Kansas City Crossroads Walking Tour

Introduction to the early history of the Crossroads and its connection to Union Station

Dr. William Worley, one of the leading narrators of this walking tour, offers a quick introduction to the history of this area from McClure Flats which was home to a variety of immigrants from Central Europe prior to the creation of Union Station

2. Lemp Brewery Depot (1895) and McClure Flats

Constructed in 1895, this brick structure with its castle-like façade was home to what was known as a "beer depot" at the turn-of-the-century. The building was owned by the Lemp Brewery Complex in St. Louis and sold beer that had been stored in temperture controlled caves in St. Louis and then transported here by rail. This was one of around sixty beer depots operated by Lemp, who used this building as a stable with wagons and horses that carried beer from rail cars and distributed it throughout the city. The depot also sold beer directly to local residents, usually by the bucketful. At this time, it was common to send children on that errand, so it was common to see small children carefully returning home with a full pail that would supply the family's needs a day or two in an era before refrigeration. The building was located next to McClure Flats, a small complex of mostly windowless tenements that was home to many new arrivals in the city from the 1880s to just after the completion of Union Station in 1914.

3. Firestone Building (Abdiana Building)

By the 1910s, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company had dozens of regional offices in cities around the country and abroad. This building, the Firestone Building, was erected in 1915 and was the company's largest investment ($300,000). The company's founder, Harvey S. Firestone (1868-1938), chose Kansas City for such an investment because of its thriving farming industry, which was seeing a rise in the use of motor vehicles. The building itself is also significant for its design and construction. It was built with reinforced concrete, which was a relatively new construction method at the time, and features terra cotta piers and Gothic-inspired motifs. Its conservative design gives a contemporary appearance. It is now a loft residence and also houses various businesses, including an event venue. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The building was later acquired by Abdiana Properties which added their sign at the top of the structure in place of the original Firestone sign.

4. 2020 Grand Building

The 2020 Grand Building was erected in 1922 and represents the commercial development in the Crossroads District that occurred after Union Station was built in 1914. It is a typical "two-part" commercial building featuring retail spaces on the first floor and office spaces on the second and third floors. The rear of the building features a sheltered loading dock that was once next to train tracks. As for design, the building is relatively restrained in appearance but does feature Prairie School-style elements as seen, for example, in the diamond shapes at the top of the pilasters. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, it now operates as a hotel called the Hotel Indigo - The Crossroads.

5. Belger Cartage Service (1919); Belger Arts Center 2000-Present

The brick structure is the national headquarters of Belger Cartage Service, Inc., a company established in Kansas City in 1919 that provides warehousing services at locations in several states along with crane, heavy hauling, and specialty transportation services nationwide. Since 2000, the building has also been home to the Belger Arts Center which has hosted over 100 contemporary art exhibitions. These public exhibitions draw from the extensive Belger Collection as well as a variety of local, national, and international artists. The center is open to the public and provides free guided tours along with a variety of educational experiences ranging from summer art camps for children to adult ceramics classes.

6. Midwest Hotel Building

Kansas City's Midwest Hotel opened in 1915, a period of rapid construction for this part of the city resulting from the growth of the city and the decision to build the new Union Station after flooding in the West Bottoms created logistical issues for the city's previous leading railroad terminus. The hotel was located within walking distance of Union Station and was the largest of many budget hotels built in the area at this time. For its first three decades, the hotel provided affordable accommodations for travelers in addition to short-term housing for many single and itinerant workers. The building was also the first home of the Hereford House restaurant, now a popular steakhouse chain in the Kansas City area. Shortly after Stella Parke purchased the hotel in 1943, the US War Department leased the building to support their operations, housing military police during WWII. The hotel operated for decades after resuming normal business in 1946. Over the years the building began to deteriorate. After threats of legal action from Jackson County prosecutors, Midwest Hotel shut the doors in 2005 and was later added to the list of Kansas City's most endangered historic buildings. At the same time, the new streetcar had been approved and construction of the route began down Main Street. In a consensus to revive the Crossroads, BKV Group of Minneapolis was hired to design a new apartment building on the lots at 20th and Main, which included the decrepit hotel property. The City Club Apartments opened in 2020 and the restored Midwest Hotel building serves as the development's amenities hub.

