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A Rich Heritage -- An Exciting Future
In 1894 the Kansas City Athenaeum was formed and began over a century of service, education and positive social influence. In 1914, after several years of inventive fund- raising, the club erected its own clubhouse, the magnificent Greek Revival building at the corner of Linwood Boulevard and Campbell Street (a site chosen because the proximity of two street car routes made it easily accessible). The clubhouse, which is listed on both the National and Local Registers of Historic Places, continues to be maintained by Athenaeum members and to provide a home for club activities. The monumental stained-glass windows and custom-designed matching chandeliers in the ballroom have seen decades of visiting dignitaries and splendid assemblies at a variety of events. The club has a rich history as a dynamic advocate for educational, community and civic causes, and has served as a positive agent for advances in health and family issues in Kansas City. | |
| The Athenaeum Through The Years | |
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The Kansas City Athenaeum has always been active in philanthropic and civic concerns for Kansas City. Since 1894, when the members of the newly-formed organization first introduced the idea of an official milk inspector to the city council, the Athenaeum has been active in civic concerns ranging from prison reform through improvements at the County Poor Farm to enlisting the city's children to help with an annual citywide spring cleaning. For its first twenty years the Club House hummed with sewing machines as members created over 4,000 garments for Children's Mercy Hospital and 7,000 articles of clothing for disadvantaged children. Distribution of these articles was coordinated with the Social Service Bureau of Kansas City. The Athenaeum has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for 146 different civic and charitable concerns. In its early years, members petitioned for city parks and helped establish kindergarten and Parent-Teacher Associations in public schools. Athenaeum members persuaded Jackson County to improve living conditions in crowded tenements and influenced the establishment of a juvenile court system in Kansas City. The Golden Age Club, which evolved into the current Shepherd's Center, was started by Athenaeum members in the 1950s. Truman Hospital has a fund started by the Athenaeum to help destitute persons receive eyeglasses, back braces, corrective shoes, and artificial limbs. The Athenaeum was involved in founding Missouri Girls Town, a residential care facility for abused and neglected girls, in 1953; today Missouri Girls Town continues as the Athenaeum's primary philanthropic concern. In 1994, the Ballroom was filled with members and guests as the Athenaeum celebrated its 100th Anniversay. | |