Public Library Building

Public library, William Rockhill Nelson, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City Museum of History and Science, 10th Street

 

 

Ninth Street in Kansas City was a major artery at the end of the 19th century. The growing metropolis demanded an outlet for cultural and intellectual development. Thus, the library’s construction at 500 E. 9th St. began in 1895 and was completed in 1897. Texas granite, 36 inches thick, formed the ground story, and the Second Renaissance Revival style structure boasted nine chimney stacks, Ionic and Doric columns throughout, and an impressive marble fireplace in the rotunda on the main floor. Though designated a rotunda by the architects (Hackney and Smith), the area is neither a dome – or even round!  An addition to the building in 1917 literally doubled the floor space, and even more extensive remodeling in the 1930s made it a state-of-the-art institution. The structure itself is fireproof and even contained a ventilation system to blow hot or cool air as needed. The library was not only a leader in modern construction, but other areas as well. The Kansas City Public Library was possibly the very first in the entire country to add a children’s installment. The library fostered what would later become impressive and integral institutions in the city: The Nelson Atkins Art Gallery and the Kansas City Museum of History and Science.

 

William Rockhill Nelson donated a small art collection to this library, where it remained on display until it relocated to the Nelson estate, which turned into the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum.  In the 1960s, the library outgrew itself and relocated to12th and McGee; and then again to its final location on West 10th Street where it still thrives today.