Convention Hall

It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and built at the corner of 13th and Central and cost $225,000 and opened on February 22, 1899, with a performance by the John Philip Sousa band.

It was destroyed in a fire on April 4, 1900, the same year that Kansas City was scheduled to host the Democratic National Convention over July 4.

Hill redesigned a new hall that would be fireproof and it was built in 90 days in an effort that was called "Kansas City Spirit."

The Kansas City hall operators backed out of the contract before installation when it was discovered the document had never legally been ratified.

The hall hosted the 1928 Republican Convention and was torn down in 1936 when it became a parking lot for the new Municipal Auditorium.