Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods Company facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Emery, Bird and Thayer Building
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods Company
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	1016–1018 Grand Ave., Kansas City, Missouri
Area	0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Built	1889
Architect	Van Brunt & Howe; Henry Van Brunt
Architectural style	Free Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	72001561
Removed from NRHP	January 1, 1999

Emery, Bird, Thayer & Company was a famous department store in Downtown Kansas City. It had a long history, going back almost to when Kansas City first started as Westport Landing. People often called the store EBT.

The EBT store closed its doors in 1968. Its main building was very important and was even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, it was torn down in 1971.

The Story of EBT: A Kansas City Store

How the Store Began

The EBT store started way back in the 1860s. It was founded by two businessmen, Kersey Coates and William Gillis. Their first store was in the old Town of Kansas, at the corner of Missouri Avenue and Main Street.

At first, the store helped travelers get ready for long journeys. These travelers were heading out on famous routes like the Oregon Trail and Santa Fe Trail. But soon, the store became more fancy and sold nicer items. It moved to a new, bigger building with three floors at Seventh and Main.

Changes and New Names

The original store, called Coates and Gillis, later joined with another store. This new store was run by Thomas B. Bullene. So, the name changed to Coates and Bullene.

After that, it changed again to Bullene, Moore and Emery. Finally, in the 1890s, the store got its last name: Emery, Bird, Thayer & Company. This name came from three important investors: W. E. Emery, Joseph Taylor Bird. Sr., and William B. Thayer.

A Grand New Building

In the 1890s, the store opened a huge new building. It took up a whole city block! This impressive building was located along East 11th Street, stretching from Walnut to Grand. The famous architects Van Brunt & Howe designed it.

This new EBT building quickly became the most popular spot on the city's main shopping street. People even called this street "Petticoat Lane." The store was also well-known for its lovely Tea Room, where shoppers could relax.

Why the Store Closed

EBT tried to grow its business. In 1925, it opened a new branch store in the Country Club Plaza. This branch was made even bigger in 1963. EBT also bought another store, the Bundschu store, in Independence.

However, shopping habits were changing, and cities were growing differently. EBT found it hard to keep up with these new trends. In 1968, the store had to close down. This sad event meant that about 800 people lost their jobs.

What Happened Next

After the main EBT building in downtown Kansas City was torn down, a new building was built there. This new building belongs to UMB Financial Corporation. They kept a few special parts from the old EBT building in their new design.

For many years, there was a restaurant called EBT near I-435. It had lots of cool things from the old department store. This restaurant closed in December 2015.

The old EBT warehouse, located at 16th and Walnut, has been changed into modern apartments. During the renovation, the words "Emery Bird Thayer Warehouse" on the side of the building were repainted.