The American Hereford Association is an organization in the USA that promotes
Hereford cattle.
It was founded in 1883 and operated out of the home of Charles Gudgel in
Independence, Missouri.
In 1899, it hosted the Hereford Association Cattle Show in a tent in the
Kansas City stockyards. The show evolved into the
American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and barbecue competition.
From 1919 to 1953, its headquarters was at 300 W. 11th Street in Kansas City across the street from the
Lyric Theatre. On October 16, 1953,
Dwight D. Eisenhower presided over the opening of a new headquarters on
Quality Hill in Kansas City overlooking the stockyards and the
West Bottoms. The headquarters at 715 Kirk Drive included a famous restaurant but its most distinctive feature was fiberglass statue of a Hereford bull on a 90-foot pylon which became a landmark.
The bull was nicknamed "Bob" by locals ("Bull on Building") and was either loved as an icon or reviled as kitsch that detracted from the city's beauty. The statue's sculptor was Paul Decker with the firm Rochetti and Parzini of
New York, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
, and it was fabricated at Colonial Plastic Corporation of
Newark, New Jersey.
In 1995, the Association merged with the American Polled Hereford Association.
In 1997, the Association moved a few way blocks away to 1501 Wyandotte and its headquarters were sold to the
HNTB
HNTB Corporation is an American infrastructure design firm. Founded in 1914 in Kansas City, Missouri, HNTB began with the partnership made by Ernest Emmanuel Howard with the firm Waddell & Harrington, founded in 1907.
Considered as one of the m ...
architecture firm which took down the bull. In 2002, the bull was restored to a 60-foot pylon across
I-35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
in Mulkey Square.
References
External links
Official websiteKansas City Public Library historyKansas City High Hereford - LIFE Magazine
Independence, Missouri
Agricultural organizations based in the United States
1883 establishments in Missouri
Hereford cattle
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