Hard Hat Happy Hour Tours at the KC Museum: First Thursday of Every Month
2011: February 3; March 3; April 7| 5-7 p.m. | $5/ea |
Kansas City parents are invited to explore Kansas City Museum’s exquisite 100+ year old mansion home, Corinthian Hall, with a glass of wine and guide Museum Director Christopher Leitch, at Kansas City Museum’s Hard Hat Happy Hour. You’ll see Corinthian Hall in mid-renovation, the bare interior of the building exposed for the first time in decades. Examine 100 year-old craftsmanship and hear first-hand about plans for the grand mansion’s future, for only $5! Purchase KC Museum Event tickets here.
The Tour:
In January, my husband and I took the KC Museum Hard Hat Tour. Growing up in Kansas City, with many childhood memories at the museum, from phosphates at the soda shoppe with my grandparents to school field trips through the museum of natural history and my first planetarium show, it was incredible to tour the now gutted mansion and see what was and what is to come firsthand.
The tour is led by Christopher Leitch, Director of the KC Museum, and his passion for the project is evident in each story he shares. Corinthian Hall, once home to the Long family of Kansas City, is an exquisite mansion in Northeast Kansas City that has been serving as the city's historic museum for decades.
The Long family came to Kansas City in 1891. Robert Long, his wife Ella, and their daughters Loula and Sallie moved into a beautiful home on Independence Avenue, then one of the wealthiest parts of town. Robert quickly established himself as a successful businessman, building a flourishing lumber business and eventually owning over fifty lumberyards. The family became one of the most influential families in Kansas City. Long was responsible for the construction of Kansas City's first skyscraper, the fourteen story R.A. Long Building, and with the influence of J.C. Nichols, developed the Longview residential community. In 1907, the family began construction on what is now known as Corithian Hall. Seeking to build a home that reflected their status in society, and an adjoining stable to accommodate daughter Loula's passion for prize winning horses, the seventy-room stone mansion was constructed with detail and charm.
Long was one of the most influential Kansas Citians of the 20th century with his most notable project being the construction of a monument to WWI at Liberty Memorial. Long was responsible for a fundraising drive collecting $50,000 more than its $2 million goal in just ten days. Today, the legacy of the Long family can be found throughout Kansas City at her landmarks and historic sites.
The tour of the property includes the stables and the home, where visitors learn about the family who lived there and the 20+ servants who worked for them. The mansion, once a home, later a museum, reveals layers upon layers of history. Exquisite ceilings, windows, and fixtures are being, or have recently been, beautifully restored. The best view on the tour is a peak outside from the second floor windows at the Kansas City night skyline.
As Leitch shares the history of the home, he also reveals the plans for the future. Many rooms will be newly designed to accommodate a modern history museum telling the story of Kansas City through thousands upon thousands of artifacts in the museum's collection (most of which is currently preserved in the caves). The vision for the future is a museum for all ages that will keep families coming back for more. Exhibits and programs will be interactive and educational creating new memories and teaching lessons to the next generation of Kansas City kids. And we just have a few more years to wait for the unveiling. In the mean time, it's exciting to take a behind the scenes tour for a sneak peek of what is to come!
KC Museum Hard Hat Tour Photo Gallery: You must have a Shockwave Media Player installed to view.