KCRag Forum

What happened to this place?  I mean, it's pretty much a freakin' dump.  I was up there this morning and it seems they are trying to clean the place up but they have SO FAR TO GO.  You can see by driving around that this little city was really something at one time.  It was an urbanist dream in many respects.  It's really sad to see what became of it.  Anyone got any in depth information about this place?  Where it was at one time and where it might be headed in the future?  The only thing I know anything about there is The Elms.

Thrillcekr wrote: What happened to this place?  I mean, it's pretty much a freakin' dump.  I was up there this morning and it seems they are trying to clean the place up but they have SO FAR TO GO.  You can see by driving around that this little city was really something at one time.  It was an urbanist dream in many respects.  It's really sad to see what became of it.  Anyone got any in depth information about this place?  Where it was at one time and where it might be headed in the future?  The only thing I know anything about there is The Elms.

I guess Excelsior Springs started to decline  in the 60's.  It clearly has the look of a city that has seen some glory days in the past though.  I use to go up there in the late 60's with my dad who worked in the area for a while.  Kind of reminded me of an elegant but rundown Mayberry RFD.  Just wondering .... what was the reason for it's heydey.  I heard something about it being a retreat outside the city to beat the summer heat and the "therepeutic quality" of the spring water brought people in for health reasons.  Anybody know anything about its history and origins?

They still have a nice little golf course...quiet, green and very mature (kind of rare for kc area courses these days).  But you're right...it's a dump.  If you want to experience the Worst of Excelsior, spend a night in the city's jewel of the dump...The Elms.  If that's what it's like AFTER a multi-million dollar facelift, it must been on the freaking verge of implosion before.  Imagine the house in the Shining...abandoned in the winter and covered in blood stains...then burn it and runa tornado through it....that's the Elms.

Damn Wango - We didn't see it THAT badly. Granted the spa facilities aren't as good as the Hall of Waters, but criminee!
We had a very nice room on the 5th floor of The Elms last year. We got a private elevator key and free hor de herves and access to the wine/beer bar (with the rest of the 5th floor) between I think 5-7 pm on weeknights. Was very nice.
THE place to go in Excelsior IS the Hall of Waters. If your into theraputic message in a historic setting and at the world's largest water bar, then you gotta visit this place!!! Bubble tubs, scotch needle baths, light vapor baths, Ohhhhh my gawd!!!
This place is GREAT!!!!

Sportster
...60 minute message and a bubble tub please! 

Sportster wrote: Damn Wango - We didn't see it THAT badly. Granted the spa facilities aren't as good as the Hall of Waters, but criminee!
We had a very nice room on the 5th floor of The Elms last year. We got a private elevator key and free hor de herves and access to the wine/beer bar (with the rest of the 5th floor) between I think 5-7 pm on weeknights. Was very nice.
THE place to go in Excelsior IS the Hall of Waters. If your into theraputic message in a historic setting and at the world's largest water bar, then you gotta visit this place!!! Bubble tubs, scotch needle baths, light vapor baths, Ohhhhh my gawd!!!
This place is GREAT!!!!

Sportster
...60 minute message and a bubble tub please! 

i went to see the elms last year, not at christmas, but in the fall. a chef buddy of mine, was the chef there in 86-90, and he was my mentor, at any rate, that is where he came from, so i did a pilgrimage to see it. not as bad as wanger is saying. it looks nice still, the mineral baths in the basement are a little strange, but it is still a marvelous facility.

i oft wonder how many more empty years it can survive in excelcior, but we shall see.

You can see where that place used to really pack'em in at one time.  The minerals baths that is.  There are several good sized abandoned buildings that used to be hotels in the downtown area and I'm assuming that's the reason they were there.  It's the only reason that I can think of why anything would be there.

I noticed while I was looking around though that the place is starting to make a comeback.  They have all new sidewalks and some nice lamp posts they have put in recently in the downtown area.  Several of the old houses are being restored also.  If you're a do-it-yourselfer that's looking for a real bargain on a very old house then I'm sure you can find plenty of really good deals around there.

