The Kansas City Club, established in 1882, was one of the Midwest's premier social clubs. The club was originally organized for the "purpose of cultivating social and business associations among the leading business professionals in Kansas City." Initially, members of the Kansas City Club met at a hotel in Quality Hill before moving into its first clubhouse on the corner of 12th and Wyandotte Street. After growing its membership past limitations of their first building, the Club built a clubhouse at the corner of 13th and Baltimore Avenue in 1922. This building, known as the Kansas City Club Building, stood in the heart of Kansas City's downtown business district for the next 80 years.
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Throughout its 15 floors, the establishment housed meeting rooms, handball courts, a gym, restaurants, bowling alley, and 160 private hotel rooms. The 13th floor featured a five-lane swimming pool, while the top floor welcomed members to an open terrace restaurant. Some of the more notable individuals associated with the club include Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Omar Bradley, and Ewing Kauffman. Early members helped shape the social and economic landscape of Kansas City.
After the Kansas City Club moved to a new location in 2002, the building was transitioned into an events space on the first six floors and the rooftop, and condos in-between. The building was then sold and began a year and a half of renovations, starting in May 2019, for Hotel Kansas City's grand opening in October 2020.