7. The Rieger Hotel Building

Built in 1915 as one of three hotels in this part of Kansas City that catered to traveling workers, the Rieger Hotel was developed by Alexander Rieger, son of Jacob Rieger and founder of Rieger & Co. distillery. The hotel accommodated traveling businessmen, workers, and other individuals needing long-term but temporary accommodations during an era that saw the growth of industry in Kansas City. The hotel was open for only a few, short years before prohibition created a challenge for the family business and Alexander responded by closing the hotel and establishing a bank. The building changed hands several times over the years, accommodating a variety of businesses, including storefronts on the first floor and apartments on the upper stories. In a nod to the building's connection to the Rieger distillery, the building was home to The Rieger restaurant on the first floor and the speakeasy-themed bar Manifesto that occupied the basement.

8. Jackson County Democratic Club (Tom Pendergast Headquarters)

Constructed in 1926, this building served as the headquarters of the Jackson County Democratic Club which was led by Thomas Joseph Pendergast, the penultimate "boss" of the infamous political machine that controlled Kansas City between 1926 and 1939. Referred to by many as "Boss Tom," Pendergast took over and expanded the political machine his brother built, choosing candidates for office who returned the favor by voting in line with the wishes of Boss Tom. As a result, Pendergast's businesses won prized city contracts and he wielded enormous influence over almost every aspect of Kansas City's political, economic, and cultural life.As the Jackson County Democratic Party chair, Pendergast controlled the city's government through patronage, notably by providing jobs and government contracts in exchange for political support. Although Pendergast's corruption became well known by the 1930s, many residents continued to support Pendergast and his candidates because they believed his leadership had ameliorated many of the worst aspects of the Great Depression. Others appreciated Pendergast's refusal to enforce prohibition, leading to a vibrant jazz scene and Kansas City's reputation as a "Wide Open Town" where liquor and vice lived alongside strong financial support for civic institutions like schools and hospitals. Pendergast launched the political career of Harry S Truman, but his reign as a political boss ended in 1939 when he was convicted of income tax evasionToday, the financial crimes and violence that occurred under Boss Tom's watch are sometimes overshadowed by nostalgia for the Jazz Age. and a perception that Pendergast and his men were supporters of integration. In reality, the advances for the Black Community had more to do with neighborhood leaders within the Pendergast orbit and the pragmatism of the political machine that traded funding for Black schools and hospitals for votes. At the same time, Kansas City was home to "Black-and-tan-clubs" that accepted all races than any American city beyond New York in an era otherwise dominated by segregation.

9. Monroe Hotel Building

When the Monroe Hotel opened in 1921, it was one of many hotels in the area that catered to the needs of traveling workers following the relocation of Union Station from the West Bottoms. The hotel filled a need for affordable accommodations and housed mostly single workers and traveling salesmen as it was within walking distance to the rail station and other businesses in the area, including restaurants, barbershops, drug stores, and post office. In the years that followed, the hotel also accommodated many guests of political machine boss Tom Pendergast, especially after he purchased the building in 1924. A couple years later, Pendergast built the Jackson County Democratic Club in the adjacent lot which included a doorway between his second level office and the hotel. The door was sealed in 1939 after orders from a Federal judge following Pendergast's release from prison. The hotel stayed in operation until 1971 and was later renovated into luxury condominiums.

10. Thomas Corrigan Building (Corrigan Station)

Named in honor of the 19th-century businessman who built a streetcar empire in Kansas City, the Thomas Corrigan Building is a ten-story reinforced concrete structure designed by architects Keene & Simpson to support a variety of industrial needs from office space to manufacturing to warehousing. The building was completed in 1921 as an investment of the four daughters of Corrigan and the building stayed in the Corrigan family until 1977 when it was purchased by Alan J. Bronfman. Over the last century, the structure has been used by many influential KC businesses. From 1921 to 1931, the primary occupant was the Gateway Station Post Office while the Donnelly Garment Company was the main occupant from 1935 to 1947 followed by the Veterans Administration until 1958. After an initial plan to convert the building to apartments, the structure was acquired by a new ownership group in 2015 and renovated to support retail on the first floor and office space on the remaining nine stories. This development, known as Corrigan Station, was shaped by the creation of the Kansas City Streetcar Line, perhaps fitting owing to the building's connection to streetcar magnate Thomas Corrigan.

