Liberty Memorial Musuem and Penn Valley Park

[FangKC]

Cydney Millstein works my last nerve sometimes. It's all well and good to honor an architect's vision -- to a point. When the space doesn't work for the people who visit and reside here, then that makes the argument for changing it. McClanahan makes all the right arguments. Why not honor the ORIGINAL architect's vision, Magonicle, and not the second one who was brought in later?

New York's Central Park works better because of the additions of flower gardens, ornamental structures, terraces, and fountains. Millstein is much too rigid in her views. She thinks her preferred designer is without fault, and makes no errors. When the park doesn't attract people regularly, it's not an effective design. It might as well be a cemetery, which would at least attract funerals regularly.

She would be right to protest lining Memorial Drive with fast-food restaurants with drive-up windows. However, not all ideas or changes are bad if they are well-conceived.

Besides, the LIberty Memorial has already been modified from the original design.

Completed in 2006, the $102-million project, overseen by Kansas City-based architects Abend Singleton Associates Inc., involved the restoration of existing structures, and on the memorial’s south side, the construction of a terraced garden and reflecting pool. This provided the forecourt to a new, subterranean, 80,000 square foot study center and museum with exhibits designed by Ralph Applebaum and Associates of New York.

https://pendergastkc.org/article/liber ... n-and-now

Remember that Moishe Safdie's building design for Berstein-Rein--on the Plaza--was demolished because it was considered an undesirable design for most tenants. The building was never occupied.

Where the hell is Cydney Millstein preventing the renaming of The Paseo, because the boulevard is on the National Register of Historic Places -- under that name? Crickets.

I just hope that eventually people will ignore Cydney Millstein, and make changes to Penn Valley Park that will attract regular users, and improve the experience for everyone.

[missingkc]

I have to say I find the visual simplicity and austerity of the Memorial agreeable. I think it creates a fitting tribute to the lives lost and pains suffered during the Great War. It creates, in the middle of the city, a place where solitude and stillness are possible. One can go there and be alone with one's thoughts.

As for lack of use, and this isn't intended as a rhetorical question, does any park in Downtown get much use? Is the design of the Memorial really the cause of the lawn's emptiness?

[flyingember]

As for lack of use, and this isn't intended as a rhetorical question, does any park in Downtown get much use? Is the design of the Memorial really the cause of the lawn's emptiness?

Without data I would assume Case Park.

It has a playground near residential, connects to a trail for fitness and has a dog area.

Dog parks are super popular. The dog park off NE 32nd St can have 100 dogs in it at 5pm on a weekday.

[kcjak]

Penn Valley has pockets of activity - the dog park and skate park are highly used, as are the softball fields during nice weather. Goes to show you that if you provide access and options people will use the park.

[kboish]

The problem with the park is you have to drive to locations located within the park and the park is surrounded by and cut in half by highway type roads. This means you see zero pedestrian activity or park usage on the perimeter of the park. While I agree that there are some pockets of the park that are used relatively well, it is grossly underused and the lack of pedestrian activity, uses, and connectivity on the perimeter amplifies the perception.

[kboish]

In other words, its not the boxy design of the memorial that makes no one go there, its the terrible design of the roads and surrounding land use.

[kcjak]

It's the access to the front lawn from all directions and lack of things to do that are the problem with the underusage. How can anyone think that if the original designs of the north side of the memorial were implemented that there would not be more use? Why would I take time to walk around the memorial, up/down stairs or up crumbling walkways from the north to access a bunch or grass or fountain?

Look at the successful or highly used parks/memorials around the country and world as examples.

[kboish]

Agreed. The connectivity issue between North/South side of the memorial is part of it to. The overall lack of connectivity within the whole park is just silly. Its like it is not meant to be used as a park, but only as a backdrop to a post card.

[beautyfromashes]

I see activity all the time. I even see lots of people setting up tents so they can experience the beautiful park at all hours.

[WSPanic]

I see activity all the time. I even see lots of people setting up tents so they can experience the beautiful park at all hours.

I think Washington Park in the warm months is a very affordable hostile or airbnb.

[FangKC]

The large expanse of grass on the north side of the Memorial is visually imposing. The human eye tells the brain "that is a long way to walk." There is no encouragement to engage in natural curiosity or exploring. A terraced flower garden with art and fountains would pull people up from Union Station, Crown Center, and the hotels. It would be an attraction itself.

