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Painstaking restoration work and telling discoveries are bringing the Kansas City Museum back to life

As the restoration crews remove layers of material on the interior walls of Corinthian Hall, they're discovering more than just a home-turned-museum. They're exposing the luxuries of the R.A. Long family in the early 20th century and revealing the lifestyles of the people who served them.

In recent months, the Kansas City Museum has been "undoing" layers of non-original material to reveal the original structure of Corinthian Hall. Two key areas of recent restoration focus have been the windows throughout the Museum and the walls obscuring the former living areas of the caretakers.

Exquisite stained-glass windows see brighter days ahead

In the classic Greek revival-style mansion, the signature stained glass windows atop the grand staircase of Corinthian Hall required the utmost care. These windows featured elaborate and colorful custom designs in 10 panes of stained glass.

Nearly 60 pieces of glass needed to be repaired or replaced in the grand staircase window alone. This painstaking process of color matching, blowing, flattening and glazing is being done by glass restoration experts at URO Glass in Kansas City, Kansas.

A peek into the lifestyles of the Longs' servants

The Museum restoration team has uncovered a few interesting surprises about the many employees who worked at Corinthian Hall when it was a private residence. Unfortunately, these remnants are in short supply. There is very little left of the rooms used by these 25 caretakers of the house, grounds and residents.

According to Museum Director Christopher Leitch, the materials used in servants' quarters are a stark contrast to that of the Long family's residence. "We hope to be able to use these and other discoveries in renewed exhibits that explore the lives of all the former residents of Corinthian Hall, upstairs and downstairs," says Leitch.

Clues to the Long family household

According to Leitch, there are two interesting features that give a clue to the facilities occupied by the household staff. On the first floor, there is a small room that was once a staff washroom with a small pedestal sink and the remains of a hexagonal tile floor. It’s a stark contrast to the living spaces of the Long family.

The other discovery was noted after the removal of permanent exhibit walls on the third floor. In one of the “servants chambers” located on the northeast corner, original window framing is still attached to the walls.

Leitch recognizes the simple beauty of the wood: “To contemporary eyes the plain varnished wood is a beautifully simple treatment. Too, when one considers that this was likely old-growth wood originally and has been in place for 98 years, the site of close-grained 500-year old pine handsomely fitted together is doubly satisfying,” says Leitch.

“This was the simple and inexpensive treatment given the rooms of servants, and does not compare in decorative gravity or harmonious proportion to the mahogany frames and sashes in the Library, for instance,” he explains.

As restoration work progresses, follow our plans and exclusive opportunities to be a part of the revival of the Kansas City Museum.


Sources for this update include the Northeast News.