In The Loop: August 2023
Your connection to Downtown Kansas City
Hard to believe that in the midst of these 100-degree days, summer will soon be over. Yes, students from all over will be returning to their schools and colleges, and that includes our incredible summer staffer Hannah Schuh, who will be returning to the University of Missouri in Columbia in a few weeks.
In this last issue of her second summer tour with The Loop, Hannah shares the history and beauty of the Stevens House, located right across the street from the Kansas City Museum in the Historic Northeast neighborhood.
Thanks for all your good work, Hannah, and best of luck at school!
And now, on to the The Loop….
No prizes or praises (for now), just a trivia question to test your Downtown knowledge….
Q. True or not, many people know the legend that “Possum Trot” was a name once considered for our town before the “Town of Kansas” was chosen (eventually becoming Kansas City, of course). What was the other animal-themed name that was allegedly considered for our town back in the 1830s?
A. See the answer near the bottom of this issue.
1916: Professor Spalding dies at 81
Business educator James F. Spalding died at his home at 2305 Tracy on August 17, 1916. Spalding came to Kansas City from Michigan in 1865 and soon founded Spalding’s Business College (later, Spalding’s Commercial College) with his father, E.H. Spalding. Beginning with only 7 pupils in that first year, the school had served more than 30,000 students by the time J.F. Spalding had died in 1916. Among those students? Harry Truman. Among the buildings that housed Spalding classes were the New York Life Building and the Spalding Building at 10th and Oak, both still standing.
1920: Dr. Ramos, Kansas City pioneer, born in Boston
John Francis Ramos, Jr., the first black member of the Kansas City School Board, was born this month in Boston in 1920. Dr. Ramos had previously made local history when he became the first black physician in Kansas City to pass a specialty board exam, becoming certified by the American Board of Radiology in 1950.
As a member of the school board, Dr. Ramos was particularly interested in the library and library development and in 1971, the year after his death, the school board named its black history archives the “John F. Ramos, Jr. Collection.”
1938: Baltimore Hotel, “the heart of the city,” closes
After nearly 40 years in Downtown Kansas City, the Baltimore Hotel shut down on Aug. 6, 1938. Called the “the grand hotel for three decades at the heart of the city, both physically and sentimentally,” by architect Henry Van Brunt (although he didn’t design it; Louis Curtiss did), The Baltimore was a point of pride in Kansas City for years. When it opened in 1899, it was one of the two largest hotels in the United States outside of New York. It was designed by Curtiss to be fireproof by using brick, marble, terra cotta, and cement throughout. Its Pompeian dining room could seat up to 700 people, and featured themed entertainment. And in 1915, the hotel became air-conditioned, the first to do so in the city.
Underneath Baltimore Avenue and 11th Street, a Curtiss-designed tunnel ran diagonally between the hotel and the Willis Wood Theater, which was located on the northwest corner of the intersection. Men, and men only, who attended shows at the theater could use the tunnel to imbibe at the hotel’s Heidelberg Room, a bar popular with the gentlemen during intermissions (it wasn’t appropriate at the time for women to drink publicly). If the weather turned bad, however, women could use the tunnel to avoid a storm and rush to horse-drawn carriages awaiting them at the hotel. When a fire in 1917 destroyed the theater, the tunnel was sealed off.
When newer hotels, particularly the nearby Muehlebach Hotel, were built, the Baltimore lost favor and suffered financially. The once grand hotel closed in 1938 and was razed the next year. Eventually, the site of the Baltimore Hotel would become City Center Square, now known as the Lightwell building.
The Historic Northeast’s Stevens House
Story and photos by Hannah Schuh
After serving in the Union Army as a Captain of the 86th Ohio Infantry in the Civil War, Edward A. Stevens moved to Kansas City to practice law. He made his fortune in commercial real estate: his land holdings ended up being much of the property between Broadway and Walnut where downtown proper is now located.
In 1902 he built his dream house, today known as the Stevens House, but died only 36 days after moving in, leaving the property to his wife Ellen and his two children. In 1908 Ellen was approached by her across-the-street neighbor, Robert A. Long — the wealthiest lumber baron in the world — who wanted to buy the Stevens House property and demolish it so he could expand his garden view across from the Longs’ Corinthian Hall mansion. Ellen refused to sell the property, even when Long offered to relocate the house rather than demolish it.
