Historical image of the Carriage House with the west side of Corinthian Hall in the foreground; circa 1930s, courtesy of The Museum of Kansas City.
The Museum of Kansas City is proud to be working on the restoration and rehabilitation of the Carriage House with the same stellar team that completed Corinthian Hall in 2021: International Architects Atelier (IAA), JE Dunn Construction, and G&A.
While IAA completes design documents and JE Dunn prioritizes the exterior masonry restoration of the Carriage House, G&A is working with the Museum on planning future exhibits and experiences.
The first building completed on the property in 1909, the Carriage House will include exhibits, interactives, and media that explore Kansas City’s agricultural, equestrian, and transportation history.
As G&A and the Museum design the spaces, they are guided by these overarching principles:
- Foster pride in Kansas City’s role as an internationally significant agricultural hub.
- Celebrate the ingenuity of Kansas City’s core industries (including fur trapping, animal hides, farming, livestock, meatpacking, grain processing, lumber milling, mining, and railroads).
- Connect across the region to surrounding towns and rural communities in Missouri and Kansas through stories of transportation and migration.
- Create a welcoming space that helps visitors feel at home inthe Museum, and in Kansas City at large.
- Highlight the diverse ways people experience and create a home.
The Museum is planning three galleries and a lobby for admissions and retail. In the first gallery, visitors will uncover what inspired individuals and groups to move to, through, and away from Kansas City and the surrounding region. In the second gallery, visitors will understand that places in the Kansas City region are not static; the people who moved to different destinations transformed them over time. They will also discover that regional routes — from its rivers and trails to its railroads and roads — were central to the growth and transformation of the region and its industries. The third gallery will be for rotating exhibits that explore how the city has developed in relationship with its surrounding towns and rural communities. The first exhibition in this gallery will focus on the Santa Fe Trail and Kansas City’s historical connection to the Southwest.
The Museum is actively fundraising for the exhibit and experience planning process and aims to complete the design by April 2026.
To learn more about the Carriage House project, visit museumofkansascity.org.