The other point I'd make is that the dog and skate park have also been alterations to the original pastoral setting. Allowing cars to blast 50 miles an hour through the middle of the park down Broadway is violating the pastoral setting. There used to be a public swimming pool in the park that was taken out when they built the freeway ramps.

It's also ridiculous that there isn't a botanical garden in Penn Valley Park. Powell Gardens advertises itself as Kansas City's botanical garden and it's 42 miles from downtown.

Welcome to Kansas City’s Botanical Garden

https://powellgardens.org/

I also defy you to find five people out of 100 looking from the Memorial deck at that grass that are contemplating the dead or suffering from WWI. One can be alone with one's thoughts in a botanical garden, or terraced garden with fountains and plantings.

[TheLastGentleman]

I personally think the memorial structure itself is still quite good, and that McClanahan is exaggerating its flaws. He has a point though, and I like the massing of the original plan a lot better, but the final design still retains the most important elements; the sphinxes, the east and west halls, the frieze, and the tower, which survived from the original plan almost completely intact. Also, it's built, so no need to worry too much about what could've been.

However, he's completely right in that the north lawn is a reprehensible eyesore that diminishes the effect of the whole site. The fact that the memorial and Union Station aren't facing each other along a north south axis, coupled with how the memorial's axis isn't carried through to the north side, make the structure seem lost amongst the vast field of grass.



There IS an offical design out there for another plan, which shows the memorial as-built with more landscaping and stairs defining an axis down to a central fountain that greatly resembles the Bloch fountain, as shown in this awful picture I took of a info board in the plaza library.



However, I've always pictured a big staircase like this



Or this, with a funicular



I just want SOMETHING

[anonkcmo]

A beautiful grand middle staircase with with several tiers, perhaps 4.

The stair and tier designs would encourage people to climb to see what's next.
Each "tier" would level off into covered resting/contemplation area large enough for 100+ people and could feature:

Level 1) Art and kiosks of Kansas City and Missouri history
Level 2) Small fountains and gardens and sculptures
Level 3) Covered areas for picnics, resting area benches with a small stage or platform for public speaking
Level 4) A dedicated chess area (stone chairs and 4-6 stone tables with inlaid chess boards) and dedicated lawn game setups like boce', badminton, beanbag toss, mini golf, etc.

These are just my immediate ideas, I'm sure better ideas are out there.

[normalthings]

Would it be possible for National Parks to pick up the Liberty Memorial in the future? Similar to STL and the Gateway Park/Memorial.

[FangKC]

America's Most Beautiful Gardens

Find sanctuary at these spectacular botanic gardens where nature and art intertwine.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/slides ... ul-gardens

[TheLastGentleman]

I really like how the original design didn't just lay the staircase and terraces on top of the hill, but actually excavated the hill itself to form terraces with their own gardens, braced by giant retaining walls. Would've given the hill layers and a sense of structure that it lacks now.



Something similar can still be done. There's certainly enough hill to work with.



I'm picturing a wide central stair, flanked by two rivers of water that match the two north fountains and flow down to near the Bloch fountain, visually connecting the memorial to Union Station with water. They could flow over the large retaining walls, creating waterfalls on the way down. To the sides of those would be landscaped terraces. Under the ground could be small exhibition spaces, continuing the theme of underground spaces started by the main underground museum space. These, like in anon's plan, could house local history displays/how the war impacted the city, a small downtown outpost of the Nelson-Atkins, or even some tastefully selected businesses, like the restaurant that's in the main museum. I could totally see people getting a coffee and then coming out to the stairs to sit. They would be reached by short bridges over the water streams.

I'm not sure how deep the museum's foundations go, but maybe there could even be a north facing entrance to the underground museum

[TheLastGentleman]

http://marcsuniqueantiques.com/product/ ... atlas-map/

[TheLastGentleman]

Lots of plans and photos from before the renovation here. Interesting stuff

https://picryl.com/search?q=%23kansas%2Bcity&page=29

[FangKC]

Memorial before modifications that included the new entrance.



https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0798164 ... 312!8i6656

[TheLastGentleman]

Really shows how brilliant the underground entrance is. Perfectly preserved everything above ground level while adding so much below it

Also, you can download super high quality versions of the drawings and photos from these two listings in the library of congress. Just click on an image, go to "download" under the picture, change it from JPEG to TIFF, and hit go.

Photos: https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.mo1855 ... st=gallery

Drawings: https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.mo1855 ... st=gallery