Oct 18, 2023
National Register of Historic Places - William Baker and Mary Knight House
Statement of Significance: The William Baker Knight house, located at 3534 Walnut Street in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its local significance under Criterion C in the area of Architecture. Knight, a nationally recognized civil engineer and significant in the planning and construction of early Kansas City rail lines, built his large home at the southernmost point of the Kansas City trolley line in 1890. The house is significant as a superb example of the Victorian Queen Anne style. The home is designed and built in a grand manner, reflected in materials and details of a very high quality consistent with the Queen Anne style. The period of significance is 1890-1914, the year of construction through the date of the last major exterior modifications to the property. Architecture The Knight house is significant as an excellent example of the Victorian Queen Anne style. The house features masonry and half-timbering, both uncommon treatments for this style. The house was featured in two volumes of noteworthy Kansas City architecture, Kansas City; A Place in Time by the Landmarks Commission of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City by the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The Victorian Queen Anne style was reaching the height of its popularity when William Baker Knight and his wife, Mary, constructed the house. The style was commonly found in Kansas City neighborhoods settled in the 1880s and 1890s. Queen Anne houses were noted for decorative exteriors, achieved through wall overhangs, extensions and the application of a variety of materials, all seen on this house. The incorporation of decorative half-timbering would have made the house especially noticeable, as only about five percent of Queen Anne houses feature this treatment. The house also contains other elements consistent with the Queen Anne sub-type. These elements, also found in some Tudor Revival houses, include dominant gables facing the public thoroughfares, groupings of three windows, brackets and modillions supporting the third story and patterned masonry chimneys. The house is also notable for its masonry construction, present in only approximately five percent of Queen Anne houses. The house retains its early exterior form, including a 1914 sleeping porch addition. The house's interior is also remarkably well preserved. The original floor plan, woodwork, windows, stairway and fireplace surrounds all contribute to its very high level of integrity.
National Register of Historic Places - William Baker and Mary Knight House
Statement of Significance: The William Baker Knight house, located at 3534 Walnut Street in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its local significance under Criterion C in the area of Architecture. Knight, a nationally recognized civil engineer and significant in the planning and construction of early Kansas City rail lines, built his large home at the southernmost point of the Kansas City trolley line in 1890. The house is significant as a superb example of the Victorian Queen Anne style. The home is designed and built in a grand manner, reflected in materials and details of a very high quality consistent with the Queen Anne style. The period of significance is 1890-1914, the year of construction through the date of the last major exterior modifications to the property. Architecture The Knight house is significant as an excellent example of the Victorian Queen Anne style. The house features masonry and half-timbering, both uncommon treatments for this style. The house was featured in two volumes of noteworthy Kansas City architecture, Kansas City; A Place in Time by the Landmarks Commission of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City by the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The Victorian Queen Anne style was reaching the height of its popularity when William Baker Knight and his wife, Mary, constructed the house. The style was commonly found in Kansas City neighborhoods settled in the 1880s and 1890s. Queen Anne houses were noted for decorative exteriors, achieved through wall overhangs, extensions and the application of a variety of materials, all seen on this house. The incorporation of decorative half-timbering would have made the house especially noticeable, as only about five percent of Queen Anne houses feature this treatment. The house also contains other elements consistent with the Queen Anne sub-type. These elements, also found in some Tudor Revival houses, include dominant gables facing the public thoroughfares, groupings of three windows, brackets and modillions supporting the third story and patterned masonry chimneys. The house is also notable for its masonry construction, present in only approximately five percent of Queen Anne houses. The house retains its early exterior form, including a 1914 sleeping porch addition. The house's interior is also remarkably well preserved. The original floor plan, woodwork, windows, stairway and fireplace surrounds all contribute to its very high level of integrity.
Oct 18, 2023
Posted Date
Aug 18, 2023
Historical Record Date
Oct 18, 2023
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
