Mineral Hall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mineral Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Facade of Mineral Hall in 1988
Mineral Hall Location in Missouri Show map of Missouri Mineral Hall Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	4340 Oak St., Kansas City, Missouri
Built	1903 (1903)
Built by	Henry H. Johnson
Architect	Louis S. Curtiss
Architectural style	Prairie School
NRHP reference No.	76001112
Added to NRHP	12 July 1976

Mineral Hall is a really old and cool building in Kansas City, Missouri. It was built way back in 1903. This amazing house shows off a special style of building called Prairie School architecture. A famous architect named Louis Singleton Curtiss designed it. It was first built to be a home for someone.

What Mineral Hall Looks Like

Mineral Hall is found in a neighborhood in Kansas City called South Hyde Park. The famous architect Louis S. Curtiss designed this building. It mixes different old building styles like Second Empire, Art Nouveau, and Neoclassical.

The building is mostly shaped like a rectangle. It has parts that stick out on its north, south, west, and northwest sides. It has three floors above the ground, plus a full basement. The building is about 75 feet long and 55 feet wide.

The bottom part of the building is made from large, rough blocks of limestone. This stone came from Jackson County. The front of the building faces Oak Street. It has a stone porch and a main entrance with seven wide stone steps. The arch over the entrance and the stairway are decorated with cool designs.

The Story of Mineral Hall

Mineral Hall was built between 1903 and 1904. It took about 14 months to finish. Back then, it cost around $25,000 to build, which was a lot of money!

The house was first built for a man named William A. Rule. He wanted to make sure the neighborhood stayed nice. However, he never actually lived in the house. In 1905, Roland E. Bruner bought Mineral Hall and made it his home.

The building is a great example of the work of Louis S. Curtiss. He was a very important architect in Kansas City and was born in Canada. A local stone expert named Henry H. Johnson helped supervise the building work.

In 1968, Mineral Hall was given to the Kansas City Art Institute. This means it became part of an art school! Later, on July 12, 1976, Mineral Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list helps protect important buildings in the United States.

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