American Hereford Association
Encyclopedia
Hereford (cattle)
Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...
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It was founded in 1883 and operated out of the home of Charles Gudgel in Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
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In 1899 it hosted the Hereford Association Cattle Show in a tent in the Kansas City stockyards
Kansas City Stockyards
The Kansas City Stockyards in the West Bottoms west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri flourished from 1871 until closing in 1991.Jay B. Dillingham was the President of the stockyards from the 1948 to its closing in 1991.-History:...
. The show was to evolve into the American Royal
American Royal
The American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri is a livestock show, horse show and rodeo held each year in October and November at Kemper Arena. The Future Farmers of America was founded during the Royal and Kansas City's professional baseball team the Kansas City Royals derive their name from the...
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From 1919 to 1953 its headquarters was at 300 W. 11th Street in Kansas City across the street from the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (Kansas City, Missouri)
The Lyric Theatre is a theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.The four and half-story structure designed by Owen Saylor and Payson opened on December 18, 1926 as the Ararat Shrine Temple. It cost the Shriners $1 million and had a seating capacity of 3,000...
. On October 16, 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
presided over the opening of a new headquarters on Quality Hill
Quality Hill
Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, situated on a 200-foot-high bluff which overlooks the confluence of the Kansas River and Missouri River in the West Bottoms below....
in Kansas City overlooking the stockyards and the West Bottoms
West Bottoms
The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one of the oldest areas of the city....
http://www.rbgilbert.com/log/ronslog005.html. The headquarters at 715 Kirk Drive included a famous restaurant but its most distinctive feature was fiberglass statue of a hereford bull on a 90-foot pylon which became a landmark.
The bull was nicknamed "Bob" by locals ("Bull on Building") and was either loved as an icon or reviled as kitsch that detracted from the city's beauty. The statue's sculptor was Paul Decker with the firm Rochetti and Parzini of New York, New York and it was fabricated at Colonial Plastic Corporation of Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
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In 1995 the Association merged with the American Polled Hereford Association.
In 1997 the Association moved a few way blocks away to 1501 Wyandotte and its headquarters were sold to the HNTB
HNTB
HNTB Corporation is an architecture and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri that has designed many bridges, roadways, airports and professional sports stadiums across the United States and around the world.The firm started in 1914 as Harrington, Howard & Ash...
architecture firm which took down the bull. In 2002 the bull was restored to 60-foot pylon across I-35 in Mulkey Square.