Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-01-01
MIR. Barton Booms the Plan.

Turing tnlS recess the project or ASkeW
hall was finally dropped, the feeling in IA
lor OF having the building nearer the bus
mess center having grown steadily.
MIR. Barton Blooms the Plan.
William Barton was elected president of
the Commercial Club before active work
was again resumed. and at his inaug-
uration, October L, 1897, declared his main
work would be to try to build the hall. At
this meeting President Stickney, of the
Great Western, personally subscribed $500
TO the fund and matters again began 10
boom. November Is the committee decided
to build the Convention hall on the Cor
rigan property at Tenth and Baltimore. if
me property owners would raise a bonus OF
S-o,V0. This was not forthcoming, howev-
er. and on December 2 it was decided to
take me present ste at Inir1eenth and
pany therefor $57. 900 in cash and $500 in
Convention hall stock.
About this time the Auditorium theater
burned and an effort was made to get that
site for the new building. but finally, on
December y, ii was positively decided to
retain the site where the building now
stands.
On January Z. 1895, it was decided to have
design for Convention hall. the building to
be planned to cost not more than 500. 0G.
The successful contestant was to get 5
per cent of the cost of the building. the
regular fee, as his reward. to be paid 60
per cent in cash and 40 in Convention hall
stock. The second prize was to be $50, the
lAihN SI"p anu iht PioV oiAlttli
architects competed and March l6 the first
prize was finally awarded to Frederick
f. Hill for the design from which the
great building was erected. W. w. Rose
secured the second prize. Van Brunt &
Howe third and Gum & Curtiss the fourth
prize.
and it was soon decided to begin the
building. the express understanding being
that no contract was to be made upon it
until the money to pay for it was in hand.
Careful prudence characterized every move
of the committee.
First Contract Let.
May G, 1898. the first contract upon the
Convention hall was let. 1t was for the
iron work and was awarded to the Gillett-
Herzog Manufacturing Company, CT Min
neapolis.
A couple Of weeks later the contract for
~excavating and building the foundation
and first story was let TO G. X. Musselman
for $e2,g15. and on MAJ Q. at Ito o'clock
in the afternoon, A; F. seested threw the
Convention hall.
Meanwhile, on May 2: the Kansas City
incorporated. With an Authorized capital
of s2OO.co0. The members of the hall COM
mittee Were the incorporatorS. The di-
%rectors consist of thirteen men, as fol-
lows:
Charles Campbell. president; A; F; See
sted. vice president; Robert Moody, treas
FaSon, George w. Fuller. ]. V. c. Karnes,
David B. Kirk, George 7. Lynn. Hugh ].
MCGOWAN, D. w. Rider. A. E.. stilweli.
Work on the building progressed rapid
ly. The cornerstone was laid on the after
noon of August II. the day the Spanish
cabinet decided to sign the peace protocol:
There was no ceremonial at the laying Of
the cornerstone, but a few citizens were
present and a lead box was placed in the
cavity under the stone. containing copies
of The journal and other Kansas City pa
pers OF that date, several August maya
1 ,i,,ac tho y11r hook nf the Sons of the
American Revolution. a brick like those put
in the walls and photographs of the di-
r~ectors and about forty other prominent
The stone itself was seven feet on each
face, with a depth of three feet. and was
of limestone from the silverdale quarry.
AS the work progressed the directors sud-
denly determined to change the name OF
which it had always been known, to Agri-
cultural hall. out of compliment 10 the
Ereat ag Tify The n neEIsn met lfin Wtfb reb to
eral disfavor. which first found public ex-
preston through The Journal. The di-
rectors readily saw that the name, was a
mistake but got out of it gracefully by pro-
posing a voting contest by which the old
name Of Convention hall was overwhelm.
was added to the building fund;
The first public, use of the building; while
still In an unfinished state. was for the Re
publican meeting addressed by Hon: Web.
ster Davis on October S. 1893; The frst
piece of music PLAYED in the hall by the
band was THE Kansas City Journal
March"
Gift Distribution.
As the fall wore along the additional
money needed TO finish the building came
in very slowly. One day X. b. Armour
offered the committee a beautiful Here
ford heifer, Armour Rose" to be disposed
of for the benefit of the building fund in
any manner the saw proper.
The gift concert enterprise soon evolved
itself in the fertile brains of the commit
tee and the scheme took like wildfire. More
than a.e0 gifts were donated to the COM
mittee, ranging from a value OF % cents
up to the &.e0 house material and includ-
ing thoroughbred cattle, horses, ponies.
sheep. hogs. donkeys and nearly every sort
OF manufactured article made in Kansas
City" or anywhere else. For the gift con-
cert 1G0, Go tickets were sold at % cents
each, bringing $4,000 to the building fund.
So the total receipts from all sources up to
date are approximately as follows:
subscriptions 10 stock .............Sl5S ,5f4.W
Sale of buttons $4,000
Voting contest on name.-.-........ 1871
Sale Of gift concert tickets....-.. 100000
Total :. sos 2S3. 10
Following are the various contracts
which have been let so far upon the build
ing. The amounts are omitted. because of
the unfinished condition OF some of them.
and the desire of the committee not to
make this report until the building is en-
tirely finished and it can be given exactly:
lArchitect-Frederick E. Hill.
Foundation and stone Work-G. II. Mus
selman.
Steel structural work Gillett-Hertzog
Manufacturing Company.
Brick ontractor-Jacob Welsh.
Cut stone work-PhoeniX Cut Stone Com
pany.
Carpenter work-w. NJ. Prather.
Plumbing work-Goss Heating and
Plumbing Company; Cotter, Mcdonnell &.
Co; f. n. HornbT Jok.
Bridge iron work-Farnsworth G Blod-
' gett.
Company: Riverside Iron Company; Kan
sas City Bolt and Nut Company.
Roofing-Ditzler Roofing Company.
Galvanized iron work-A. *. Sweet Man.
ufacturing Company.
Painting. T. Seigler.
H~eating-James Cotter.
Electric wiring-B.-R. Electric Company.
Paving and sid~ewalks-Barber Asphalt
Company
Silver trowel for laying cornerstone
Jaceard Jewelry Company.
Observation-Disclosures & Conoyer Hard
ware Company.
Sash and doors-Western Sash and Door
Company.
Lumber-Kansas City Lumber Company.
Felt paper-kansas City Paper House.
But little remains to be done upon the
Y building. 1t Will be entirely completed by
February ~, at which time 1t will be for
mally opened with two grand concerts by
Sousa's band. to be followed. probably, by
a grand ball. the greatest society event the
West has ever seen.
Bcrths Are Electric Lighted
On the California Limited. Santa Fe Route.
A new system. electricity generated by car
! sxles; 5000 candle power.