Jackson County Courthouse in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

is located at 415 East 12th Street in

Downtown Kansas City Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area which contains 3.8% of the area's employment. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; ...

and houses judicial and administrative offices for the western portion of the county. It was built in 1934, designed by Wight and Wight in an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style.

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

, presiding judge of the Jackson County Court at the time, wanted it designed similar to the

Caddo Parish, Louisiana Caddo Parish () () is a Parish (administrative division), parish located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 237,848. The paris ...

courthouse in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

by Edward F. Neild. The latter architect was hired as consulting architect-engineer. Neild was later commissioned to design the

Truman Presidential Library The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highw ...

, but died before it was completed. Andrew Jackson statue County Courthouse KC Missouri

History

In 1872, an unfinished hotel building located at 2nd and Main St was adapted by

Asa Beebe Cross Asa Beebe Cross (December 9, 1826 in New Jersey — August 18, 1894) was an American architect. He studied architecture under Thomas Walsh and John Johnson. He primarily worked in Kansas City where it is estimated that he designed more than 1,000 ...

for use as the Jackson County Courthouse. In 1922, Harry S. Truman won election as county judge for eastern Jackson County as a candidate of the

Tom Pendergast Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1872 – January 26, 1945), also known as T. J. Pendergast, was an American political boss who controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, from 1925 to 1939. Pendergast only briefly held elected ...

faction of the Democratic Party. He failed to be re-elected in 1924, but won election as presiding judge in 1926. Truman served in this position, in effect as county commissioner, for eight years. He divided his time between this courthouse and the eastern courthouse in Independence.

Current courthouse

This building replaced the previous Kansas City courthouse annex at 5th and Oak, which officials deemed unsafe. Voters approved a $4 million bond issue in 1931 for construction of the courthouse and adjacent Kansas City City Hall; the structure was dedicated in December 1934. Truman maintained an office in the new courthouse building during most of his first term as

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, from 1935 to 1939. The courthouse contains an elaborate painted ceiling on the second floor featuring portraits of county employees. The mural was completed by artist Chris Doyle in 2006. In the lobby are five medallions representing Faith, Authority, Justice, Aspiration, and Progress, sculpted in white and bronze by Kansas City sculptor Jorgen Dreyer.

References

{{reflist County courthouses in Missouri Skyscraper office buildings in Kansas City, Missouri Art Deco architecture in Missouri Government buildings completed in 1934 Downtown Kansas City 1934 establishments in Missouri