Kansas City Club
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Club, founded in 1882 and located in the Library District of Downtown
Kansas City
, Missouri
, USA
, is the oldest existing gentlemen's club
in Missouri. The Club began admitting women members in 1975. Along with the River Club on nearby Quality Hill, it is one of two surviving private city clubs on the Missouri side of Kansas City. Notable members have included Presidents
Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower
, General Omar Bradley
, and political boss Tom Pendergast
.
courts, a racquetball
court, and wet and dry saunas. Along with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Pembroke Hill School, it is one of only three locations in Kansas City with squash facilities.
, most of Kansas City’s existing social clubs were pro-Confederate
. A group of progressive businessmen, professionals, and industrialists, including Edward H. Allen
, Alden J. Blethen
, Thomas B. Bullene
, Leander J. Talbott
, William Warner
, and Robert T. Van Horn
, decided to provide an alternative, and organized the Kansas City Club on November 10, 1882. Initially, the club met at Kersey Coates
's hotel on Quality Hill. In 1888, the club moved into its first clubhouse, a brick building at the corner of Twelfth and Wyandotte Streets.
In 1922, having absorbed several other clubs, and with a membership of more than 600, the club built a 14-story beaux arts clubhouse (the Kansas City Club Building
) at the corner of Thirteenth Street and Baltimore Avenue. The clubhouse included a large dining room, several bars, private meeting rooms, a banquet hall, athletic facilities, an indoor pool, six floors of guestrooms, an indoor pool, and a rooftop terrace. The club quickly grew and entered into reciprocal arrangements with many other prominent clubs worldwide. Membership was opened to women in 1977.
In 1987, the club had 2,180 members. By 2001, however, membership had dwindled to less than 900. The club blamed the drop in membership on the Tax Reform Act of 1986
, which made club dues non-deductible, as well as changes in culture that made young professionals less apt to join clubs. The clubhouse also needed upgrades to its facilities that cost between $5 million and $10 million.
Finally, effective July 31, 2001, the club agreed to merge with the University Club, a private club at the corner of Ninth Street and Baltimore Avenue, and purchase the University Club's facilities, which were smaller and cost only $1 million to upgrade. The merger also infused the Kansas City Club with the University Club's membership of 200. In 2002, a developer bought the Kansas City Club's 1922 building and turned it into loft apartments and a banquet hall, renaming it the Clubhouse on Baltimore.
Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is the oldest existing gentlemen's club
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in Missouri. The Club began admitting women members in 1975. Along with the River Club on nearby Quality Hill, it is one of two surviving private city clubs on the Missouri side of Kansas City. Notable members have included Presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Harry Truman and 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...
, General Omar Bradley
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
, and political boss Tom Pendergast
Tom Pendergast
Thomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as...
.
Clubhouse
The club is located at 918 Baltimore Avenue, the former home of the University Club from 1922 to 2001 (see below), at the corner of Ninth Street across from New York Life Building. The three-story clubhouse contains a dining room, a pub, a library, a cigar stand, banquet and meeting facilities, and full-service athletic facilities. The athletic facilities include a trainer, a masseuse, squashSquash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
courts, a racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
court, and wet and dry saunas. Along with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Pembroke Hill School, it is one of only three locations in Kansas City with squash facilities.
History
In the period after the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, most of Kansas City’s existing social clubs were pro-Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. A group of progressive businessmen, professionals, and industrialists, including Edward H. Allen
Edward H. Allen
Edward Herrick Allen was a Republican Kansas City Mayor in 1867.Allen was born in Danbury, Connecticut and claimed a Mayflower ancestry...
, Alden J. Blethen
Alden J. Blethen
Alden J. Blethen was editor in chief of the Seattle Daily Times from August 10, 1896 until his death...
, Thomas B. Bullene
Thomas B. Bullene
Thomas B. Bullene was mayor of Kansas City, Missouri in 1882.Bullene was born in Oswego County, New York. He was an owner of the Emery, Bird, Thayer & Co...
, Leander J. Talbott
Leander J. Talbott
Leander J. Talbott was a wealthy Missouri realtor and politician who served as Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, in 1884....
, William Warner
William Warner (Missouri)
William Warner was an American lawyer and politician from Kansas City, Missouri. He represented Missouri in both the U.S. House and Senate. He was mayor of Kansas City in 1871-72....