Thus, Long built his gardens on only half the space that he had hoped, and had the landscape designed in such a way as to obscure the Stevens’ view of his French-style grounds.
Thanks to Ellen’s dedication to maintaining her husband’s dream home, the Stevens House in the Historic Northeast neighborhood still stands today. In fact, owners Jeff Linville and Jeff Zumsteg have updated the house to stay true to much of the original house, enough so to get the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A decade and a half ago, Atlanta-based Zumsteg fell in love with the Stevens House when he saw the residence for sale online. However, before he could initiate a purchase offer, the listing disappeared from the website, so he assumed that it had sold. It wasn’t until half a year later, when he returned to his native state for the University of Missouri’s homecoming events in Columbia that he happened to stop by the neighborhood just east of Downtown Kansas City.
“I was looking at two other homes in this neighborhood. I really liked the neighborhood, but the homes didn't really hit me. I drove by and was like, ‘that's the house I saw back in January’. It had a big orange sticker on the window that said ‘foreclosure’. I'm like, ‘this is my house’.”
After now having lived in the Stevens House for 15 years, Linville and Zumsteg couldn’t be happier with the historic residence.
“I always had in my mind what I wanted in an old home, and that's what I found. It checked everything. I always wanted the columns, I always wanted a wrap-around drive, I wanted the carriage house that matched the house, wanted the split double waterfall staircases, I could go on and on,” said Zumsteg.
Linville added, “You can’t find that outside the Downtown area. Can't find them like that anymore.”
TOURING THE STEVENS HOUSE: FIRST FLOOR
Grand Reception Hall
Upon entering the Stevens House, visitors step into the Grand Reception Hall. The double waterfall staircases were intentionally built with a more gradual step, allowing ladies to descend the grand staircase more gracefully. An intricate stained-glass window depicts what is believed to be the Stevens’ daughter, Aileen, created in the form of a multi-talented goddess.
Gentleman’s Parlor
Originally the gentleman’s smoking lounge, this parlor now serves as a sitting room featuring authentic German Black Forest walnut chairs from the 1850s.
Music Room (Parlor)
Mirroring the gentleman’s parlor, the ladies’ parlor can be found on the east side of the great hall. A 1902 Chickering concert grand piano and pump organ can be found, as well as the original chairs used by the Stevens in that room, gifted to the current owners by the Stevens family.
Formal Dining Room
The dining room is accessed through the music room, and holds two sets of tall French doors that connect to the verandah. Both parlors and the dining room have the original butler call buttons in the floorboards.
Verandah Porch
The verandah was originally designed as an open-air porch, with screening added in the mid-1990s.
Kitchen
This modern kitchen was once five separate rooms, including the butler’s pantry and a storage pantry. Due to many updates overtime, most of the original kitchen rooms were lost and combined to create the modern kitchen used today. However, burn marks from the original coal-burning stove and the original ice truck window remain today.
TOURING THE STEVENS HOUSE: SECOND FLOOR
Bedrooms
Today, six rooms in the Stevens House are furnished as bedrooms (the house, built primarily for entertaining, originally included only three bedrooms). Every bedroom is decorated differently, but each features its own original fireplace and walk-in closet. The master suite consists of a sitting room that connects to what were originally — a remnant of Victorian times — separate lady’s and gentleman’s bedrooms.
Portico
A portico is accessible from the master sitting room that overlooks the front of the house. Currently the couple hang a Ukrainian flag from the balcony, although Zumsteg has a wide-ranging collection of flags that he rotates throughout the seasons and years.
Bathrooms
The Stevens House contains five bathrooms, many of which still utilize the original skirted cast-iron bathtubs and ceramic tile walls. They were built with hot and cold running water, as well as dual-fuel electric and gas lighting.
