On February 9, 1920, the City Council approved ambitious plans for the construction of Liberty Memorial south of Union Station. The Liberty Memorial Association, which initially consisted of 40 prominent citizens, envisioned a monument that would be among the world’s most spectacular memorials to World War I veterans. 

A patriotic fervor characterized Kansas City shortly after the Armistice on November 11, 1918. The war had claimed the lives of 441 Kansas Citians, and seemingly everyone wanted a memorial for their sacrifices. The City Council appointed the Liberty Memorial Association, led by lumber tycoon Robert Anderson Long, to investigate possible design, locations, and funding.

The largest question was whether the memorial would be a dedicated structure or a functional municipal building such as a stadium or art center. Unlike many cities or universities that chose to construct utilitarian buildings with the moniker “Memorial” as a name, the Liberty Memorial Association settled on a monument dedicated solely to the commemoration of the war. A single-purpose memorial could remain valued for perhaps centuries to come, whereas visitors to a civic building might eventually forget its memorial aspects.

Read the rest of the story at KCHistory.org.