During its early life as the Kansas City Museum, Corinthian Hall housed a large collection of stuffed animals in lifelike dioramas, and offered classes in taxidermy. The museum was a pioneer of natural history. Since then, the great majority of the preserved animals have been moved to larger institutions, and the mission of the Kansas City Museum has undergone a metamorphosis.
Corinthian Hall and the Kansas City Museum share a thread of change which began in 1934, shortly after lumber baron and philanthropist R.A. Long’s death. For the first time since its construction, the residence was not used as a home. An estate sale in that year emptied the mansion of most of its original furnishings. In 1939, Long’s daughters donated the estate to the Kansas City Museum, and renovations began immediately.
The alteration of many of the house’s rooms raises a quandary. How can the house best be used to illustrate Kansas City’s history — as a historic house or as an exhibition space? In 1959, the American Institute of Decorators “restored” the Louis XVI Salon, forgoing thorough research and cutting corners in the process. Missing elements were replaced with available, not necessarily historically accurate alternatives. These types of changes can create a false sense of history.
Changes like those in the Louis XVI Salon significantly lessened the value of Corinthian Hall as a “historic house” museum. The space created by opening up and combining rooms, though, has been vital to the creation and display of exhibitions. Now, the mansion is undergoing further renovations to bring it to modern standards of safety and comfort. This reconstruction has presented the museum’s administration with the opportunity to redesign and revive the exhibition areas.
Delving into Diversity
Since the first settlers arrived in Middle America, the Central Plains region has been a crossroads of cultures and languages. The first Europeans to enter the region, French Catholics, encountered a number of Native American tribes in the area, including the Cree, Sioux, Gros Ventres, Osage, and Kansaa tribes. Following the French, eastern European Jews and Christians, Germans, Irish, Chinese and newly-freed African slaves made their way to the Kansas City area.
The conflux was due in large part to Kansas City’s position on the California, Santa Fe, and Oregon trails, and the Missouri River. With so many settlers traveling through, many decided to stay and influence the richness and vibrancy of language, dress, food, and culture in the Kansas City area.
Despite such a diverse history, few Kansas City institutions address the topic in detail or depth. Emphasis at the Kansas City Museum is rightly on R.A. Long’s achievements, and the accomplishments of our pioneer forebears. However, as we plan for the future, it is incumbent on the Kansas City Museum to tell more of the stories of the diverse populations that have historically called Kansas City home.
A Modern Mission
In 2000, Kansas City Museum Association and the Union Station Assistance Corporation merged to form Union Station Kansas City, Inc., which now oversees the management of the Museum and care of the Collections. The marriage of these two historic Kansas City landmarks allows both to prosper in their shared missions of historic preservation and community accessibility.
The mission of the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Kansas City. We understand that knowing history is indispensable for individuals to connect with people and place, to develop pride and ambitions for their community and home – for Kansas City.