The Kansas City Athenaeum was organized in 1894 by 71 charter members aiming to increase women's influence in our growing city by advocating for educational and community improvements. A 1907 fire in the downtown Pepper Building forced the Athenaeum members to flee their meeting. The Club now had an incentive to establish a permanent home. A site at the corner of Linwood Boulevard and Campbell Str
eet was chosen for the proximity of two streetcar routes that made it easily accessible. Through various fundraisers, the women accumulated half the necessary funds to build. They even convinced a reluctant male business community to back a ten-year note to finance construction. The Greek Revival Club House was completed in 1914 and a celebration held there in 1922, when the loan was paid off two years early. The Athenaeum’s focus evolved from a study society to a literary and philanthropic organization. The club became a dynamic advocate for educational, community and other civic causes. A membership of over 900 in the 1920s made the Athenaeum a positive agent for advances in health, education and family issues in Kansas City. The Kansas City Athenaeum building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Athenaeum members sold the magnificent building to the Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 2015.
