Central Library

The slogan "Heat Up, Cool Down" with the quite literal image of a gushing fire hydrant ablaze provides an exciting visual representation of the improvisational characteristic common to the jazz musical genre. According to this poster, 1983 was a "hot" year for the Kansas City Jazz Festival featuring artists Count Basie...

As stated on the upper left hand corner of the map, this map illustrates "the plan of the defences of the Western and North-Western Frontier, as proposed by Charles Gratiot, in his report of Oct. 31, 1837." The Frontier is at the western edge of the central Midwestern states: Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Th...

This large map depicts a "bird's eye" panoramic view of Kansas City's West Bottoms, namely the stockyards, packing, and wholesale houses. While being informational, the map also conveys the vitality of this district in the early history of the city emphasizing the West Bottoms as a confluence point of trade and commerc...

"Kansas City, Missouri," is a poster print of a night time panoramic view of the Kansas City downtown skyline. The following description is written at the bottom of the print: "This panoramic photograph was taken by Christopher Gjevre and features a twilight view of downtown Kansas City." Located on the western edge of...

This is an enlarged poster of a drawing of a downtown Kansas City block by Charles Graham. Beneath the image reads "NINTH STREET, KANSAS CITY, LOOKING WEST FROM WALNUT STREET-Drawn by Charles Graham- [SEE PAGE 451]." One gets a sense of what the artist may have seen while looking in this direction: a bustling city stre...

Below the blue and yellow printed "Kansas City" across the top of this piece is a synopsis of the city's most notable architectural monuments by 1981. Some are still standing and some have since been demolished, but altogether they compile a history of the city with major monuments enlarged along the border of the prin...

This is a poster that reads "Kansas City / Paris of the Plains / 1928-1938" across an almost water-marked image of a woman dressed in popular flapper attire. Her striking pose seems to suggest the appeal that the rising urban area had despite the economic depression ravaging the rest of the country. Due to looser la...

This is a replica of a ceremonial Hsun-ok vessel of Burma (Myanmar) that has been used for centuries to carry offerings to Buddhist monasteries. Historically, the vessel originates from the Pagan region in Burma. The lacquering technique used for this particular vessel applies numerous coats of black lacquer followed b...

This is a decorative model of a bell tower derived from the well-known Renaissance design of St. Peter's Dome. While not an exact replica of the dome, its interesting design puts it in the realm of imaginary architecture. In this sculpture, wooden beams replace the spire and painted coffers of the original dome. A hing...

A reproduction print of an architectural pencil sketch of a skyscraper with Gothic features. The drawing was reproduced from the Alfred E. Barnes Jr . Architectural Collection. Artist initials are listed as EMO in the lower right corner of the work. Additional text from the original sketch reads "HOIT PRICE & BA...