11. The Donnelly Garment Company (1916-1978)

This building on Kansas City's Walnut Street was the headquarters of Nell Donnelly Reed's garment empire which became the largest manufacturer of women's dresses in the United States. A former worker in the garment industry, Reed built and grew her business from the early to mid-1900s by offering a variety of styles of women's clothing that were unique and form-flattering. Nell Donnelly was able to expand her company through a mixture of shrewd business practices and innovative designs. Known today for her opposition to organized labor, she also created fashionable designs for women of all sizes at lower prices than her competitors as her company pioneered new techniques in assembly-line production. While Nell Donnelly Reed was a successful entrepreneur who exhibited creativity and business savvy, she was also criticized by some who hoped a woman-led company would create more opportunities for unionization of the garment industry. At the same time, the Donnelly Garment Company offered numerous unique benefits for workers such as tuition support and family scholarships. After her retirement and subsequent sale of her company, Nell Donnelly Reed supported several community organizations and philanthropy, including the donation of over seven hundred acres to build a wildlife conservation area named in honor of her late second husband, former Senator James Reed.

12. 1901 McGee Street Automotive Service Building

The building at 1901 McGee Street, a former car dealership, is located in an area of town known as "Automobile Row." In particular, when this building was built in 1912, it was during a time when the automobile dealership district was still in its early years, and the popularity of cars was starting to rise. Like the nearby Kirkwood Building at 1737 McGee Street, which was also a part of Automobile Row, 1901 McGee Street is a commercially designed building specifically built to be a car dealership. However, since this building is older, it combines more modern design aspects with older ones. For example, the inside of the building is made of combined stonework and wood, common in early twentieth-century buildings, but supplemented with massive steel beams to allow the building to support its very heavy merchandise. Large windows, which allowed dealerships to display cars to pedestrians, can also still be seen on the ground level.

13. Auto Coach Building

One of the country's leading manufacturers of custom bodies for trucks in the early 20th century, the Hesse Carriage Company, built the Auto Coach Building in 1917. It gave the company increased manufacturing space to mass produce truck bodies used in building Ford Model T cars. This ability to rapidly build the bodies differentiated the company from competitors and laid the foundation for its future and ongoing success (the company exists today as Group Hesse). Increasing demand for its products prompted the company to expand the building in 1926 to its current size. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 and is now a loft apartment building.

14. Kirkwood Building

The Kirkwood Building is the former home of an early twentieth-century car dealership located in a part of Kansas City previously known as "Automobile Row." The structure was built in 1920, a turning point in the industry where car ownership proliferated beyond the most wealthy to include many in the upper-middle-class while businesses ranging from agriculture to delivery services invested in trucks. As Kansas City neighborhoods expanded beyond the urban corps to create less walkable suburbs, more people bought cars out of necessity which in turn fueled demand for car dealerships like those that occupied this building. While the Kirkwood Building was only used by car dealerships for the first several years after it was built, the building has been well-preserved and serves as an example of how this part of the city was home to many automobile dealerships that shared similar design aspects that blended space for a showroom with sales offices and garage space.

15. City Bank Building

Constructed in 1930 in a part of Kansas City known at the time as Midtown, the City Bank building is a landmark of the Crossroads District that blends architectural and economic significance. The bank's construction symbolized the expansion of Kansas City's economic core from the downtown area south, and despite the Great Depression, the area around 18th and Grand would soon grow into a hub of business. The outside of the building has been changed very little since City Bank was first constructed which provides an example of the Commercial and Art Deco styles of architecture that were popular in the 1930s. City Bank was financed by William T. Kemper and led by his son Rufus Crosby Kemper. The business grew to become UMB Bank, so while this historic bank building is now home to the Church of Scientology, it is located across the street from a branch of UMB Bank

16. The Kansas City Star Headquarters 1911-2017

The Kansas City Star is a major newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Established in 1880, the paper has been widely influential and achieved national recognition; it is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. Walt Disney delivered copies as a paper boy; Theodore Roosevelt wrote many columnns for it; Harry Truman and Ernest Hemingway were each briefly employed by it. This building was constructed as the paper’s company headquarters in 1911. It was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by noted Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt. After housing The Star for over a century, the paper sold the building in 2017 and moved into its Press Pavilion facility. Today plans are being made to develop the old headquarters building into office spaces and a data center.

