Rooted In KC: The Kansas City Museum displays four floors of exhibits on local history for free in Corinthian Hall

While taking a trip to a museum seems more like an elementary school field trip than a Saturday afternoon activity, I’ve found one that’s worth giving up a few hours of my shopping at Target. At Gladstone Blvd in Downtown KC lies the Kansas City Museum — a four-floor, 70-room mansion compiled with artifacts owned by Robert Alexander Long — the president of the Long-Bell Lumber company of KC and his wife Ella Long.

After entering through the free general admission, I was greeted by a woman at the front desk and given a brief description of what I’d find on each floor. The first floor contains the home’s history so I grabbed a map and embarked on my tour of all four floors.

FIRST FLOOR:

I stared in awe at the gold detailing running over the white-and-beige walls while wandering and reading the descriptions of the original furniture in the four rooms, including a tea set that was purchased in 1910 during the family’s Grand Tour of Europe.

It felt like walking through the original home — the mirrors still on the wall, an original tapestry hanging up and rustic light fixtures. It was as if nothing had moved over time.

The center of the first floor was my favorite part — a grand marble staircase leading to windows of stained glass with a view overlooking the city. My eyes were drawn to the windows, which were decorated in shades of dark brown and green leaves.

SECOND FLOOR:

While making my way up to the second floor, I was surprised to walk into a room filled with KC history. I thought the museum would mainly be about the history of the mansion — I was pleasantly surprised to see I was wrong. Only the first floor is directly related to the original house, while the other three floors offered historical exhibits about the city, which was a good balance of content and offered something for all visitors.

There wasn’t an end to the amount of artifacts ranging from school spirit wear to a jukebox. This made the information feel more personal by seeing pieces once owned by KC residents.

The diversity of history was well executed including full exhibits on LGBTQ+ pride, immigration and segregation in KC. A good museum includes all sides of the story, and the KC Museum accomplished this with inclusion and diversity in stories.

THIRD FLOOR:

On the third floor, there’s a 42-seat theater showcasing films that go into detail about the history of the house and the family. This broke up my 30-minute walk through the museum and allowed me to sit and listen to information rather than standing and reading as I did in other sections.

Walking into one of the three galleries on this floor, a ‘70s tune was playing. The walls were covered in bands and artists from that decade like the Grateful Dead, The Beatles and Stevie Wonder. 

I stood in this room for at least five minutes — an extended amount of time compared to my brisk two minute walk through the other three galleries. The music drew me in along with the neon colors popping from the wall.

DOWNSTAIRS:

I was underwhelmed when I walked down the stairs and the cafe Elixir was blocked off with a sign that said it would be opening later this year. It’ll serve baked goods, juice, coffee and sandwiches. Whenever those doors open, I’ll be the first one in line. 

But I kept walking and saw the game room — the most intriguing part of this floor. A pool table, chess and checkers were laid out in the completely wooden room for guests to play. I deeply appreciated this room which shifts your attention to a game and gives you the chance to focus on something else — and I could show my friends up at pool after a long day at the museum.

OVERALL: 

Museums hold a reputation of being bland, but the Kansas City Museum broke that standard. With the change of exhibitions on each floor, I was fully engaged and eager to see what the next room held. It gave me an unbiased view and a variety of historical perspectives of KC that I haven’t experienced anywhere else.