Kansas City Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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R. A. Long House
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The Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall
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 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3218 Gladstone Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri |
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| Area | 3-acre (12,000 m2) |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Henry F. Hoit |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002366 |
| Added to NRHP | November 14, 1980 |
The Kansas City Museum is located in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. In 1910, the site was built by lumber baron and civic leader Robert A. Long as his private family estate, with the four-story historic Beaux-Arts style mansion named Corinthian Hall. In 1940, the site was donated by Long's heirs to become a public museum. Seventy-five years later, it began extensive renovation.
Background
The 3-acre (12,000 m2) estate consists of Corinthian Hall, named for its Corinthian columns, and its outbuildings. Built for Robert A. Long and his family, this private residence was completed in 1910 for an estimated $1 million (equivalent to $31.4 million in 2022). It was designed by local architect Henry F. Hoit. The four-story mansion features 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2), with 24,292-square-foot (2,256.8 m2) of livable space, was the family residence until R.A. Long's death in 1934. Daughters Sally and Loula removed decorative items and architectural features from Corinthian Hall for installation in their own homes, and held a two-day auction in late 1934 to sell the remainder of the items. Then, the mansion sat empty and was for sale. Very little remained of the original furniture, and some rooms lost all architectural fabric. These changes lessened the value of the building as a "historic house". Still, the Longs' daughters donated the estate to the Kansas City Museum Association in 1939. In 1940, it was opened to the public as a history and science museum. Facing financial difficulties, the museum was deeded to the City of Kansas City, Missouri in 1948.
In the 1950s, the museum focused on display and interpretation of natural history. Early in 1951, taxidermy specimen displays expanded into the basement, along with mineralogical exhibits of fossils, rocks, and minerals. During its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, the museum housed hundreds of stuffed animals in lifelike dioramas and offered various presentations and classes in taxidermy. It featured a 50-seat planetarium, and a 1910-style soda fountain serving phosphates and ice cream.
By the 1970s, museum staff realized that the building was too small for its potential in local history and science and began to split it. Museum staff and civic leaders considered the newly empty Union Station as a potential site for a new science museum.
From 2005 to December 2013, the museum was managed by Union Station Kansas City, Inc., which maintains Union Station. In January 2008, the primary buildings of the museum—the residence and carriage house—closed for major renovations of roofing, masonry, art glass, energy efficient windows, elevator, and HVAC.
Since May 2014, the City of Kansas City and Missouri's Parks and Recreation Department operate and manage the Kansas City Museum.
