Platte County and Surrounding Area Driving Tour
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Description
This tour includes locations in Weston, Platte City, Parkville and the Kansas City International Airport.
1. Waddell "A" Truss Bridge in Parkville, Missouri
One of only two "A" truss bridges still standing in the U.S., Parkville's Waddell "A" Truss Bridge was constructed in 1898 as the Linn Branch Creek Bridge for the Quincy, Omaha, and Kansas City Railway. Now serving pedestrians, the bridge was converted from a railroad to a highway bridge in the 1950s and then moved in the 1980s to English Landing Park. The bridge is architecturally significant for a variety of reasons, including its connection to John Alexander Low Waddell, a master bridge builder who enjoyed an international reputation as a teacher of engineering. Wadell was also a practicing professional engineer and an author who designed Chicago's Elevated ("el") Train, California's Atlantic and Pacific Railway Bridge (1890) across the Colorado River, and the 1893 Missouri River Railroad Bridge in East Omaha. Wadell also designed bridges in Japan, Canada, Mexico, Russia, China, and New Zealand.
2. Kansas City International Airport
When Kansas City International Airport opened in 1972 at the former location of Mid-Continent Airport, it featured three curved terminals with gates that were only 75 feet from the roadway. With three runways and dozens of gates, along with the growth of Kansas City-based airlines like Braniff and TWA, residents were optimistic that their city would become one of the nation's largest airline hubs. Instead, the jet age made midwestern stopovers a thing of the past, and the airport's three terminals never reached their designed passenger capacity. With increased security measures, the once-convenient and car-centric three-terminal design proved untenable as it required multiple security checkpoints and passenger waiting areas. A new single terminal design was constructed between 2019 and 2023. The single terminal design eliminated the ability to "drive to your gate," a central selling point of the 1972 design. However, the new terminal makes it possible for travelers to move throughout the entire airport after passing through a central security checkpoint. The new terminal is also filled with work from local artists under the city's One Percent for Art program.
3. TWA Administrative Offices Building
Trans World Airlines (TWA) established its home in Kansas City during the 1930s, and the airline built its now-historic TWA Administrative Offices Building from 1968 to 1972 to use as its corporate headquarters. TWA, a leader in international travel and an airline giant in the 1960s and 1970s, constructed the building with the impression that Kansas City and its International Airport would experience robust growth. More than 2,000 people worked in the historic TWA Administrative Offices Building at the company’s peak, a time when TWA was Kansas City's largest employer and contributed roughly $200 million annually to the local economy.
4. History of Aviation in Kansas City
These four panels in the center of the concourse connecter share both the history of aviation in Kansas City and the history of the city itself. Each of the four panels incorporated historic photographs and media with text that offers a detailed introduction to each topic while being mindful of the traveler's time. Highlights of the exhibit on aviation include information about the indigenous and enslaved peoples who first inhabited this land, and the various airports and terminals that have served the city, along with historic airlines such as the iconic Trans World Airlines that was once headquartered in Kansas City.
5. I Spy Carry-On by Kati Toivanen
Taking inspiration from the visual riddles from the popular I Spy book series, local artist Kati Toivanen composed I Spy Carry-On which is located by Gate B52 by using items that could be found in a family’s carry-on luggage. Implementing a shadow-show approach, she placed the individual objects on vellum paper. She photographed them from underneath a light table before digitally arranging them into three collages. The intriguing visual compilations showcase everyday items, children's toys, and more, with additional objects paying homage to local culture. By creating three separate pieces, Toivanen alludes to the universal process by travelers and the continuous nature of carry-on luggage being X-rayed at an airport's security checkpoint.After coming to the United States from Finland, Kati Toivanen earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Art Institute of Chicago. As an active artist and educator, Toivanen has been the recipient of multiple grants, awards, and fellowships, has been featured in solo and group exhibits internationally, is the author of multiple publications, and is currently a Professor of Studio Art at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
6. Frederick Krause Mansion; Ben Ferrel Platte County Museum
Operated by the Platte County Historical Society, this local history museum is located within the Frederick Krause Mansion which was built in 1883. The elegant building is a fine example of Second Empire architecture and was meant to be a mini version of the Missouri governor's mansion. Frederick Krause, who was born in Prussia in 1837, operated a successful meat market in Platte City. The house was restored and visitors can tour it as well as view the museum's exhibits. The museum also offers events and also holds a local history archive. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
7. Platte County Courthouse
The Platte County Courthouse, built in 1866, replaced a small wooden structure (built in 1841) that burnt down during the Civil War. Another military-led burning of Platte City thwarted the town's attempt to rebuild the courthouse in 1864. The courthouse speaks to Platte City's rebirth after the war, which, in addition to the two major fires, included economic decline, strife between Union and Southern sympathizers, guerilla warfare, and more. The courthouse grew into a symbol of civic pride, but it also served a practical purpose, including ties to the Bonnie and Clyde gang and, possibly, Jesse James.
8. McCormick Distilling Company
This distillery is located on a limestone spring that was utilized by Native peoples and also explorers Lewis and Clark during their 1804 expedition. Recognizing the potential of the limestone springs to provide unique flavor, this area has long served as a center of whiskey production starting with the Holladay Distillery. Today, public tours are available that include the historic stillhouse where Ben Holladay first used the limestone spring water to make bourbon, along with the aging barrels.
9. Pleasant Ridge United Baptist Church
Pleasant Ridge United Baptist Church, Platte County's oldest Baptist church and one of the first three Baptist church buildings constructed in the county, was built in 1844 by a Missionary Baptist branch of the larger Hard-Shell Baptist denomination. Pleasant Ridge also stands among the oldest rural church buildings of all denominations in northwest Missouri. Its ridgetop setting adjacent to Pleasant Ridge Cemetery speaks to the church's significance within the community during the mid-nineteenth century. The cemetery is also the resting place of Mary Owens, a woman who declined Abraham Lincoln's marriage proposal.
