[2] Athenaeum members faced scrutiny for wanting a building for their own use instead of continuing to rent spaces in Kansas City.

Additional funds were raised by producing extravagant musical productions, including the operetta, "The House that Jack Built".

[3] Architect Samuel Tarbet and contractor Harvey Stiver were hired, and the members watched their dream come to fruition with the erection of their own club house.

At the time of the building's opening, the Kansas City Athenaeum had more than 500 members who chose their department of interest: The Arts, Music, Literature, Home Economics, Philosophy and Ethics, and Public Issues.

This article about a property in Kansas City, Missouri on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.