17. R.O. Stenzel & Company Warehouse

Built in 1948, the R.O. Stenzel & Company Warehouse is an excellent example of the commercial distribution buildings erected in Kansas City after World War II. Designed by architects Kivett & Myers, it represents the architectural trends of the period such as simple masonry construction, light-colored veneer brick, minimal decoration, flat surfaces, banded windows, and loading bays. These features reflect the utilitarian, commercial purpose of the building. Today the the building is home to a branch of the CommunityAmerica Credit Union. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

18. Price Candy Building; Tom's Town Distillery

Now known as Tom Town's Distillery, named after Kansas City's infamous "Boss" mayor, Tom Pendergast, the building was built in 1908 and became the headquarter for the Price Candy Company. The wealth gained from the candy and chocolate business allowed them to live among the social elites. Charles Price II, son of the company's founder, married the heir to a food empire, befriended a future U.S. President, and enjoyed immense success in the private sector and as a U.S. diplomat.

19. Vitagraph Film Exchange Building

This building was completed in 1930 in an area of Kansas City known as Film Row due to the area's association with the movie industry. It is a good example of Art Deco architecture, which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s when Vitagraph was commissioned and built. While the building has been altered on the inside in order to be converted to office space, the outside still looks very similar to how it looked when the building was first built after Vitagraph was purchased by Warner Brothers.

20. Webster House, formerly the Webster School

This historic Kansas City school opened in 1886 and is one of the few remaining Richardson Romanesque buildings that remain in the city, thanks in part to the restoration work of philanthropist Shirley Bush Helzberg. The building was a school until 1932 and hosted a variety of businesses in the next four decades. The building fell into disrepair and was vacant from 1977 until the late 1990s when preservationists and civic leaders became concerned that the landmark structure was endangered. Helzberg financed the restoration of the structure which served as a restaurant and antique shop from 2002 to 2020. In 2021, plans were announced to convert the building to serve as the headquarters of the Kansas City Symphony with space for offices as well as recitals and educational programs.

21. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Building

Kansas City's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Building was constructed between 1929 and 1930 and is one of many buildings that supported major studios in an area of Kansas City once known as "Film Row." From the 1920s through the postwar era, Kansas City's Film row was part of a network of 32 "exchange centers" around the country that stored and distributed films. Other major film companies such as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, and 20th Century Fox operated from their own buildings in Film Row while smaller companies rented offices in neighboring structures. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Building is located on the west side of Film Row, which encompasses the area between Central Street and Baltimore Avenue and between 17th and 20th Streets.

22. Commonwealth Theaters Headquarters Building and Kansas City's Film Row

Kansas City's Film Row spanned four city blocks which included nearly twenty buildings that supported the production and distribution of films from Paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and many others. Today, Kansas City’s Film Row is known as the one of the “most intact Film Row districts” in the United States.

23. Paramount Pictures Building

During the 1920s and 1970s, this building and many others served the film industry by offering storage, distribution, and other services that connected tens of thousands of movie theaters to studios from Hollywood to New York. From the 1920s to the 1970s, Hollywood and the Crossroads Art District in Kansas City were connected through a series of buildings known as Film Row. Kansas City was an essential part of the vast entertainment distribution industry given its geography and position as a railroad hub.

