sculptures", featuring a young woman kneeling while embracing a child sitting on her lap, facing one another with their heads touching. From the artist's website, a description of the sculptures second edition (Quiet Talk II) reads:<blockquote>Whispered conversations between mother and child create a bond that imprints deep into childhood’s most subtle memories. Many years later, when the child is grown and the mother is far away, the memory of mother can return with a force so delicate and warm that it reaffirms the profound and spiritual bond which fused them together so long ago in mortal time.</blockquote>

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.

Quiet Talk Sculpture

As part of the first phase of building the Country Club Plaza, the Balcony Building was constructed in 1925. The completion of this structure followed shortly after the Suydam (now Mill Creek Building), Triangle Building, and the Tower Building. Those structures were completed in 1923, and the Wolferman’s Store (now home to Commerce Bank) was completed in 1924. Together with the Balcony Building, these five buildings were part of the Plaza's “bowl-shaped” design plan which placed low-rise buildings toward the center surrounded by taller buildings with towers around the edge. J.C. Nichols envisioned the towers of these buildings to be unified and eventually build up to a large, centralized tower with chimes.Designed by leading architect Edward Tanner, the Balcony Building, like much of the Plaza, exhibits a Spanish Colonial and Revival style. It features shaped parapets, a stucco exterior, polychrome terracotta ornamentation, a clay tile roof, and iron balconies. A Spanish-style tower is positioned at each of the front corners and a balustrade balcony extends the length of the upper level on the east side of the building. Additionally, the facade above the central entrance extends into a decorative gable containing a distinguished face and impressive detail is positioned at the header of major doorways and windows.The Balcony Building had a variety of tenants as retail and restaurant businesses filled the street level while business and doctors' offices occupied the upper-level spaces. By the 1940s, the retail environment was changing and the Plaza continued growth. New buildings were added and some businesses moved locations to make way for others to expand. In fact, J.C. Nichols declined dozens of new businesses in order to take care of the expansion of the current tenants. In 1947, the front sidewalk was rebuilt and parking was added to the back. Aleman Court was also established this year, in the new sunken courtyard on the east side. One of the first tenants of the Balcony Building, Wimer’s restaurant was one of the first to expand, adding space from a different shop that moved out. Others include Steve’s Shoes, an anchor from 1938 to 2006, expanded retail space and added a repair shop; a public accountant moved out and the already established office of Dr.’s Shofstall and Webb doubled the size of their space and provided beds as an emergency hospital; additional doctors and offices featuring new, state of the art equipment were added on the second level replacing the Huff Secretarial School; and the Putsch’s opened their third restaurant on the Plaza, Putsch’s Cafeteria. Occupants continued to change over the years but the Balcony Building still remains an essential component of the Plaza. In 2010, the Balcony Building was threatened with demolition when local law firm and former tennant Polsinelli proposed the construction of a new office building at this location. However, J.C. Nichols had worked with city leaders to put restrictions in place regarding renovation and construction. In addition, the city's 1989 Urban Design and Development Plan included measures to preserve the historical look of the Plaza in addition to placing limits on the size of buildings. The law firm's extensivie plans envisioned development beyond the scope of these plans. While construction within the Plaza proved untenable for the developers, the firm was able to acquire a location a few blocks away and completed a ten-story modern building in 2013. Architect Edward W. Tanner (1896-1974) was a longtime partner to J. C. Nichols. After receiving a degree from the school of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Kansas, Tanner enlisted as an artillery instructor during World War I. When he returned to Kansas City Tanner was hired as the principal designer for the Nichols Company but left a few years later to open his own firm. During World War II, Tanner was contracted by the government to design regional hospitals and airfields. After the war he resumed business in Kansas City, also receiving commissions from Nichols while the two continued to build the city’s picturesque landscape. Designing many of the prominent buildings on the Plaza, the district came to be known nationally as “the Nichols towers with that Tanner wham.” Tanner also designed more than 2000 homes in the area, including those of Tom Pendergast and Walter E. Bixby - one of his most modern designs and on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.