, and Robert T. Van Horn
Robert T. Van Horn
Robert Thompson Van Horn was a lawyer, the owner and publisher of the The Kansas City Enterprise, mayor of Kansas City, Missouri during the parts of the Civil War, member of the Missouri General Assembly, and representative to the Forty-seventh Congress of the United States.Born in East Mahoning...
, decided to provide an alternative, and organized the Kansas City Club on November 10, 1882. Initially, the club met at Kersey Coates
Kersey Coates
Kersey Coates was a Kansas City, Missouri businessman who developed Quality Hill, founded the Kansas City Board of Trade, and one of the businessmen who attracted the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad to the city....
's hotel on Quality Hill. In 1888, the club moved into its first clubhouse, a brick building at the corner of Twelfth and Wyandotte Streets.
In 1922, having absorbed several other clubs, and with a membership of more than 600, the club built a 14-story beaux arts clubhouse (the Kansas City Club Building
Kansas City Club Building
The Kansas City Club Building is a 15-story building in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, built in 1920. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002....
) at the corner of Thirteenth Street and Baltimore Avenue. The clubhouse included a large dining room, several bars, private meeting rooms, a banquet hall, athletic facilities, an indoor pool, six floors of guestrooms, an indoor pool, and a rooftop terrace. The club quickly grew and entered into reciprocal arrangements with many other prominent clubs worldwide. Membership was opened to women in 1977.
In 1987, the club had 2,180 members. By 2001, however, membership had dwindled to less than 900. The club blamed the drop in membership on the Tax Reform Act of 1986
Tax Reform Act of 1986
The U.S. Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to simplify the income tax code, broaden the tax base and eliminate many tax shelters and other preferences...
, which made club dues non-deductible, as well as changes in culture that made young professionals less apt to join clubs. The clubhouse also needed upgrades to its facilities that cost between $5 million and $10 million.
Finally, effective July 31, 2001, the club agreed to merge with the University Club, a private club at the corner of Ninth Street and Baltimore Avenue, and purchase the University Club's facilities, which were smaller and cost only $1 million to upgrade. The merger also infused the Kansas City Club with the University Club's membership of 200. In 2002, a developer bought the Kansas City Club's 1922 building and turned it into loft apartments and a banquet hall, renaming it the Clubhouse on Baltimore.
Notable members
- Edward H. AllenEdward H. AllenEdward Herrick Allen was a Republican Kansas City Mayor in 1867.Allen was born in Danbury, Connecticut and claimed a Mayflower ancestry...
, 10th Mayor of Kansas City (1867–68) - Richard L. BerkleyRichard L. BerkleyRichard L. Berkley served as mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., from 1979 to 1991.Although Kansas City mayors do not officially have political affiliations, Mayor Berkley was the first Republican mayor of the city since the 1920s...
, 50th Mayor of Kansas City (1979–91) - Alden J. BlethenAlden J. BlethenAlden J. Blethen was editor in chief of the Seattle Daily Times from August 10, 1896 until his death...
, newspaper publisher - Pasco Bowman, judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Arkansas* Western District of Arkansas...
- Omar BradleyOmar BradleyOmar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
, senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... - Thomas B. BulleneThomas B. BulleneThomas B. Bullene was mayor of Kansas City, Missouri in 1882.Bullene was born in Oswego County, New York. He was an owner of the Emery, Bird, Thayer & Co...
, owner of the Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods CompanyEmery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods CompanyEmery, Bird, Thayer & Company was a department store in Downtown Kansas City that traced its history nearly to the city's origins as Westport Landing....
, 22nd Mayor of Kansas City (1882–83) - Kersey CoatesKersey CoatesKersey Coates was a Kansas City, Missouri businessman who developed Quality Hill, founded the Kansas City Board of Trade, and one of the businessmen who attracted the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad to the city....
, early Kansas City hotel magnate - Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight 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...
, 34th President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
(1953–61) - Ewing KauffmanEwing KauffmanEwing Marion Kauffman was an American pharmaceutical magnate, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner....
, pharmaceutical magnate and owner of the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium... - Charles E. KearneyCharles E. KearneyCharles Esmond Kearney was the first president of the Kansas City and Cameron Railroad which as a subsidiary of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad and built the Hannibal Bridge establishing Kansas City, Missouri as the dominant city in the region.He was born in Ireland before emigrating to Texas...
, early railroad magnate - R. Crosby KemperR. Crosby KemperRufus Crosby Kemper Sr. transformed City Center Bank into UMB Financial Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri, during his tenure from 1919 to 1967....
