Holiday Update:
The Museum will be closed on Dec. 24, 2008 through January 3, 2009. The Museum will reopen Jan. 4 at our regular hours from noon-4:30 p.m. Don’t forget to come to the Museum for First Sunday Family Fun Day Jan. 4.
We wish everyone a Merry Holiday season!
- Kansas City Museum Staff -
Welcome to the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall. The Kansas City Museum is Kansas City’s first, and most important, museum of local and regional history. The museum is housed at the former urban estate of lumber baron and civic leader Robert A. Long and his family. The 3 acre plot is located atop a bluff overlooking the Missouri River Valley, adjacent to historic Kessler Park and Cliff Drive, a state Scenic By-way.
The site features five of the six original structures. These include Corinthian Hall, the 70-room four-story Beaux Arts limestone residence; the Carriage House, in which Long’s famed equestrienne daughter, Loula Long Combs, housed her horses and many trophies; the StoryTarium in the former Conservatory, and the Museum Visitor Center
The Museum collections are encyclopedic and represent major periods of the City’s development from the mid-19th century to the present day. Of particular interest are some of the original furnishings from the residence, and the carriages and tack, as well as hundreds of ribbons and trophies, of Mrs. Combs’ storied career in the hors show ring. Other Museum collections of note include the Colonel Daniel Dyer Collection of Native American artifacts; their quilt collection, with over 100 of the finest examples from the region; and the Warner Untersee photography collection, comprising more than 200,000 images and objects from his 1950s studio.
Presently, the Museum site is undergoing restoration. Both the residence and Carriage House are closed to the public.
Museum programming is still active on the site, in other buildings. We welcome visitors daily. Our knowledgeable education aides in the Museum Visitor Center can provide an introduction to the Long family and the history of Kansas City. History-themed films, such as the pre-Civil War epic Bad Blood, are shown frequently in the StoryTarium. The new exhibition The Long Family and Corinthian Hall has opened, on colorful informational panels, around the perimeter of the estate.
Our grounds are open to picnickers or anyone who wants a great view of Kansas City’s cityscape. So join us at the Museum, grab a root beer at the Visitor Center, and enjoy the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall.
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