Balcony Building

Alemán Court was dedicated on May 7, 1947 in the name of Miguel Alemán, the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952. On this day, President Alemán visited Kansas City during a week-long visit to the United States, following a visit by President Truman to Mexico City just a few months prior. Truman traveled to our bordering country on March 3, 1947 in honor of the 100th anniversary to the end of the Mexican War (April 1846 - February 1848). This was the first visit ever by a sitting president to Mexico’s capital, due to severed relations stemming from the War in which America acquired almost half of Mexico’s land, including all or parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, and Wyoming. During his visit, Truman laid a wreath before the “Niños Heroes” monument of fallen soldiers and traveled to different cities as an opportunity to heal negative memories and emphasize the virtue of peace. Because of Truman’s gestures of goodwill, the two countries started the process of establishing an amicable relationship and mutual cooperation going into the Cold War. While Alemán’s visit was in reciprocation to Truman, he wanted to be clear that it was not merely a diplomatic visit to Washington, but to the United States as a whole. Alemán started his trip on May 1, 1947, by giving a speech to a joint session of Congress and traveling through the country in the subsequent days. He visited Kansas City by invitation from University of Kansas City President Clarence Decker, Mayor William Kemp, and the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. The invitation offered Alemán to visit the Heartland and increase goodwill, while a second invited him to present the University’s commencement address. Due to the informality of these invitations, Alemán’s advisor De la Salva was highly offended which caused some tension prior to the visit, however, the trip ended in success. President Alemán decided against giving the commencement address but did receive a small number of dignitaries that were in attendance. He was also presented with an honorary Law degree and a gift of 24 original, signed lithographs from renowned Kansas City artist Thomas Hart Benton. While the world was in transition from World War II into the Cold War, the mutual visits between President Alemán and President Truman produced a number of accomplishments for the United States and Mexico. Both leaders embraced shared optimism and set the tone for mutual relations between the two countries for years to come, including direction for the migratory labor agreement and international credit arrangements, as well as the renewed commitment of the Good Neighbor policy.The courtyard and fountain were dedicated in President Alemán's honor during his visit on May 7, 1947, with U.S. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower both in attendance. The fountain is made of marble and features a fish in the vertical position with its head resting on a shallow, seashell-shaped basin and its tail pointing up. The fish and basin sit on top of a fluted pedestal, as water flows from the fish's mouth into the seashell basin before it trickles down to an oval pool. The fountain is inset into a recessed tile wall topped by an arched seashell in the small, sunken courtyard of 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.

Alemán Court

The Wild Boar of Florence is a bronze statue depicting a mythological Greek boar with a history dating back centuries. The original bronze artwork is thought to have been made by the Greeks in the Hellenistic period (300-200 B.C.), which was an inspiration for a marble statue excavated from Rome in 1556. This marble boar was gifted from the Pope to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de Medici and taken to his home in Florence, Italy. Years later, Medici’s nephew ordered a bronze replica from Italian sculptor Pietro Tacca. Tacca first executed a mold in 1612 before casting it in bronze in 1633. In this mold, the base was sculpted simulating a forest floor with grass, reptiles and insects, in which the boar would be resting on. Medici’s marble statue was moved and is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. It was decided in 1640 that the bronze boar be turned into a fountain for the population of Florence and was installed in Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, the New Market. It was immediately nicknamed il Porcellino, meaning the small pig. Il Porcellino became an admired symbol as coins were put in his mouth for good luck and a legend created in which those who rubbed his snout would return to Florence. As the number of tourists increased, so did the damage to the snout and base. Due to years of human contact and running water, the fountain was subject to damage. In 1857, Italian artist Giuseppe Benelli of the foundry of Clemente Papi brought the bronze back to its original state with wax, called the lost wax technique, and a mold was cast. A second bronze replica was made and replaced the deteriorated boar. Another replacement was ordered in 1998, in which the foundry of Ferdinando Marinelli cast the new bronze boar using the original Tacca plaster mold that is stored in their collection. Many repairs have been done since, including a piece of replacement cast bronze on the snout.While there are dozens of replicas around the world, one of the early reproductions from Marinelli foundry is displayed on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Brought over by the Nichols family, who has a history of favoring European and mythological art, The Bronze Boar of Florence was installed on the Country Club Plaza and dedicated on April 28, 1962. The statue sits on a limestone pedestal with an acrylic panel containing a coin slot, based on the belief of tossing coins in fountains for good luck. With intention to donate the proceeds to Children’s Mercy Hospital and in keeping the tradition of il Porcellini, a plaque beside the bronze reads, “With Good Fortune For Your Children And The Children of Mercy Hospital. Rub His Nose - Drop A Coin”.

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."

