The Hotel President, formerly the President Hotel, is a historic hotel in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States. It is now operated as the Hilton President Kansas City by Jury Hotel Group of Overland Park Kansas, and is located at 1327-35

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Avenue.

History

The President Hotel was built and completed in 1926 by

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

businessman

Frank A. Dudley Frank Alonzo Dudley (January 30, 1864 – September 21, 1945) was an American lawyer, politician, hotelier and business owner associated with Niagara Falls, New York. Dudley established the United Hotels Company of America and the "Lewiston He ...

and operated by the United Hotels Company. The hotel was built in a construction boom that also saw the erection of the nearby

Mainstreet Theater The Mainstreet Theater, also commonly referred to as The Empire Theater, is a historic theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri in the Power & Light District. The theater was landmarked and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in F ...

Midland Theatre The Midland Theatre is a 3,000-seat theater located in the Power & Light District of Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The National Collegiate Athletic Association under Walter Byers had its headquarters in the building from the 1950s until ...

, and

Kansas City Power and Light Building The Kansas City Power and Light Building (also called the KCP&L Building and the Power and Light Building) is a landmark skyscraper located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It was constructed by Kansas City Power and Light in 1931 as a way to p ...

. In 1928, it was the headquarters for the

1928 Republican National Convention The 1928 Republican National Convention was held at Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri, from June 12 to June 15, 1928. Because President Coolidge had announced unexpectedly he would not run for re-election in 1928, Commerce Secretary Her ...

, which nominated

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

for President. The hotel's Drum Room lounge attracted entertainers from across the country, including

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

and

Marilyn Maye Marilyn Maye McLaughlin (born April 10, 1928) is an American jazz singer, cabaret singer, and musical theater actress. She began her career as a young child, performing in Kansas in concerts and on the radio. After graduating from high school, ...

. At the beginning of 1935 a man, using an assumed name at the time but later identified as Artemus Ogletree, was found severely assaulted in room 1046 after a two-day stay marked by odd behavior and interactions with a mysterious "Don"; he later died in the hospital. The case remains unsolved. The hotel closed its doors in 1980. It later underwent a $45.5 million restoration by developer Ron Jury and reopened in 2005 as the Hilton President Kansas City. The hotel is managed by Jury Hotel Group of Overland Park, Kansas. The hotel’s General Manager is Philip Strnad. Additional renovations were completed in 2017. These renovations included all guest rooms and meeting rooms. The acclaimed Presidential Suite, and Reagan suites were renovated in 2019. The President Hotel is the only hotel located in the Power and Light District. The President is a franchise hotel of Hilton Hotels of Bethesda, Maryland. The Hotel President was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

References

External links

Hilton President Kansas City official websiteHilton President Kansas City at Emporis.com
{cbignore, bot=medic Presidents Hotel

Hotels in Kansas City, Missouri Hotel buildings completed in 1926 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri United Hotels Company of America National Register of Historic Places in Kansas City, Missouri Downtown Kansas City 1926 establishments in Missouri