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.

Kansas City Public Schools was established in 1867. Early on, the city's only school buildings were simple frame or brick buildings with few classrooms, narrow hallways and staircases, and few windows. They were also unstable, often built in precarious places like on hills or in ravines. As a result, in the 1870s and 1880s, KCPS built the first generation of permanent public school buildings: Irving, Switzer, Hamilton, and Webster. Webster was built in 1885, making it one of the oldest still-standing public school buildings in Kansas City. It is likely that the school was named for statesman Daniel Webster, although it was possible Noah Webster, the lexicographer, was another inspiration.

The public approved $60,000 in school bonds in 1885. Just two weeks later, the school board bought land from A.A. Whipple, cashier of the Citizen's National Bank, for $6,000. The carpenter was Charles B. Mumma, who was part of the partnership Mumma & Wood and was better known for building "modern theatrical stagework." Previously, when building schools, the district hired individual local architects for each project, but the one responsible for Webster was Manuel Diaz, who was appointed in 1884 as the first official school board architect. For this building, Diaz chose a Victorian style with Italianate elements, also called Richardson Romanesque. This gave it a unique structure not seen in later KCPS schools, which were often designed to be larger and simpler in shape and ornamentation. Diaz worked for the board until 1887, and he was also responsible for the "new Central school" and the Jefferson, Garfield, Bryant, and Adams schools. The board architect after this was William Hackney, who expanded Webster when its student body grew.

The Webster School was part of the KCPS for 45 years. The neighborhood it served primarily consisted of working-class people who lived in area homes and apartments and worked in commercial buildings nearby. However, the makeup of the area changed over time as Kansas City's population began to concentrate further south and in the suburbs, and larger businesses replaced the smaller ones that had previously dominated the neighborhood. The population dwindled, and Webster School closed in 1932. After lying empty for six years, it began a new life under a string of various owners and renters. The building was leased in the 1930s to the State of Missouri for Social Security Offices. From 1945 onward, it housed Midland Radio School. In 1978, the Historic Kansas City Foundation acquired it and enacted measures to ensure its preservation even after it was sold again.

In the 1990s, preservationists and local organizations became concerned about the school building's future. Around this time, many school buildings across Kansas City were being declared surplus. If they were too expensive to be renovated, KCPS and the City of Kansas City often opted to tear them down. local entrepreneur and philanthropist Shirley Bush Helzberg painstakingly restored the building, which was likely not an easy undertaking due to its age. As of 2021, the Kansas City Symphony has plans to make the building its new headquarters.

Webster School building to be KC Symphony’s new headquarters, Kansas city Symphony . March 5th, 2021. Accessed August 26th, 2022. https://www.kcsymphony.org/2021/03/05/webster-school-building-to-be-kc-symphonys-new-headquarters/#:~:text=Webster%20School%20opened%20in%201886,building%20and%20opened%20Webster%20House..

Michalak, Joan L.. Webster School - National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form , Missouri State Parks. March 1st, 1981. Accessed April 12th, 2024. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Webster%20School.pdf.

The Landmarks Commission of Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City Public Schools Survey (Pre 1940) - Final Report, Missouri State Parks. October 1st, 1989. Accessed April 11th, 2024. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Pre-1940s%20Public%20Schools%20Report.pdf.

Rosin, Elizabeth and Rachel Nugent. Kansas City Missouri School District Pre-1970 - National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, Missouri State Parks. June 22nd, 2012. Accessed April 11th, 2024. https://www.mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/HistoricResources_Kansas-City-Missouri_School-District_Pre-1970.pdf.