Katz Drug Store (1934-1971)

The largest drugstore in the world when it opened in 1934, this former flagship store of the Katz chain remains an iconic Westport landmark. The company was founded by brothers Mike and Ike Katz, who hailed from a small village in Ukraine. Their family immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the pair grew up selling goods along the railroads. Upon moving to Kansas City, the pair opened a fruit stand in the West Bottoms district and later expanded to operate two stores. In the next two decades, the company prospered, leading to the creation of this flagship store in the heart of the Great Depression that soon became a hub of the Westport neighborhood. The Katz chain offered everything from a pharmacy and soda fountain to home appliances and pet monkeys. This store operated as a Skaggs Drug Company operation following a 1971 merger, and this location eventually became an Osco owned by CVS Corp. In 2011, the property was bought by a church and was later acquired by Lux Living developers from St. Louis, Missouri. As of 2024, the company is transforming the building into an apartment complex while preserving many of the unique exterior features of the store, including the iconic clock tower.

The founders of the Katz chain, Mike and Ike, were born in the small Ukrainian village of Husiatin. The hardships of rural life wore on the Katz family, and while the brothers were still young, they immigrated to the United States. Ike settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, quickly abandoning school in favor of a sales career on the railroad. It would be these hardships that turned to opportunity that molded the young pair. 

By the turn of the century, the brothers decided to move from St. Paul to Kansas City, a crossroad of railroads where their experience selling products along the railroads would fit perfectly. With the West Bottoms district serving as the main transportation hub following the construction of the Hannibal Bridge, the development of the stockyards, and the expansion of the Union Depot brought many to the area. The Katz brothers started a fruit stand in the West Bottoms and found quick success. By 1914, the brothers decided to move operations nearer the new railroad station, Union Station by opening a store at 8th and Main along with one at 12th and McGee.

These stores would see a boom following World War One laws that went into effect. The first law was a heavy ten percent tax on tobacco products to fund the war. Rather than passing the tax onto the consumer as every other store did, the Katz Brothers had a different business model. “Katz pays the tax” became the new slogan for the store, making the price of cigarettes much cheaper than competitors. Customers flocked to the store and quickly came to appreciate the low prices. A federally imposed curfew in 1917 made it so that only drugstores were allowed to be open past 6 p.m. Naturally, the Katz Brothers hired a retired pharmacist and started filling prescriptions that year. This allowed customers to also have the convenience of buying cigarettes and other items past the federally imposed curfew, legally.

While the Great Depression hurt many retailers, Katz Drug Stores saw significant growth. Every store opened with a gala akin to a red carpet walk, full of glamor and hope. In 1934, this flagship store at Main Street and Westport Road was designed to be the modern hub for the company moving forward. The largest drugstore in the world, when it opened December 7th, was designed by Clarence Kivett to house everything a modern community hub should. This included more than just a soda fountain, lunch counter, and grocery aisles. One could expect modern features like air conditioning, a large selection of vinyl records, Katz-branded beer, home appliances, and even the occasional exotic pet for sale from alligators and baby monkeys. The Katz Brothers even sponsored the local baseball team in 1961. A decade later, Katz Brothers merged with Skaggs Drug Co., with over 65 stores in seven states.

After the merger, this location operated from 1971 to 1985 as a Skaggs drugstore until 1985, when Osco took over the premises. In these years, the novel features of Katz faded, and the shopping experience was similar to modern stores like CVS, which acquired Osco. The building became vacant in 2006, and the unique design and historic character of the building made the property of interest to residents of Kansas City. In 2011 Redeemer Fellowship church bought the property to use it as an artist incubator. In 2019, the property was listed for sale, and Historic Kansas City placed the location on their Most Endangered Places list that year. Local residents and preservationists hoped the building would be acquired by a company with plans to thoughtfully redevelop the property. Developers from Lux Living in Saint Louis, Missouri worked with Historic Kansas City to develop an apartment complex that preserved some of the exterior architecture including the iconic clocktower.

The Story of Katz Drug Stores, KC Yesterday. November 28th, 2023. Accessed July 22nd, 2024. https://kcyesterday.com/articles/katz-drug-stores.

Hine, Ellen. History of KC's iconic Katz drugstore building: What to know, KC Star. July 15th, 2021. Accessed July 22nd, 2024. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article252809668.html.

Swide, Joseph. Katz Drugs Store and the Kansas City Katz, Ebbets Field Flannels. October 27th, 2017. Accessed July 22nd, 2024. https://www.ebbets.com/blogs/news-and-history/kansas-city-katz.

Caracal, Celisa. Only a shell remains of Midtown's Katz Drug Store. Here's where the luxury apartment project stands, KCUR. September 10th, 2022. Accessed July 22nd, 2024. https://www.kcur.org/housing-development-section/2022-09-10/only-a-shell-remains-of-midtowns-katz-drug-store-heres-where-the-luxury-apartment-project-stands.

Katz Drug Store Redevelopment Proposal, Historic Kansas City. Accessed July 22nd, 2024. https://www.historickansascity.org/team/katz-drug-store-redevelopment-proposal/.

Calacal, Celisa. Some Kansas City residents want to halt the sale of the historic Katz Drug Store in midtown, January 27th, 2022. Accessed July 22nd, 2024. https://www.kcur.org/housing-development-section/2022-01-27/some-kansas-city-residents-want-to-halt-the-sale-of-the-historic-katz-drug-store-in-midtown.