Park Maintenance Building
A fixture at the intersection of 39th St and Gillham Rd in KCMO’s Hyde Park neighborhood, the horse barn is one of the few remaining structures from a grander time in city’s public park history. The historic landmark has been in various states of disrepair over the years, and is closed to the public.
“Park Maintenance Building, 3915 Gillham Road
The Park Maintenance Building, built in 1905, was designed as an ‘ornamental barn’ by the master architect Adriance Van Brunt. The building, constructed of native limestone and trimmed with vitrified brick, was to be used to house horses, sprinkling carts, and other vehicles used by the park forces. The barn originally contained twelve ordinary horse stalls, a hospital stall, wagon sheds, harness room, tool room, office, and a men’s room. This building is one of the few remaining limestone barn complexes constructed as a park structure. It is a statement of George E. Kessler’s philosophy ‘that all structures for operating purposes… which are artificial and more or less out of keeping with natural scenery, should never become conspicuous in either design or color… it should be so located and screened as not to offend the eye.’ The barn remains an important surviving building from Kessler’s work between 1893 and 1923 in Kansas City.
Dedicated in honor of Kansas City, Missouri’s, 150 Anniversary on June 3, 2000 by The Kessler Society.”
39° 3′ 20.874″ N
94° 34′ 45.9″ W