The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Jannes Library and Learning Center

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Jannes Library and Learning Center, Kansas City Art Institute

Jannes Library and Learning Center (magnolia tree), Kansas City Art Institute

Jannes Library and Learning Center (atrium), Kansas City Art Institute

Institution Name: Kansas City Art Institute
Original/Historic Place Name: B. Thompson and Mamie Janes Gates Whipple Residence
Location on Campus: 4538 Warwick Blvd.
Date(s) of Construction and Designer(s):

1908	original construction Van Brunt, Adriance
2002	renovation BNIM Architects

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

Foundation: stone

Walls: brick

Roof: composition shingle

Function:

ca. 1908	private residence
ca. 2004-present (2007)	library (including academic resource center and computer center)

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

none

Narrative: see below
References: see below

Narrative:
The Jannes Library and Learning Center at the Kansas City Art Institute, located in the former home of B. Thompson and Mamie Jane Gates Whipple, later the Cunningham Estate, caps a $15 million campus renovation program completed in 2002. The library now holds KCAI's books (30,000+) and periodicals (100+ subscriptions), as well as a 40-station campus computer center. The renovation, designed by BNIM Architects, has received several awards, including the American Institute of Architects/Kansas City Merit Award for Excellence in Design (October 2002) and the Historic Kansas City Foundation Preservation Award (May 2003). The library gives Kansas City a vibrant resource for students and the public. The college's purchase of the property and subsequent renovation help anchor the historic Southmoreland neighborhood in Kansas City. The home had been vacant for 12 years prior to its purchase by the Kansas City Art Institute and had fallen into hazardous disrepair. Respect for the integrity of the mansion is an important aspect of the renovation's design, which retained many features of the home while adding new construction for the library stacks and transforming the mansion's third-story ballroom into a computer center. The renovation was sparked by a donation from Mr. Nicholas Jannes, a KCAI alumnus and former board member who lives in Chicago.

References:

I. Bibliographic sources:

II. Location of other data:

University: Library