Grand, Grander, Grandest

Penthouse Level - Combined Units 8 A/B

Photo from Kansas City Spaces magazine, “Artful Living,” story by Judith Fertig; photos by Aaron Leimkuehler, Oct. 2009

Owners past

HARRY and JANE SOPHIAN

Best known dates at The Sophian, 1923-1948

Harry and his brother, Abraham, entwined their lives together. They emigrated from Kyiv on the same ship. They married the two youngest daughters of the Felix family (Jane and Estelle). They found their way together to Kansas City. With their extended families, they remained close throughout their lives.

After building the highly acclaimed Georgian Court, Harry determined to erect his next building, and give it his name. Harry and his family, Abraham and his family all moved from the Georgian Court to the Sophian Plaza apartment building.

Felix Hat Shoppe: Jane and Estelle's sisters, Pauline and Flora, were milliners in NYC and moved to KC to open a shop in The Sophian. When Harry and Jane’s daughter, They later returned to NYC, and Lucille lived with them for a time.

Abraham's Family

Harry's brother, Abraham, achieved renown for his work conquering meningitis epidemics in Dallas and Kansas City (1911-13). Their son, Abraham (“Bud”) was also a physician. He was killed in one of the D-Day battles, at Graignes. As battlefield medic, Bud refused to abandon the wounded paratroopers in his care. The Nazis mutilated and killed all. Their grandson, Dennis O'Leary, became a physician. He and his wife, Margaret, co-authored several books about the Sophian family. Dennis was the GWU Hospital physician who calmly reported the condition and care of President Reagan after John Hinckley’s attempted assassination.

The Tragic Deaths in Harry’s Family

Jane and Lucille both suffered tragic deaths. Jane was despondent after Harry’s death (Sep’t 21, 1945). Her nurse and brother just finished preparing lunch and emerged from the kitchen, to find that Jane fell from their apartment to her death. We have mixed evidence whether the Sophians moved to Apt 7A by the time of Jane's death, or still lived in Apt 8A. Either way, it's sad.

Lucille became a prominent figure in NYC’s café society and married Manfred von Linde in 1962. She died 13 days later in Haiti. The family feared malevolence; had her body exhumed for an autopsy; and successfully annulled the marriage, due to fraud. Von Linde, said he was a German count, when he was actually a physician from Alabama. The drama was widely reported around the country.

converted Ballroom

the plaza level | ELEGANCE AND SOPHISTICATION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

Another unique space, the Sophian ground floor has been home to elegance and sophistication in many forms. In its first iteration, it offered fine dining. Designed as an "apartment hotel," residents could easily take their meals in the on-site restaurant, which was also open to the public. The KC Star had hundreds of notices of people hosting dinners and luncheons there.

Years later, Harry Sophian came to the rescue of the University Women's Club, when it fell into a bitter dispute with former landlord, the Bellerive Hotel. The Club hosted talks by dignitaries, authors, and scholars, for decades.

Eventually, the space was taken over by venerated Martha Belle Aikins Smith, who taught legions of young people the arts of ballroom dancing and society manners. She trained hundreds of students for the debutante Jewel Ball.

DANIE DUNN

Then came the inestimable Danie Dunn, doyenne and designer extraordinaire, who transformed the cavernous space-- an 80-foot wide grand room with 12-foot ceilings -- into a home for entertaining. As recounted in a feature of her apartment: "'It had been on the market for five years and no one wanted to touch it,' Dunn said. 'Everyone thought the space was unworkable.'"

Dunn loved to entertain, so the chance to make it a home for magnificent entertaining was magnetic. The challenge to give it the coziness of a home was exciting. Signature elements of Sophian design were embraced: black-and-white checkerboard floor and dramatic pilasters. "Maintaining the architectural integrity of the place was important to Dunn because of the rich history of the building." Dunn added elevated areas to either side of the wide expanse to create intimate seating - library and dining room.

Apparently Dunn had her party guests enter from the lobby and descend the grand staircase (seen above) to the expansive living room. Danie Dunn was married to Bill Edwards, whom she described as 'her best friend.' "'This place was like the top of the top for us,' Dunn said. 'You feel like you're someplace special all the time here. I just love a house that always looks like it's ready for a party.'" Sweet Danie Dunn passed away this past winter (Dec 2022).