Mineral Hall in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
,
Missouri is a historic building constructed in 1903. An elaborate example of
Prairie School
Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...
architecture by
Louis Singleton Curtiss
Louis Singleton Curtiss (July 1, 1865 – June 24, 1924) was a Canadian-born American architect. Notable as a pioneer of the curtain wall design, he was once described as "the Frank Lloyd Wright of Kansas City".Kansas City Public Library"The Fran ...
, it originally served as a residence.
Description
The building is located in the residential/mixed South Hyde Park neighborhood of Kansas City. Designed by noted architect Louis S. Curtiss it reflects a Prairie School practice of combining
Second Empire,
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
and
Neoclassical architectural elements. The building is asymmetrical yet almost rectangular with projecting
bays
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
on the north, south, west and northwest. The three-story structure is above grade on a full basement with approximate maximum dimensions of . The foundation is
uncoursed large block and the primary wall material is rock faced Jackson County limestone with a random pattern. The facade is the east side and fronts Oak Street. Features of the facade include a stone veranda and the central main entrance which is approached by seven wide stone steps. The entry arch is ornamented as is the stairway and approach.
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History
Built in fourteen months from 1903 to 1904 at a cost of , Mineral Hall was the residence of Roland E. Bruner. He bought the building in 1905 after it had been built for William A. Rule. It was a second home in the city for Rule and he never occupied it having had it built "to maintain the quality of the neighborhood". The building and the addition on the north built the next year are important examples of the work of Kansas City architect Louis S. Curtiss. Born in Canada, Curtiss was a notable architect in Kansas City. Construction was supervised by local stone contractor Henry H. Johnson. The building was donated to the Kansas City Art Institute in 1968. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 1976.[
]
Photo gallery
See also
* Historic preservation
* Mineralogy
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson County, Missouri: Kansas City other
* Stonemasonry
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...
References
External links
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{{Portal bar, Architecture, Geology, National Register of Historic Places, United States
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
Prairie School architecture in Missouri
Houses completed in 1903
Houses in Kansas City, Missouri
National Register of Historic Places in Kansas City, Missouri