This bridge was dedicated in honor of Mamie Currie Hughes, a long-time leader in Kansas City dating back to her work during the civil rights movement. Serving in leadership roles in multiple different organizations, associations, and boards allowed her the ability to enact change in the community. Her expertise in community planning and development provided her with a chance to assist with the development of the 18th and Vine District. Her numerous accomplishments throughout her life demonstrated her determination and service-oriented nature. On top of everything, Mamie held that her biggest accomplishment was being a mother of five children, and holds the love that she receives from her family as the greatest honor she has received.
Located outside of Swope Park, in which the Starlight Theatre and the Kansas City Zoo are located, the Delbert J. Haff Circle Fountain and bust sculpture honors the man largely responsible for the city's park system today. Delbert J. Haff (1859-1943) was born in Michigan and eventually studied law and passed the Michigan bar in 1885. In Kansas City, he helped the park board resolve financial and legal difficulties during the 1890s. He would also lead the effort to enable the city to create a park and boulevard system and served as park commissioner from 1908-1912. The fountain and half circle were dedicated 1940. The bust sculpture was created by Jorgen Dreyer in 1913 but not installed until 1967 (until that point it was in storage).
Established in 1896, Swope Park was the second largest municipal park in the United States. Kansas City land developer and philanthropist Thomas H. “Colonel” Swope purchased 1,334 acres of land outside of city limits and donated it to the city for public use. It is perhaps the most prominent contribution to the City Beautiful Movement presented by George Kessler, known for designing Kansas City’s parks and boulevard system. The land featured a network of beautiful and historic corridors that shaped the park's development, as well as large wooded areas and a fine rock quarry. By 1910, the park included a golf course, picnic areas, a lake and lagoon, athletic amenities, and a bird and animal building that became the Kansas City Zoo. Over the years, more land was acquired, reaching a total of 1,805 acres. Today, Swope Park hosts nearly 2 million visitors annually and additionally offers a community garden, Starlight Theatre, the Lakeside Nature Center, and much more. The continual development of the park over the years has provided an economic stimulus to an otherwise underserved area.
Dedicated on July 5, 1915, with an attendance of nearly 90,000, the Loose Memorial Flagpole was gifted by Jacob Loose in memory of Thomas H. Swope. Originally 200 feet tall, the now 175-foot flagpole is accompanied by a rectangular marble base with four brass plaques that include the memorial’s dedication, lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a verse from the Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address. Both Loose and Swope were generous Kansas City philanthropists. As the largest individual landowner in the area at the time, Thomas Swope is known for the donation of the land for Swope Park in 1896 and General Hospital in 1905. Jacob Loose founded the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company in 1902 which created the Hydrox cookie. Loose also created the endowment for Children’s Mercy Hospital and established the Million Dollar Charity Fund Association.
On October 30, 1921, the American Legion Memorial II was dedicated during a multi-day celebration hosted by the American Legion 3rd National Convention. The American Legion Memorial Fountain and the site of Liberty Memorial were also dedicated during this time. This large marble monument was designed by architect G.B. Franklin and sculpted by Robert Merrell Gage. As depicted in its bas relief bronze panel, the memorial commemorates American soldiers serving in France during World War I.
Dedicated on May 29, 1927, the Alfred Benjamin Memorial symbolizes strength and weakness and honors Benjamin's contributions to humanity through charity. Alfred Benjamin (1859-1923) was a philanthropist, humanitarian, and active member in the Jewish community. In 1905, he became the president of United Jewish Charities and later organized the Jewish Educational Institute and the Alfred Benjamin Dispensary medical clinic, providing services for the indigent. The services and generosity provided by Benjamin throughout the years helped found other organizations known today as Hearts of America United Way, the Jewish Federation, Menorah Medical Center, and the Young Men’s Hebrew Association.
Set into a landscaped terrace near the west entrance of Starlight Theatre, this two-tiered fountain was installed in honor of the theater’s longtime supporters Kansas City Chiefs general manager Jack Steadman and his wife Martha. After growing up in Dallas, Texas, Jack helped establish the Dallas Texans football franchise before moving the team to Kansas City in 1963. In addition to serving in a variety of leadership roles with the Chiefs spanning four decades, Steadman was an advocate for the arts and a key contributor to several ventures. Jack Steadman served on many civic committees and boards, including Starlight Theatre for 43 years, where he championed substantial improvements. This fountain was dedicated on August 26, 1997.
Designed by notable architect Edward Buehler Delk and completed in 1951, Starlight Theatre is a 7,958 seat, open-air theatre located inside of Swope Park. The first performance was held in the summer of 1950 in a half-completed theater to commemorate Kansas City’s centennial anniversary. That event featured fireworks and a locomotive on stage, and with additional work, the theater officially opened to the public on June 25, 1951. The stage has primarily hosted Broadway, variety shows, and pop music concerts, and has seen performances and speeches by local luminaries such as Ewing Kauffman and President Harry Truman. Thanks to the support of local citizens, the venue has been well-maintained and improved over its seven decades and its leaders have supported a variety of initiatives to promote community involvement such as educational programs, an internship, and a scholarship. In 2013, Starlight was awarded the prestigious Venue Excellence Award and is one of only two self-producing outdoor theaters still remaining in the country.