24. TWA Corporate Headquarters Building (1956-1964)

This building served as the headquarters for Trans World Airlines (TWA) from 1956 until 1964. Once one of the leading airlines in the world, TWA was in business from 1930 to 2001. The company pioneered many aviation achievements such and was known for being the first to utilize the Lockheed Constellation. TWA’s presence in Kansas City up until the late 1960s was a boon for the city’s economic development, as was the company's flight attendant training school that operated in Kansas City from 1969 to 1988. The corporate headquarters building was the first major commercial structure built in the city in decades. It was notable for being constructed with prefabricated concrete and steel. Howard Hughes commissioned a 1/3 scale model of the Moonliner Rocket attraction TWA sponsored at Disneyland in the 1950s to be placed atop the building. In the early 2000s the building was restored to its original appearance, along with a replica of the Moonliner, and today it houses offices for a local advertising company. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

25. Kansas City Police Station Number 4 (Hemingway Building)

Completed in 1916, this former police station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and is now known as the Hemingway Building. It was built to add police presence in the neighborhood, which required protection since it had been growing in recent years, including the construction of Union Station four blocks to the south. Between 1917-1918, author Ernest Hemingway visited the police station in 1917-1918 when he was a reporter at the Kansas City Star newspaper. The building is named after him. It is also significant for its Mission Revival architecture, which was popular at the time and distinguished the station from the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood. Notable features include a Spanish-tile roof and arched dormers, windows with ornamental hoods, an entrance on the west end of the 19th Street facade with Doric columns and arched pediment, and a decorative cartouche above it. A studio and comedy theater occupy it today.

26. Columbia Building

Constructed in 1920 for the Columbia Graphophone and Dictaphone Company, this three-story brick building served as a regional office with a warehouse on the first level, a second-story showroom, and offices on the third level. The company was one of the "Big Three" in the phonograph business, a trio that included Victor and the company founded by Thomas Edison. The company only remained in Kansas City for eight years, and at this location for six. The company's decision to close this branch office and showroom was a reflection of the company's shift towards a primary focus on recording music which led to its evolution to Columbia Records in the years that followed. The building was one of many similar structures built in the warehouse district north of Union Station following its completion in 1914. Similar to several neighboring buildings in Kansas City's Crossroads District that were constructed to fit within existing streets and alleys, the Columbia Building is roughly triangular in shape. Known as the Greenstreet and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now home to loft apartments.

27. Safeway Stores Office and Warehouse Building

This historic building in the Kansas City Crossroads District was completed in 1929 for use as a warehouse and headquarters for the supermarket chain Safeway, once a major national chain that was founded in 1915. Designed by Kansas City architects Archer and Gloyd, the warehouse and company office space was built by J.H. Construction Company in 1929 in the commercial style that was popular in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. The building was acquired by the Kansas City department store Halls in 1953 and later developed into loft-style apartments, a change that reflects the building's proximity to downtown and the development of the Crossroads District into a popular destination for arts and entertainment.

28. Mid-America Arts Alliance

Located in a historic Crossroads building constructed as a beer warehouse by Tom Pedergast, this building has been home to the Mid-America Arts Alliance since 2004. MAAA was organized in 1972 by a group of civic arts leaders who wanted to provide access to visual, performing, and other arts experiences. The building now offers gallery space, while the organization offers a variety of services to support for area artists and arts organizations.

29. Opie Brush Building; Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art

For many years, this historic Crossroads building served as the headquarters of the J.W. Opie Brush Company, a manufacturer of street sweepers and janitorial supplies that was established in 1883. Since 1985, the building has been home to Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, a contemporary art gallery that has hosted over 100 solo arts hows for both established and mid-career artists. The gallery was established by Sherry Leedy who continues to serve as the museum director and curator.

30. Liquid Carbonic Company Building

Constructed in 1913, this historic building in Kansas City's Crossroads District was home to soda fountain manufacturer Liquid Carbonic Company until 1935. The six-story reinforced concrete building has a red brick veneer and served as the Kansas City branch office for the soda fountain manufacturer, offering a showroom, space for light manufacturing and warehouse space, as well as offices for regional salesmen. The company was founded by Jacob Baur, known as "the father of the soda fountain," and was one of about half a dozen providers of soda fountains in Kansas City and operated here until 1935 when the company moved to another location. Over the years, the building has held a variety of offices and businesses, including the Patricia Stevens Model & Talent Agency. In 2007, Charles Barnard purchased the building for two million dollars and began the process of restoration and repurposing the building which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994. The first floor is home to the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, a nonprofit established by Barnett Helzberg, Jr.in 1995. The top floor is a loft condominium while the remaining floors are home to a variety of businesses including Foot Traffic, a company owned by Barnard that specializes in making novelty socks.

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Kansas City Crossroads Walking Tour

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