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This photograph features City Hall in downtown Kansas City illuminated under an inky night sky. The building is located at 414 East 12th Street, Kansas City, Mo. The building is monumental and angular with an unmistakable air of bureaucracy. The building is the third city hall since the incorporation of the city of Kansas in 1853. Construction lasted for 22 months and the concrete was supplied by then-political boss Tom Pendergast. Its location has served as the city's center for government since 1937.
This image documents the immensity of debris left by the Great Flood of 1951. The vantage point appears to come from a western area looking eastward toward the West Bottoms as the original John Deere building located at 13th and Hickory Street can vaguely be seen in the distance. Taking up roughly three-quarters of the image foreground is a mess of barrels, wood, and sections of fencing and roofing. Aside from the bridge and the river itself, there appears to be no end to the expanse to the mass of debris in the photograph.
This beautifully framed enlarged reproduction print from the January 1910 edition of "Engineering News" is from an article entitled "A Comprehensive Sewer System for Kansas City, Mo." The article highlights the brief study of the needs and local conditions necessary for creating an outline for a comprehensive sewer system.
The chalk drawing depicted here highlights the spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois as it stands predominately in front of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The blue, green, and grey sky offer a soft contrast to the sharp angles of the museum while the legs of the spider seem to echo the sharpness.
While the date for this particular etagere is unknown, it is a very nice example of an etagere. Etageres would have been used to hold and display ornaments and bric-a-brac for show. This particular piece is a four tiered etagere made of brass, glass, and orange marble. The top two tiers have orange marble display shelves while the two lower tiers are made of six beveled glass pieces with three pieces of glass to each shelf. Acting as the body of the etagere, ornate floral and tassel brass elements juxtapose functional brass structural elements.
This pennant commemorates the First National Bank of Kansas City. Established in 1886 by Col. James Abernathy and James Lombard, the First National Bank was eventually housed in the building now utilized by the Kansas City Public Library's Central Branch. The Library pays homage to much of the Bank's original features and has dedicated a section of the first floor to the First National Bank Exhibition near One North. To the right of that exhibition is this bronze pennant, dedicated along with the exhibition by the Taylor S. and Patti H. Abernathy Charitable Trust.
This print illustrates a three-tiered fountain comprised of two simple bowls and receiving pool, each separated by shafts decorated with shell and floral motifs. The text across the bottom reads "Fountain Elevation" with a scale of 1"=1'-0". Stylized floral motifs adorn the corners of the print creating a border around the fountain that otherwise appears to hover alone in the drawings' atmosphere and ultimately emphasizes its ethereal nature.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
This bookcase stands tall with varying cabinet spaces and ornate carving detail. The lower third of the piece is a cabinet space enclosed by wooden doors. Thin oval wreaths adorn each of the doors. Above these doors are two drawers decorated with a simple swag. The upper portion of this piece is a three-shelved bookcase with glass doors, above which exists the same swag pattern. Four ornate lion heads are carved into the piece. Two are located on either side of the top of the glass doors with the other two located on either side of the drawers.
Asian influenced work, depicting sixteen upright attendants on a barge in the shape of a dragon. This appears to be a royal barge based on the use of the dragon and highly decorative aspects of the work. The dragon has a highly stylized gilded head dress, necklace, and gilded wings. The other color's decorating this mythical figure are green, white and red. The attendants displayed on the barge are wearing ceremonial regalia. The first figure, starting from the left, appears to be holding some type of gilded percussion instrument.
This hand-blown, diamond-shaped glass sculpture arrests attention with its royal blue hues and sharp metallic border. The pane sits in a V-shaped stand whose sharp angles serve to contain, yet enhance the fluid lines in the glass pane, compounding into a visually striking piece. Varying opacity in the glass manipulates light in such a way that the glass appears to be in motion, in the process of revealing something on the other side.
The slogan "Heat Up, Cool Down" with the quite literal image of a gushing fire hydrant ablaze provides an exciting visual representation of the improvisational characteristic common to the jazz musical genre. According to this poster, 1983 was a "hot" year for the Kansas City Jazz Festival featuring artists Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, George Benson, and Oscar Peterson. Events started August 27th and concluded September 4th with concerts, birthday parties, and luncheons every day.
Ide Collar Company of Troy NY, was a popular men's clothier in the early twentieth century. This print captures a store front that displays the wears of Ide Collar Company. Iconic to Kansas City is that this site is located at the haberdashery that was owned by Truman and Jacobson. Harry S. Truman and his friend, Eddie Jacobson owned a haberdashery at 104 W. 12th St., Kansas City, Missouri. The name of the store was the Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery, located at 12th and Baltimore (104 West 12th) Kansas City, Missouri.
The marble chair was dedicated to James M. Greenwood (1836-1914) by his wife. The original Kansas City Public Library building was constructed under Greenwood's direction and he was committed to making its services available to the public for the rest of his life. He served on the Kansas City Public School board as a superintendent for nearly four decades. Through his progressive programs and vision, Greenwood became highly regarded in educational spheres. Engraved in the back of the chair are the words: "A memorial to James M.
This film, set in 1930s Kansas City, features Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the wife of a petty thief named Johnny who gets abducted by a major KC mobster, Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte). In order to save her husband, Blondie abducts the wife of a prominent politician who is connected to the mob as leverage to free him. Conditions complicate as Blondie and the politician's wife, Carolyn Stilton (Miranda Richardson), befriend each other along the way.