As for Slappy's comments, whether it's 100% truth or a slight exaggeration that's what makes Slappy the king of all Wangs.  His words are his paint and this forum is his canvas.  I'm a huge fan of his work and hope to see it in the Crossroads someday.  Long live the Wangster!!!!

Here's some new news for Excelsior:

Posted on Wed, Feb. 08, 2006
Oaks Hotel restoration to get $1 million in tax credits
By GLENN E. RICE
The Kansas City Star

“The building is a reflection of the city’s historic past.â€

You can tell ExSprings must of been some place, once in time.  It is very different from any other place in the area, with it's deep valley, steep hills and several large empty brick buildings.

zlohban wrote: You can tell ExSprings must of been some place, once in time.  It is very different from any other place in the area, with it's deep valley, steep hills and several large empty brick buildings.

The scenery in the old part of town is unbeatable for this area.

Excelsior Springs was a spa resort town that achieved fame in the late 1800's.  Back in that time, people could not travel to Hawaii or even Florida for a getaway.  Also the holistic healing approaches were very popular.  Excelsior Springs' waters were said to have healing properties.  So many people beleived this that doctors would write prescriptions to go to the spa resorts and clinics at Excelsior Springs as part of the healing regimen.  However, about 1960, the pharmaceutical industry had successfully lobbied congress to have this practice outlawed.  Also, Colliers Magazine sent some reporters undercover to Excelsior Springs to write an expose article about the supposed healing qualities of the water.  This, coupled with Americans new found freedom to travel to such places as Hawaii signaled the death knell to Excelsior Springs, which slid into a decline in the 60's and 70's and never recovered.  People used to ride the interurban line to Excelsior Springs on weekend getaways, but that era has long passed.

TMI

Stevo

If a dying town like Weston can reinvent itself successfully to feed off the metro trade, why not Excelsior?

Excelsior is making steps forward...
The Oaks has been renovated to residential, there is another building near downtown (an old school) that will be renovated to condos. The streets and sidewalks have all been improved in Downtown. Houses are finally being redone and moved into (by ppl of various incomes, low, medium and high).

It is a very very beautiful place, but there just isn't anything to do anymore, especially for the youth.

It also really boomed in the early/mid 1900s because of the springs located there. It attracted people from not only the region but also outside the United States, extending to even Europe. It was basically a resort town as well as a town for healing (the springs were also used medically as well as for drinking).
However some things happened, Excelsior (Like KC and large cities) experienced it's own little "white flight", it also gave up it's resort town image and turned away from the springs. Many had said that the waters could not help heal people, and I guess the leaders adopted this idea and rejected the idea of springs having healing qualities.

However recently they've been trying to bring downtown back. It isn't experiencing a huge renaissance, but good things are coming at a steady pace. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of young people that are willing to stay and live in downtown or Excelsior, so most of the downtown housing is going for the elderly.

But hopefully they bring back the resort image and try to resurrect the idea that water can have healing properties. I personally believe minerals in the water can help heal someone of ailments, injuries etc... Excelsior still has the beauty, it still has lakes, it still has some amenities, it could definitely be brought back. And hopefully the renaissance of urban KC encourages Excelsior to continue in it's renaissance.

A thread that has some of my pictures of Excelsior...
http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=11898.0

If the Oaks is half as nice as the Elms it will be twice the trash heap.

Slappy, there is nothing wrong with the Elms, and why don't you actually try being in Excelsior more than once or twice before you try talking crap about it?

ShowMeKC wrote: Slappy, there is nothing wrong with the Elms, and why don't you actually try being in Excelsior more than once or twice before you try talking crap about it?

I've been there many times and have stayed at the Elms at least 4 times in the past 3 years (corporate functions, parties, etc).  It's horrible.  If the current state is considered "renovated" it must have been in complete disrepair.  The spa is dungy, dark and reminiscent of a 1960's YMCA.

and should I believe you over the many many other people I know that have stayed there?

ShowMeKC wrote: and should I believe you over the many many other people I know that have stayed there?

