Hotel Phillips

The Phillips House Hotel was Kansas City's tallest hotel when it opened in 1931, replacing the previous Glennon Hotel. Future President Harry S. Truman ran a men's clothing store at the hotel in its early years. The Great Depression was marked by job losses, construction slowdowns, bank failures, and other types of financial disorder throughout the country, yet downtown Kansas City enjoyed relatively consistent growth in the 1930s, partly as a result of the backroom deals organized by the city's political "boss," Tom Pendergast. Until his downfall, Pendergast used his connections and influence within the city's political system to keep taxes low (roughly half of other comparable cities) during the 1930s, primarily due to the fraudulent manner in which his city handled and recorded financial and political deals. While the immediate and long-term effects of Pendergast's actions harmed many residents, it also helped others and facilitated some of the construction projects in downtown Kansas City that included the construction of Hotel Phillips which was only one of several Kansas City skyscrapers built during the decade. Similar to this historic structure which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, many of Kansas City's historic downtown buildings from this era include detailed ornamentation and architectural details that reflect the connection between skilled labor and the city boosters who secured the votes of workers.

The process of building the hotel started in 1929 when Charles E. Phillips, president of the hotel company, commissioned the architectural firm of Boillot & Lauck to design the hotel. Hotel Phillips had several modern and elegant features, such as having a radio receiver in every room, which could broadcast music from any of Kansas City's four stations in operation in 1931. Meanwhile, sculptures, paintings, and other artwork could be found in the lobby and dining rooms, and black glass ceilings adorned the lobby to give an impression of space. Several dining rooms operated within the hotel, with the Pioneer Room as its largest. Indeed, the hotel used the Pioneer Room for large dinners and meetings as it could seat 300 people. The dining halls speak to the goal of the hotel's builders, who hoped to attract visitors from the city's successful convention business. 

Phillips did not own the hotel; he leased it from Louis Oppenstein of the Oppenstein Brothers Firm. The unusually long ninety-nine-year lease ran from January 22, 1929, to January 31, 2021. After Phillips died in 1955, the lease transferred to his three sons, Charles Jr., Robert L., and Richard, followed years later by Robert's two sons. But, the Philips Hotel finally closed in 1971. After the hotel ceased operating, the Oppenstein Firm decided to spend more than a year and a half, and $500,000, renovating and remodeling the hotel. In 1976, the Oppenstein Brothers Charitable Foundation gifted the hotel to Rockhurst College. The college continued to provide guest facilities in the hotel and used the facility to host evening courses and seminars. Still, low attendance and occupancy forced the college to sell the property in the fall of 1977. From the 1980s until the present, the hotel has been renovated twice and purchased by several national hotel chains such as Radisson, Marcus, Wyndham, and the Hilton.

Michalak, Joan L. "Nomination Form: Hotel Phillips." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 1979. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Hotel%20Phillips.pdf. 

"Hotel Phillips." Kansas City Public Library. kchistory.org. Accessed September 7, 2022. https://kchistory.org/image/hotel-phillips.

"Hotel Phillips." Rosin Preservation. Accessed September 7, 2022. https://rosinpreservation.com/portfolio_page/hotel-phillips/.

"A Rich History and Culture." Historic Kansas City. historickansascity.org. Accessed September 6, 2022. https://www.historickansascity.org/kansas-city/.

Roe, Jason. "Thomas Joseph Pendergast." Kansas City Public Library: Pendergast Years. pendergastkc.org. Accessed September 7, 2022. https://pendergastkc.org/article/biography/pendergast-thomas-joseph.