Apartment 5A

Owners past

THOMAS and CYNTHIA HOENIG

Best known dates at The Sophian, 1996-2000

Thomas, a career economist with the Federal Reserve, rose to become the President of the Federal Reserve of Kansas City, covering the region from Colorado to Missouri and Wyoming to New Mexico. He was a senior member of the Fed’s all important, Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, the monetary policy governing body for the US.

For years, he was a lone voice of resistance to the Fed’s policy to have low interest rates post 2008 crash, during the years Ben Bernanke chaired the Fed. Hoenig feared that low rates would lead to inflation and income inequality.

A Politico extended feature on Hoenig (2021) provided some perspective: "Hoenig’s dissents are striking because FOMC doesn’t just prize consensus; it nearly demands it. The committee likes to present a unified front to the public because it is arguably the most powerful governing body in America for economic affairs. Hoenig’s string of dissents shattered that appearance of unanimity."

Hoenig stepped down from the Fed in 2011. He became the Vice Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He also taught Economics at UMKC.

1923 original floor plan: "A" stack

FLOOR PLAN CHANGES OVER THE YEARS

The most significant changes in the “A” stack apartments are how the owners have handled the “service” side of the apartment. In the original 1923 configuration, the service entrance from the common hallway had a straight shot to the kitchen, passing a small bedroom and bathroom reserved as a housekeeper’s room, and ending at the formal dining room which faces the Southmoreland Park and the Museum.

Nearly all apartments have closed the service door. Some still have the housekeeper’s room as a bedroom or office. Others have converted it to butler’s pantry or expanded the kitchen.

The second bedroom has also been the focus of remodeling in many of the “A” stack apartments. Some apartments have sealed the doorway directly into the living room, leaving the entrance through the sunroom. Most apartments no longer have a connection between the primary bedroom and second bedroom with a Jack-n-Jill bathroom opening into both bedrooms.

interiors Past | Apartment 4A

(2015)

Owner STEVE ROSE

Best known dates at The Sophian 2014-18

“Stephen Rose left Kansas City for LA when he graduated from law school to pursue an acting career. “I live for art and architecture,” says Rose, so it’s no surprise that he settled into the Sophian Plaza., upon his return to KC. “It’s probably one of the best residential buildings in the country. The space is polished but not overdone. Just above the tree line with large windows on three sides, the apartment is flooded with light.”