1919 — Sophian Plaza, the Plans and Construction

On June 7, 1919, Harry Sophian purchased a triangle of land, on Warwick Boulevard, between 46th and 47th Streets, from Henry Schott, a marketing vice president at Montgomery Ward catalogue company and former editor of the Kansas City Star.

With the announcement of the land purchase, Harry previewed his plans—a 10-story apartment building with 30 apartments of 8- to 12-rooms, each with servant quarters within the apartment. A building notably grander than the Georgian Court. Indeed, Harry raised $180,000 to build the Georgian Court apartment house. And he announced that the Sophian Plaza will be a $1,000,000 building.

According the KC Star news account (6/8/1919), Wight & Wight architecture firm was engaged to create a building of Italian Renaissance design, with every room to have windows. At the time Harry hoped for occupancy in 1920.

We found the Wight & Wight architectural plans at the State Historic Preservation Office. They developed a Beaux Arts design for a three-spoked building. But they were never advanced. Instead, Sophian switched design firms, returning to Charles Shepard, of Shepard & Wiser.

Renderings of Sophian Plaza, elevations and plan, undated, circa 1919, by Architects Wight and Wight; Engineer Tuttle Ayers Woodward, Box 137.019, Wight and Wight Architectural Records, 1904-1952 (K0825); The State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center Kansas City.

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We have yet to discover the reason for changing architectural firms. But a few things are apparent about Sophian’s connection to Charles Shepard, that may have precipitated the engagement. Charles was a familiar figure. Harry had already worked with Shepard, who designed Georgian Court. Shepard, his wife Anna, and their two sons, Theodore and C. Edwin, lived in Georgian Court and were likely next door neighbors (on the same floor) with Harry, Jane and Lucille. The 1920 census records show the Shepard family entries immediately preceding the Harry Sophian family notations. And it turned out that JC Nichols, the outsized developer of Country Club district, had just purchased a Charles Shepard designed home. Shepard’s reputation was growing brightly. (See more details on the JC Nichols home, at Shepard & Wiser, Architectural Firm of High Repute, below).

With second round of fanfare, Sophian’s new plan was revealed, including Shepard’s renderings, maps, and an extended article in the Kansas City Star, April 9, 1922.

Showing the Street plan at the time the building was planned

Kansas City Star, April 9, 1922

In several way, Shepard & Wiser’s subsequent plan shows a consistency of Harry Sophian’s vision. Colossal columns, topped with Corinthian capitals. An elaborate architrave with a balustrade railing. Free-standing statuary. These were the elements that Harry saw as indicative of Italian Renaissance style. In other ways, the Shepard & Wiser plan was more modest than first projected. Nine stories, not ten. Apartments with 4- to 7-rooms, smaller than the 8- to 12-room apartments originally projected. Sophian explained, it represented a larger investment, $1 million, of pure Italian architecture, which was intended to present an even more imposing appearance. 

Shepard & Wiser design

East (Front) Elevation

May 29, 1922 plans (not final)

Shepard & Wiser

Front Courtyard detail

The reduced profile of the building may well have been a cautious reaction to the fevered pitch of apartment construction in Kansas City at the time. In the years from 1920 to 1922, apartment building “starts” grew from buildings that totaled 382 units valued about $ ¾ million in 1920 to buildings with 1,620 units, valued at nearly $9 million, by 1922. (Kansas City Working-Class and Middle-Income Apartment Building History, National Register of Historic Places, 9-20-2007). Additionally, it appears that he raised $429,000, through issuing 30 year, 5% bonds, not the million dollars he first trumpeted. [In a later post, we will describe the financing and sales of the building over the years. Business records available in the Missouri State Historic archives provide much detail.]