TOURING THE STEVENS HOUSE: THIRD FLOOR
Ballroom
Although the ballroom’s original prep kitchen has been removed, the musician’s stage still stands. The room also features a 7’ x 6’ mural painted by Kansas City artist Daniel MacMorris, which was gifted to the current owners by Arthur Church, husband to Virginia Church, the great granddaughter of Ellen Stevens.
TOURING THE STEVENS HOUSE: BASEMENT
Original Servants’ Bathroom
In the basement you’ll find the original servants’ bathroom, updated to use modern plumbing and electrical wiring.
Speakeasy
Although it was not a part of the original floorplan, Zumsteg and Linville have added a “speakeasy” to the basement, complete with a door latch on the front door and a “second way out” that leads to a secret billiards room.
TOURING THE STEVENS HOUSE: OUTSIDE
Carriage House
Now used as a garage and for storage, the carriage house was one of the first (and few) in the city to be built for both horses and automobiles. It is said that the Stevens brought the first steamer car to Kansas City when they moved here in 1902.
Traditional Garden
As mentioned previously, Ellen Stevens was successful in staving off pressure from lumber baron R.A. Long to sell her home so that he could demolish the Stevens House and build his gardens on the entire block across from his mansion. Instead, Long was forced to design a smaller garden in the lot next door. Ironically, Zumsteg was able to purchase that lot in 2011 and claim the land for the Stevens House — on which he and Linville built their own traditional gardens.
The Stevens House and adjacent gardens are a part of a private residence, but Linville and Zumsteg occasionally host fundraising and neighborhood events, and have even auctioned off parties in the speakeasy for their college alumni association.
1936
Who are all these people?
Answering the question “Who are all these people and where are they going?”, The Loop brings you a list of some of the biggest events happening Downtown each week. Please give a friendly Downtown-Kansas City welcome to audiences and attendees of….
JULY
TODAY (July 30)
Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience, July 30 at the Midland
AUGUST
1st - 5th
The Front Bottoms, Aug. 2 at Grinders KC
Susan Casey - The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean, Aug. 3 at Kauffman Center
PBR KC Outlaw Days, Aug. 3-5 at T-Mobile Center
Miller Lite Hot Country LNights: Pecos & The Rooftops, Aug. 3 and KC Live! Block
First Friday, Aug. 4 in the Crossroads Arts District
Ween, Aug. 4 at Grinders KC
Paramount, Aug. 4 at KC Live! Block
Matilda the Musical, Aug. 4-5 at Kauffman Center
6th - 12th
Pod Meets World Live, Aug. 6 at the Midland
RuPaul’s Drag Race, Aug. 9 at the Midland
Blues Traveler Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Aug. 10 at Grinders KC
Yoga presented by Premier Partner Saint Luke’s Health System, Aug. 12 at Kauffman Center
13th - 19th
Lee’s Summit Symphony 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert America Meets Paris, Aug. 13 at Kauffman Center
Miller Lite Hot Country Nights: Dylan Scott, Aug. 17 at KC Live! Block
Sylvan Esso, Aug. 18 at the Midland
Trey Kennedy, Aug. 19 at the Midland
20th - 26th
Jelly Roll, Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Center
The Floozies: Funk Street 8, Aug. 26 at Grinders KC
Coors Light Block Party: Taking Back Sunday, Aug. 26 at KC Live! Block
27th - 31st
The Chicks, Aug. 29 at T-Mobile Center
Zach Bryan, Aug. 30 at T-Mobile Center
For a more exhaustive list of everything happening Downtown, go to the VisitKC events page and use the “regions” function to search for Downtown, Westside/Southwest Blvd, West Bottoms, River Market, Power & Light, Crown Center, Crossroads, 18th & Vine — or anywhere you want to go in the KC Metro
For live Kansas City Jazz performances, visit LiveJazzKC.com
Q. True or not, many people know the legend that “Possum Trot” was a name once considered for our town before the “Town of Kansas” was chosen (eventually becoming Kansas City, of course). What was the other animal-themed name that was allegedly considered for our town back in the 1830s?
A. Rabbitville
Did you see this week’s question, quiz, or poll? If not, your chance to chime in is here.
Write to: tips@kcdowntownloop.com or contact The Loop via social media
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