Wild Boar of Florence

The Neptune Fountain was sculpted in 1911 by the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts, which is located in Worchester, England. It depicts Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, holding his signature trident and riding in a chariot pulled by three horses. He is generally pictured like this and has a strong association with horse races as a result. Neptune is the brother of Jupiter, the king of the gods, and Pluto, the god of the Underworld. He was the Roman equivalent to Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. The fountain is made entirely of lead and is said to weight approximately 8,000 pounds.The fountain was produced for Alba Boardman Johnson to put at his estate in Pennsylvania. Johnson was the president of Baldwin Locomotive Company from 1911 until his death in 1935. Baldwin Locomotive Co. was founded by Matthias Baldwin in the 1830s. During the railroad boom in American history, it was one of the top three companies in the industry, alongside the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and the Lima Locomotive Works until its decline and exit from the market in 1956. Johnson began working for a firm connected to the company, the Burnham, Parry, Williams and Co. directly out of high school as a junior clerk. He left after only a year to find other work, but he returned to work there approximately two years later. He began to climb in rank, eventually joining in a partnership with the company. On July 1, 1909, the company Johnson worked for was integrated into the Baldwin Locomotive Company, and Johnson was elected as the vice president and treasurer. Two years later, he was elected to be the company’s president. This was the same year he ordered the fountain.After Johnson's death in 1935, his estate was unable to find a buyer for the fountain and as a result, it was discarded. Years later, a salvage team discovered the fountain in an old railroad car. Learning of this discovery, businessman Miller Nichols purchased the fountain for its weight in scrap metal. Miller was the son of real estate developer and civic leader Jesse Clyde (J.C.) Nichols. The Nichols Company redeveloped swaths of Kansas City and created the Country Club Plaza district. After J.C.'s death in 1950, Miller ran the family business for nearly four decades. During this period, he placed many fountains in Kansas City, including the Neptune Fountain. He installed it in the Country Club Plaza in 1953.

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.

Neptune Fountain

Completed in June 1923, the Triangle Building was the second building built for the Plaza. It was named for the oddly shaped block in which it occupies - the block adjacent to the west of the first-built Suydam Building (now the Mill Creek Building) and caddy corner from the Chandler Landscape and Floral Company (1916), the original structure that predates the Plaza and the site of the district's first filling station. The Triangle Building was designed by leading Plaza architect Edward Buehler Delk who used elements of Spanish Revival architecture, echoing the charm of Californian buildings and fitting the vision of developer J. C. Nichols. Less than a year from the start of construction, the Country Club Plaza was taking shape as a premier destination for shopping and everyday needs and services for the nearby residents of Nichols’ newly developed neighborhoods, in addition to those arriving by automobile. The first occupant of the Triangle Building was a self-service Piggly Wiggly grocery store owned by Arthur Snell Bird. Within a few months from opening the building had multiple tenants including Flora Michaelis Gifts shop; Hunter Brothers Drug Store; and the Brentnall Shop, a lingerie emporium. In 1924, a second unit was completed on the west side. Wymore Hardware Company moved in, and later, a restaurant was opened by the former manager of Mission Hills Country Club which offered reasonably priced lunch and a carpeted, “high-class dining room.” As the demand for services changed over the years, so did the tenants. In addition to shopping, the Plaza became a destination for entertainment. In 1938, Clare Martin’s Jazz Club opened in the Triangle Building and became the first venue in the area to welcome Black musicians to the stage. Pianist Jay McShann of the McShann Band and Charlie “Bird” Parker, a Kansas City-born jazz composer and saxophonist who helped to pioneer the "Kansas City sound," were among the leading musicians who performed here. While Kansas City was home to clubs that catered to the African American community, as well as a handful of "Black and tan" clubs that were open to all, Parker and other Black musicians were not welcomed as guests in the white-only venues throughout the city during the era of segregation. One of the only major renovations to the Triangle Building was in 1992 when the clock tower was added to the west side, gifted by Miller and Jeannette Nichols. Its design reflects the original Spanish style of the Plaza and mimics the tower of the Plaza Time Building, which can be seen to the Southwest. The clock’s faces were designed by Kansas City artist Carolyn Payne, who uses a signature style of ceramic glazing that blends impressionistic painting and stained glass characteristics. Each of the three faces depicts a scene from Spain - the Plaza de España in Seville, built as the location of the 1929 World's Fair; the Alhambra Palace in Granada; and the skyline of Spanish buildings inspired from a picture taken by Jeannette Nichols. Miller Nichols gave Carolyn’s work a testimonial in 1992 after the completion of the tower which read, “Our friends and acquaintances are most lavish in their praise of the Clock Tower. It immediately became a landmark for the Plaza and for that matter Kansas City. You played no small part in the success of this Tower. Over the years your craftsmanship will be viewed and enjoyed by millions.” Decades later, both residents and visitors continue to admire the Plaza's history and works of art.

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.

The Country Club Plaza: A Journey Through Time

New Friends Sculpture

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information