The Manhattan Construction Company was engaged to handle the construction. The foundation permit was taken out in April 1922. The Manhattan Construction Company was founded in 1896, in Oklahoma. It was (and still is) family-owned. Today (2020), it touts itself as among the largest family-owned construction companies in the US. The company provides pre-construction, construction management, program management, general building, and design-build services throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

As the Sophian Plaza construction progressed, Kansas City Star regularly reported developments regarding the building, with renderings, photos, and news updates.

The Sophian Plaza, A New Million Dollar Apartment Building

And on February 25, 1923, the Kansas City Star trumpeted the opening with the headline, “The Sophian Plaza, A New Million Dollar Apartment Building Is an Imposing Structure of Italian Architecture.” According to the Star report, the Sophian Plaza “stands as a structure of high character.”

1919--Wight & Wight plans (discarded by H Sophian)

Below we show the renderings of Wight & Wight, the first architects hired by Harry Sophian for the Sophian Plaza.

When he announced his plans, covered by the Kansas City Star, June 8, 1919, he described a building of 10 stories, with just three apartments per floor. Wight & Wight’s renderings were not presented at that time. Sophian noted to the Star reporters that he did not expect the construction to start until Fall 1920, a year away. The drawings shown below are undated, but I am presuming around 1919, early 1920 to prepare for bidding documents to hire a contractor. These plans were located State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center- Kansas City.

The pinwheel design of the building allowed for one apartment per wing, with plenty of windows on both sides of each apartment, for optimal air circulation. The building would provide accommodations within the apartments for live-in household staff, as well as accommodations on the ground floor for “maids’ rooms” and many lockers, for the day workers. The garage for residents would be accessed from Brush Creek Parkway (present-day, Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard).

Wight & Wight were his designers. were architects of high reputation. They designed the Nelson Atkins Museum, among other sites. The firm was known for its Neo-Classical design style, exceptional command of mass and proportion, and exquisite attention to details. Thomas (1874-1949) and William Drewin (1882-1947) Wight were brothers, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Thomas worked for the venerable firm, McKim, Mead, and White, as a draftsman and then architect, agreeing to an employment term of ten years before starting his own firm. Brother, William, traveled the same path, working with McKim, Mead, and White for ten years and then joining his brother in Kansas City.

“J Sophian, Proposed Apartment,” (circa 1919) Wight and Wight Architectural Records, 1904-1952, Box K 0825, The State Historical Society of Missouri Research Center- Kansas City.

Full view of East elevation, entrance on Warwick Boulevard.

Detail of the roof line and ornamentation of upper floor windows.

East elevation, front entrance, Warwick Boulevard

First floor plan, showing rotunda lobby, and apartment layouts on each wing. Apartments had three to four bedrooms for the family, each with private bathroom, plus living room, dining room, sun room, and den. There were also small suites for the live-in household staff, behind the kitchen.

Ground floor plan. Details of each wing below.

Ground floor plan, South wing (Maid’s accommodations, resident oriented businesses, e.g., tailor, barber, hair and nail salon).

Ground floor plan, West wing. (Kitchen, bakery, pantry, cool room, dishwashing, receiving)

Ground floor plan, North wing (Lockers, receiving, delicatessen)

Who Lived in Which Apt? For 1943, we can tell you!

Sophian Rent Roll (1943)

During time Harry Sophian attempted to sell the building (1943-48), a potential purchaser asked him to produce the rent roll to show the level of occupancy and rents. This is the only time in which we are able to identify residents with their specific apartment. Harry Sophian’s list indicated surnames only. Through other sources, we were able to fill in full names for nearly everyone. For some apartments, we have the surname only and have yet to find more detail.

Here they are, with short one-liner, from newspaper reports and other sources. For many residents we have been able to discover more details. See those stories under, “Residents.”

 1A:      Brady

1C:      Rex and Lillian Diveley. Rex, founded the Dickson-Diveley Orthopaedic clinic; Lillian was a dress designer.

1D:      Harry and Lillian Jacobs. He was a lawyer and president of the Jewish Federation.

1F:       Everett Murray. Listed in the social register. Was Lt Colonel in WWII.