Installed in 1996, the Shirley Bush Helzberg Garden of the Stars Fountain is located at the east entrance of Starlight Theatre. The fountain is dedicated to Shirley Bush Helzberg, known for being a civic leader, developer, and advocate for the arts, as well as the monumental impact on Kansas City with her husband Barnett Helzberg. With great advice from her mother, Shirley learned the importance of involvement and improving everything she touched. She has been recognized for her major contributions to Starlight Theatre, Kauffman Center for Performing Arts, the Kansas City Symphony, and much more.
With over 200 animal species on site, visitors of the Kansas City Zoo can experience an interactive journey around the world through this 202-acre nature sanctuary. Originally opening in 1909, the Swope Park Zoological Garden contained one building with 12 mammals, an eagle, and a few other birds. Steady improvements have been made throughout the years to increase the number of exhibits and currently houses over 1,700 animals. The Kansas City Zoo became a private non-profit organization in 2002, is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and takes part in several conservation efforts. They also offer an array of experiences, programs, and activities for visitors of all ages.
Situated at the edge of a parking lot near the Kansas City Zoo, Swope Park Shelter #5 is an unassuming building consisting of rough stone brick pillars supporting a shingled roof over six picnic tables. However, the unexciting appearance of Shelter #5 hides a history that is inextricably linked with the history of racism in Kansas City. For much of its existence, Swope Park was a segregated amenity, with Shelter #5 being the only park shelter that was available for use by the city's Black population. Though it is unclear where the name first developed, Shelter #5 and the surrounding grassy area garnered the nickname "Watermelon Hill". For better or for worse, this divisive moniker became a lasting memory for many African-American people, making Swope Park Shelter #5 an indelible part of the Kansas City landscape.
Located inside the Kansas City Zoo on the Tiger Trail near the Red Panda exhibit, the Harry Evans Minty Memorial Fountain is an actively working drinking fountain first installed in 1965. Minty made a career in insurance and was a member and leader of many local organizations. Most notably, he was on the Park Board of Commissioners from 1942 to 1948 and worked to restore the Board’s business while keeping politics at bay after the fall of Tom Pendergast’s notorious political machine. Mr. Minty’s daughter Harriet donated the drinking fountain which features a bronze sculpture of one of her fathers favorite zoo animals, a lion cub named “Tyke,” on a corrugated, cylindrical concrete base. It was originally placed near the African Veldt and dedicated on October 19, 1967, then relocated in 1977 following the opening of the Great Catwalk exhibit.
Throughout its eighty years of operation, the Swope Park Pool has been a long-term staple of the area. Situated just to the north of the lagoon, the pool was built in 1941. Surrounded by a stone wall with a southward-facing gate and locker room building, the facility consists of a 105 by 60-foot swimming pool with a deeper diving pool to the west and a splash/wading area to the east for younger children. Though the basic structure has not changed over the course of the pool's lifetime, it played host to an important element of the growth of racial equality in the Kansas City area. The pool was closed from August 2, 1951 to June 12, 1954 as part of a legal battle to desegregate the pool. Once this goal was achieved, Swope Park Pool continued to serve the surrounding neighborhoods for the next sixty-seven years. Unfortunately, the pool did not open at the start of the 2022 season, with the city citing concerns over the advanced age of the facility. Though plans have been floated to repair and update the pool, as of now, the future of this Swope Park fixture remains uncertain.
This granite memorial serves as a mausoleum for Thomas Hunton Swope and honors his gift of over 1300 acres to Kansas City in 1896. The gift allowed for the creation of Swope Park, which was the second-largest municipal park in the United States at that time. Kansas City philanthropist Thomas H. Swope was held in such high regard, that following his death on October 3, 1909, businesses and schools closed so that families could pay their respects and his body lay in state in the rotunda of the Kansas City Public Library which was located at 8th and Oak Street. Swope's remains were placed in a vault until this mausoleum was completed and his remains were interned here on April 8, 1918. The memorial rests on top of a hill, surrounded by and overlooking the natural beauty of the park which is home to the Kansas City Zoo, Starlight Theater, a municipal pool, golf course, and a variety of nature trails and recreational fields.
Sprawling over the easternmost section of Swope Park, the Swope Memorial Golf Course is one of the most prominent fixtures of Swope Park since its construction in 1934. Designed by renowned golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast, the course boasts eighteen holes, complete with hazards and other trappings, nestled among the trees of Swope Park to the east of the Kansas City Zoo. The course is considered to be one of the best in the Kansas City area, having hosted the 1949 PGA Kansas City Open and numerous smaller events over the decades. However, Swope Memorial Golf Course has a far more important story to tell. In March of 1950, four Black men played a round of golf here, during a time when Swope Park was heavily segregated. Through this spark of non-violent resistance to injustice, Reuben Benton, George Johnson, Leroy Doty and Sylvester "Pat" Johnson were the driving force behind the eventual desegregation of golf facilities in Kansas City. Despite this victory, however, Swope Memorial eventually fell victim to slow decay brought on by the migration of urban dwellers draining out to the suburbs, though repair efforts in the early 2000s have restored both this course and the nearby Heart of America Golf Course to their former glory. Today, this course continues to serve the golfing community of the Kansas City area, while simultaneously paying a silent tribute to the four men who took a metaphorical (and literal) swing at the inequality of the 1950s.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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This short drive starts at the bridge dedicated in honor of local leader Mamie Hughes and includes numerous landmarks throughout Swope Park, including several fountains and monuments. The driving tour also offers a way to explore the history of several Kansas City institutions such as Starlight Theatre and the Kansas City Zoo.
