Avenue of the Arts 2005
Kansas City, Missouri
corner of 13th and Central
Size: 16 x 8 ft.

This project is very simply rooted in looking, both at history and the present. The quote, “Commerce has made all winds her messengers. All climes her tributaries. All people her servants. Yet from the land she draws her sustenance and her strength.” was taken from the south façade of the Municipal Auditorium, which was constructed in the 1930’s at a time when ideas about manifest destiny were still a viable means for moving culture and commerce forward. This project provides an opportunity to demonstrate one way in which the buildings and public spaces we create can and will speak to those who use them, what they will say about us now as well as in the future. It is also a moment to consider the relationship between development and quality of life in asking what our current focus on downtown and development will leave as evidence of our desire for a richer urban experience.

Municipal Auditorium

“Commerce has made all winds her messengers. All climes her tributaries. All people her servants. Yet from the land she draws her sustenance and her strength.”
(South facade of the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium)
Built in 1934 the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium was part of what was known as “The Ten-Year Plan.” Passed in 1931 during the Pendergast era “The Ten-Year Plan” called for an increase in public works projects and construction. City Hall, The Jackson County Courthouse, and the Municipal Auditorium were all part of this Great Depression era plan. The Auditorium itself was built to be the premier facility of its kind in the country. Its purpose was to attract national events and invigorate a downtown that was suffering from economic hardships. The Auditorium and the other structures built during this era represent a focused effort to invigorate Kansas City with building projects and downtown activity. In the years since, activity downtown has waxed, waned, wavered, and is again experiencing a similar period of focus on development. These 1930’s buildings carry the spirit of previous development as well as a history of success and failure in efforts to create a thriving downtown.

The Avenue of the Arts provides a perfect opportunity to draw attention to this history as we navigate a new round of development downtown. As a participant in the 2005 Avenue of the Arts I plan to re-present a quote from the south facade of The Kansas City Municipal Auditorium in billboard format on the corner of 13th and Central. My intention is to draw attention to our history as a specific place, ask questions about our intentions in the current round of development downtown, and wonder about what our buildings, and their messages, will say to future generations of Kansas Citians.

This project is about observing public space and history as a first step to development. It is very simply about looking and drawing attention to a rich history that can inform our current ambitions regarding our desire for a stronger city center. What do this and the other quotes marking these buildings mean today? Is the meaning different now than it was in the 1930’s? How have our means and ends shifted in relation to our desire for better public spaces and richer urban experiences? What will our buildings say to future generations of people living in Kansas City?