2A:      Dallas and Helen Alderman. Members of the Saddle and Sirloin Club, a ranch at 103rd St.

2B:       Nettie Altman. Proud that her daughter’s song was to be performed on early TV (1950).

2C:      Leon and Grace Bailey. Attorney with Wilson, Bundschu & Bailey. Contributors to the Nelson-Atkins.

2D:      Shirley McCune (Mrs Jos McCune). Listed on the social register.

2E:       John S. and Marylie Mathias. Involved in future planning for General Hospital.

2F:       Kathleen Fox (Mrs Lawrence H Fox). Maintained a summer residence in LaJolla California.

3A:      Wallace Goffe. He was board member, St. Luke's Hospital, trustee president, Kansas City Art Institute.

3B:       Cyril and Frieda Prouty. He was manager of Swift & Co. She was an active poet.

3C:      Genevieve Mellier (Mrs. Mabry Mellier). First husband was president, Andrews Steel. She left a large estate to her son.

3D:      Lynette Glassman Patz (Mrs Benj Glassman, Mrs Louis Patz). Married, widowed, remarried all while living at the Sophian.

3E:       Nora Dickey (Mrs Fred L Dickey). Listed on the social register

3F:       Pauline Snider (Mrs Otho Snider). She and her husband had owned the mansion at Oak and 46th.

4A:       Roland and Mary Jeanneret. Listed on the social register.

4B:       George and Mary Ultch, Jr.. Owned Ultch Lumber.

4C:      Gertrude Purdy (Mrs Harold Edward Purdy) Listed on social register.

4D:      Schneider

4E:       Brooks: Maybe “Betty Lee Brooke,” who was listed in 1940 census, as living at The Sophian. Betty Lee was a buyer for women’s ready-to-wear clothing.

4F:       Sullivan

5A:      Herman and Hortense Traber. He worked for MO Pacific Railway. She was member of Daughters of the American Revolution and Daughters of the Confederacy.

5B:       Evens

5C:      Charles and Katherine (Kitchell) Alves. He married, widowed, and remarried all while living at the Sophian.

5D:      Brennan

5E:       Morgan

5F:       Horace and Etta (Jewel Smith) Stephenson. He was sales manager for McGraw Hill Publishers.

6A:      Dan C Sernes, and daughter, Dorothy. A heated spat between Dan and his father in law was covered in the papers.

6B:       Francis “Brick” and Mona Wornall. From the famous Wornall family, larger than life guy.

6C:      French

6D:      Joe and Minnie Altschuler. Joe was a petroleum engineer.

6E:       Ida Young, and daughter, Dorothy. Ida was married to George Young,

6F:       Frank and Veronica Peck. Owned Peck-Woolf Sand. When he died, she took over the company and lead it from the shadows, without revealing her gender.

7A:       Ferdinand and Dora Kaths. He was president of Larabee Mills.

7B:       Wynogene Wolcott (Mrs John J Wolcott) and son Frederick. Widowed from John, who owned Wolcott & Lincoln Grain Co.

7C:      Jack and Rose Foyle. Jack, baseball devotee. Rose, devoted alumna to Avila University.

7D:      Daniel and Rosa Cowden. One of 4 partners founding Lee Jeans.

7E.       Lois Scott

7F:       Emily Drake Crawley. Owner Central Boarding & Supply.

8A:       Harry and Jane Sophian, with daughter Lucille. Owner/manager of the apartment house.

8B:       Frederick and Mildred MacDonald. Listed on the social register.

8C:      Daniel and Lily James. Listed in the social register.

8D:      Helen Harzfeld, daughter of Sig Harzfeld, founder of Harzfeld’s department store.

8E:       Walton and Martha Smith, with daughter Penelope. Listed on social register.

8F:       S. Herbert and Aurel May Hare. Partner with father in renown, Hare & Hare, landscape architecture firm.

