During its early life as the Kansas City Museum, Corinthian Hall
housed a large collection of stuffed animals in lifelike
dioramas, and offered classes in taxidermy. The museum was a
pioneer of natural history. Since then, the great majority of
the preserved animals have been moved to larger institutions,
and the mission of the Kansas City Museum has undergone a
metamorphosis. Corinthian Hall and the Kansas City Museum share
a thread of change which began in 1934, shortly after lumber
baron and philanthropist R.A. Long’s death. For the first time
since its construction, the residence was not used as a home. An
estate sale in that year emptied the mansion of most of its
original furnishings. In 1939, Long’s daughters donated the
estate to the Kansas City Museum, and renovations began
immediately. The alteration of many of the house’s rooms raises
a quandary. How can the house best be used to illustrate Kansas
City’s history — as a historic house or as an exhibition space?
In 1959, the American Institute of Dec