The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Vanderslice Hall

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Vanderslice Hall, Kansas City Art Institute

Institution Name: Kansas City Art Institute
Original/Historic Place Name: August R. Meyer residence
Location on Campus: 4415 Warwick Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction and Designer(s):

1895-1896	original construction Van Brunt & Howe
1929	addition Wight & Wight

Type of Place: Individual building
Style(s): (Glossary)
Materials:

Foundation: cut limestone

Walls: red brick

Roof: slate (original); asphalt shingle (current, in some areas)

Function:

1896-1927	private residence
ca. 2004-present (2007)	administration

Significance: architecture, culture, education, history
Landmark designation:

National Register

August Meyer House (1982)

Narrative: see below
References: see below

Narrative:
This 26-room red brick Flemish Queen Anne style mansion, known as Vanderslice Hall, was designed by architects Van Brunt and Howe and built in 1895-1896 for August R. Meyer, a prominent Kansas City businessman, civic leader, and first president of the Kansas City Park Board. Meyer is credited as being largely responsible for the development of the city's renowned park and boulevard system. The house was added to in 1929 by architects Wight and Wight. One of the few remaining residential works of Van Brunt and Howe in Kansas City and considered an excellent example of late 19th century Queen Anne architecture, the house is constructed primarily of brick and stone and has an irregular plan. A profusion of decorative details are present, along with a picturesque massing of shapes and textures. The most notable features of the residence are the numerous gables and dormers, each treated in a slightly different manner. The exterior of the residence is essentially unaltered, and the interior and exterior are in excellent condition. Acquisition of the August R. Meyer residence and a tract of 8.5 acres in 1927 provided the Kansas City Art Institute with a home. This was made possible by Howard S. Vanderslice, one of Kansas City's outstanding philanthropists and art patrons. Vanderslice Hall currently houses the administrative offices of the Kansas City Art Institute, a four-year college of art and design which has played an important role in the cultural and educational development of Kansas City. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References:

I. Bibliographic sources:

"Builders of the Parks." Kansas City Star, June 19, 1922, 20.

Howe, Frank M. "The Development of Architecture in Kansas City, Missouri." Architectural Record (February 1904): 1153.

Meyer, August, House [Kansas City Art Institute]. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1982.

Owens, Mazee, and Frances Bush. The Art Institute and School of Design: A History of Community Acheivement. Kansas City, MO: Vanderslice Committee of the Art Institute, 1964.

"A Permanent Home for the Art Institute." Kansas City Times, December 19, 1927, 20.

Westlake, Carrie Whitney. Kansas City, Missouri, Its History and Its People, 1800-1908, vol. 2. Chicago, IL: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1980, 194-97.

II. Location of other data:

University: Library

SHPO

Government Offices