, banker and philanthropist - R. Crosby Kemper Jr.R. Crosby Kemper Jr.R. Crosby Kemper, Jr. was born into an influential banking and railroading family in Kansas City, Missouri. His father was R. Crosby Kemper....
, banker and philanthropist - Tom PendergastTom PendergastThomas Joseph Pendergast controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri as a political boss. "Boss Tom" Pendergast gave workers jobs and helped elect politicians during the Great Depression, becoming wealthy in the process.-Early years:Thomas Joseph Pendergast, also known to close friends as...
, Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
political boss - Charles H. Price IICharles H. Price IICharles H. Price II is a prominent American businessman and former Ambassador of the United States.-Early life:Price was born to a prominent family in Kansas City, Missouri, who owned a local candy manufacturing firm, the Price Candy Company...
, businessman, U.S. Ambassador to BelgiumUnited States Ambassador to BelgiumIn 1832, shortly after the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium, the United States established diplomatic relations. Since that time, a long line of distinguished envoys have represented American interests in Belgium. These diplomats included men and women whose career paths would lead them to...
(1981–83), U.S. Ambassador to the United KingdomUnited States Ambassador to the United KingdomThe office of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom was traditionally, and still is very much so today due to the Special Relationship, the most prestigious position in the United States Foreign Service...
(1983–89) - Jack SteadmanJack SteadmanJack W. Steadman is the former chairman, vice president, president and general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League....
, former chairman, vice president, president, and general manager for the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... - Leander J. TalbottLeander J. TalbottLeander J. Talbott was a wealthy Missouri realtor and politician who served as Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, in 1884....
, realtor and politician, 24th Mayor of Kansas City (1884–85) - Joseph P. TeasdaleJoseph P. TeasdaleJoseph Patrick Teasdale is an American politician. He served as the 48th Governor of Missouri from 1977 to 1981. He is member of the Democratic Party....
, 48th Governor of Missouri (1977–81) - Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, 33rd President of the United States (1945–53) - Robert T. Van HornRobert T. Van HornRobert Thompson Van Horn was a lawyer, the owner and publisher of the The Kansas City Enterprise, mayor of Kansas City, Missouri during the parts of the Civil War, member of the Missouri General Assembly, and representative to the Forty-seventh Congress of the United States.Born in East Mahoning...
, lawyer and U.S. Representative - William WarnerWilliam Warner (Missouri)William Warner was an American lawyer and politician from Kansas City, Missouri. He represented Missouri in both the U.S. House and Senate. He was mayor of Kansas City in 1871-72....
, U.S. Senator and Representative - William L. WebsterWilliam L. WebsterWilliam L. Webster is a former American politician and convicted felon from Missouri.-Early life and career:William Webster is the son of the late Richard M. Webster, who was a prominent Missouri State Senator and Janet Webster. Webster was born and raised in Carthage, Missouri and was a graduate...
, 39th Missouri Attorney GeneralMissouri Attorney GeneralThe Office of the Missouri Attorney General was created in 1806 when Missouri was part of the Louisiana Territory. Missouri's first Constitution in 1820 provided for an appointed Attorney General, but since the 1865 Constitution, the Attorney General has been elected... - Charles Evans WhittakerCharles Evans WhittakerCharles Evans Whittaker was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1957 to 1962.-Early years:...
, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases... - David WysongDavid WysongDavid C. Wysong was a Kansas State Senator and a member of the Republican Party. He was first elected in 2004. He resigned in late 2009 and was replaced by Terrie Huntington....
, Kansas politician
See also
- List of American gentlemen's clubs
- Kansas City Athletic ClubKansas City Athletic ClubThe Kansas City Athletic Club is an athletic club and gentlemen's club in Kansas City, Kansas. Until 1997, it had been located across the Kansas River in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Notable members have included President Harry S. Truman and basketball coach Phog Allen.-Founding:The club was...
- Kansas City Country ClubKansas City Country ClubThe Kansas City Country Club, founded in 1896, is a country club in Mission Hills, Kansas, USA, an affluent suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. It is the club for which the Country Club District and the Country Club Plaza of Kansas City are named...
- Missouri Athletic ClubMissouri Athletic ClubThe Missouri Athletic Club , founded in 1903, is a traditional gentlemen's club and athletic club in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA, with a separate athletic campus in the St. Louis County suburb of Town and Country. The MAC awards the annual Hermann Trophy, the highest award in American...