Shepard & Wiser - architects of historic dimension

Charles E. Shepard, architect for the Sophian Plaza, was an active and highly regarded architect in Kansas City. He had multiple partnerships over his forty-five-year career from 1887 to 1931, including with Albert Wiser and Ernest Farrar. Sometimes organized as Shepard & Wiser, or Shepard & Farrar, or Shepard, Farrar & Wiser. According to Michael John Ray, architect and appraiser of Kansas City’s historic architecture, Shepard was the “Shepard was the principal designer of every building type found not only in Kansas City, but also in Tulsa, Wichita, and Amarillo, Texas. In the metropolitan area it is documented that Shepard left a rich tradition of architecture, including the design of over 600 residences located in Hyde Park, Mission Hills and the Country Club District.”

Ray was so enchanted with Shepard’s work that he spent two sunny days drawing the building in beautiful oxblood colored pencil. He posted multiples of the Sophian Plaza. (March 23 and 26, 2010), titled Best Addresses, on his blog, Analytique.

Many of Shepard’s buildings have stood the test of time (still exist and in productive use today) and the test of design. Numerous buildings have been named to the Register of Historic Places. Nota bene: Another architect, active in the same time period in Kansas City, was Clarence Erasmus Shepard. There are many references to CE Shepard that are for Clarence, not Charles).

Charles Keith House: Built 1913; bought by JC Nichols 1920

Part of Charles Shepard’s allure to Harry Sophian no doubt was the acclaim he reaped from his design for the grand home of Charles Keith, a lumber baron, located in the highly restricted Sunset Hill Subdivision in the famed Country Club District (Ward Parkway at one of the most important intersections, 55th Street). Importantly, the rock star developer, JC Nichols bought the home from Keith in 1920, just as Harry was terminating his engagement the first architecture firm, Wight & Wight, and switching to Shepard & Wiser.

Charles Keith House (1913)

photo courtesy of State Historical Society of Missouri

The Keith/Nichols house has twenty-two rooms, plus six full bathrooms. Exterior features included the use of elaborate cut-stone trim work, multiple pergolas, and a large carriage house. The three-acre grounds were designed by Kansas City landscape architecture firm Hare and Hare. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places February 18, 2000.

The President Hotel (1926)

The President Hotel (1926)

Detail of top floors

Shortly after completing the Sophian Plaza, Shepard was commissioned to design The President Hotel, in downtown Kansas City.  The hotel was built in 1924-26, during a construction boom (that also saw the erection of the nearby Mainstreet Theater, Midland Theatre, and Kansas City Power and Light Building.

It was one of KC’s grand hotels, with 453 guest rooms, and the distinction of being the first hotel to make ice on premise. The hotel served as the site for the 1928 Republican National Convention, which nominated Herbert Hoover for President. The hotel's Drum Room lounge attracted entertainers from across the country, including Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, and Marilyn Maye.

The hotel underwent a $45.4 million restoration project meeting the exacting specifications of the National Historic Preservation Society in many areas of the hotel. To meet the modern standards of luxury accommodations, guestrooms were enlarged to offer a total of 213 guest rooms and suites. In keeping with preservation requirements, and to maintain the look of the original hallways, there are eight faux doors on each floor. In January 2006, the hotel reopened as Hilton President Kansas City and has since maintained its celebrated heritage without sacrificing modern conveniences. The Hotel President was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 1983.

The Deramus Building (1925)

The Deramus Building (1925)

The building at 301 West 11th Street, was designed by Shepard &. Wiser, for the W.R. Pickering Lumber Company at a cost of approximately $400,000. The Second Renaissance Revival Style building has several additions constructed in the 1950’s and 1960’s, which were designed to complement the historic building and are considered to be an integral part of the building’ s overall design. The building is now commercial office space, known as the Deramus Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The building has since undergone a substantial façade rehabilitation, with the historic preservation consultation of Strata Architects. The image is from the Strata Architects website.