If your pals are accustomed to residing in dungeons, I'm sure they loved it.  For those of us who aren't members of the salamander family, it's more than a bit unrefined.

And I'm sure you are one of a very few that dislike staying at the Elms. Your 4-5 days you've spent in total there does not convince me because I've known people who have stayed there at varying times, who work(ed) there, who have had events/receptions there, etc...

So I'm sorry, but even if you had a few bad experiences, that doesn't mean everyone has the same bad experiences, and it doesn't mean the Elms sucks.

You are also the one that called Excelsior a dump... Why should I listen to you when you don't even have a positive opinion about the town itself?

I'm sorry, but your opinions and statements are just as valid as someone who has never stayed in KC except maybe 3-4 times in a hotel and who thinks KC is a dump. Who do you trust more, someone who has lived and worked in Excelsior, or someone who has only stayed there a couple nights and who generally thinks the whole town is a dump?

I'm aware of parts of human psychology, and I don't know your story or why you don't like Excelsior, but it's going to take a lot more than just your bias opinion for me to change mine.

I'm not saying your opinion is invalid, but I"m saying that it is your opinion, and your opinion does not make a fact.

The Elms has fluctuated in management quality like a roller coaster for as long as I have been alive so I can't see that it would be entirely fair to speak in absolutes one way or the other.  Whether or not a person had a positive experience there will likely hinge on just when they went during the many ebbs and flows over the years.  They really need a large national chain to come in and dump a boatload of money into turning it into the full scale, luxury resort it could be.

ShowMeKC wrote: And I'm sure you are one of a very few that dislike staying at the Elms. Your 4-5 days you've spent in total there does not convince me because I've known people who have stayed there at varying times, who work(ed) there, who have had events/receptions there, etc...

So I'm sorry, but even if you had a few bad experiences, that doesn't mean everyone has the same bad experiences, and it doesn't mean the Elms sucks.

You are also the one that called Excelsior a dump... Why should I listen to you when you don't even have a positive opinion about the town itself?

I'm sorry, but your opinions and statements are just as valid as someone who has never stayed in KC except maybe 3-4 times in a hotel and who thinks KC is a dump. Who do you trust more, someone who has lived and worked in Excelsior, or someone who has only stayed there a couple nights and who generally thinks the whole town is a dump?

I'm aware of parts of human psychology, and I don't know your story or why you don't like Excelsior, but it's going to take a lot more than just your bias opinion for me to change mine.

I'm not saying your opinion is invalid, but I"m saying that it is your opinion, and your opinion does not make a fact.

Speaking of psychology, my comments regarding a sub-par hotel in your town has apparently unleashed your own discomfort with who you are and where you live.  Most of us would simply accept someone's criticism of a HOTEL (not your home) and get on with our lives.  You, however, have somehow been mired in this issue and feel the need to defend the honor of an establishment I don't care for.  That's fine and I sincerely hope it allows for an aggressive escalation of your self-esteem.

I'm sure you are a fine, outstanding human being.  In fact, I'm sure you're probably the best person in Excelsior...maybe even the City Manager or the Water Services Exec...however they were both (allegedly) recently sent packing due to a lack of progress on either front.  But don't take that as a lack of progress in your life.  Things are looking up my friend.  If you dream it, you can do it!  Look at Arnold and Willis Jackson as your example.  On the surface they were hopeless, but fate brough Phillip Drummon into their life and they ultimately became Drummonds without a care in the world.  Of course, Arnold was nearly violated by Arthur Carlson in the back of a bicycle shop, but Dudley took the bullet and Arnold continued unscathed.

What I'm trying to say is that you have a great life and suicide isn't the answer.  Besides, jumping off Excelsior's tallest building probably wouldn't kill you anyway...how embarassing would that be?

Keep your chin up, your shoulders back and strut like you own the place.  With a little hard work, someday you can own the place.

And remember, NOBODY PUTS BABY IN A CORNER!

Live out loud!

See ya at the Mineral Water Bowl or Wabash BBQ or maybe Price Chopper or McDonalds.  Live baby, live!