Why is this KC place called the Carmen Building and why is it a part of railroad history?
Sometimes 100 year-old buildings are more notable for what’s transpired inside them than for their architectural flair. The Carmen Building, as it’s usually referred to, is one of them.
If things had gone differently, the 4 story structure on Linwood Avenue just west of Main Street might have been known as the Deaner Building.
It opened its doors in 1924 as the Deaner Dental Institute, where dentists could learn more about their profession. But that enterprise was painfully short-lived.
The next occupants made a far bigger impact.
The International Brotherhood of Railway Carmen was the labor union for workers who repaired and inspected train cars. During its years housed in the building (1927 to 1948) the union conducted a number of significant labor negotiations, including the Railroad Retirement Act of 1937.
After the Carmen moved into offices near the Plaza, a second medical facility took over the premises.
Philanthropist William Volker founded the Midwest Clinic (also called the Research Medical Clinic) as a facility affordable enough that the average American. might use its services. Much like the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
It too failed to gain traction, and after a few years, the engineering firm Burns and McDonnell moved in.
In 1967, the Salvation Army chose 101 W. Linwood as its headquarters, an address from which it served the metro for over forty years.
The Carmen Building has been in the news quite a bit lately. In early 2024, the Historic Kansas City Foundation and the Old Hyde Park Historic District Neighborhood mounted a campaign to stop the owner from demolishing it. Action taken by the city has temporarily halted any further dismantling of the site.
Having trouble seeing the video? Watch it here.
Looking for more Kansas City history?
Pullman porters also played an important role in railroad history here and around the U.S.
How the Heim family built a small brewing empire in this young and thirsty town
KC’s parks and boulevards owe a lot to a man named Meyer