The current home of the Kansas City Automotive Museum is a little bit hidden away in Olathe, Kansas. This 10,000 square-foot museum is PACKED with all sorts of cars and information. Much more than I anticipated. Founded and opened in 2014, the Automotive Museum houses many cars and other objects that are on loan from their owners, where they are safe but also provide a place for others to share in the joy of their uniqueness.
There are race cars, turquoise-colored cars from the 1950s, an original Model T, 1912 Ford Model T, Packard Roadster, Studebacker, Bentley, Jaguar, Chevrolet Sport Phaeton, a bubble car, children’s go-carts, and so much more. I am not a car enthusiast, but I definitely enjoyed this experience.
We went with friends in October and were delighted to have a docent go through the entire museum with us. He was fantastic in explaining the different cars and what made them special; the special exhibits; the history of cars in Kansas City, and answered all of our questions, even the naïve ones.
Along the walls was information about the Kansas City automotive industry. I knew we have factories here, but I had no idea how long cars have been made in the area. I also did not realize that in the early years there were many small car companies that made perhaps dozens of cars before they closed. But that makes sense as all cars were originally made by hand. It wasn’t until Ford came up with the assembly line that car making became quicker and cheaper.
I was also amazed about how streets were developed. There was not always all the pavedc roads everywhere. They had to be built. One fun fact I learned was the origins of the term Jaywalking. It was a term for people who crossed the street in front of cars, making them seem not very smart.. Unlike now when motorists is blamed if they go too quickly and hurt someone, then they turned it around and blamed the pedestrian if they went in front of a car or were hit by a car!!!!
The Homer B. Roberts Gallery is in honor of the first African American car salesman in the Kansas City area. In the early 1900s he had an office at 14th and Vine where he sold cars to the African American community. I had not thought of that before, white salespeople did not sell to African Americans, but in order to make more money they needed a salesperson. Enter Homer B. Roberts and Roberts Motor Mart.
There is so much information in the permanent displays of the museum, a car enthusiast could spend hours looking at cars and listening to the stories. But there is also an exhibit room for special displays. When we went there were motor homes/campers from the early 1970s. Some were all in one, others were ones that were pulled by a car. I enjoyed seeing those as well.
The Kansas City Automotive Museum is building a new home in Kansas City, Missouri, on the north side of 31 street between Broadway Boulevard and Southwest Trafficway. It will be much bigger, 40,000 square feet, and able to display many more of the community’s antique and special cars.
This is a fun and informative museum, a hidden history gem, in Olathe. But when it moves to Kansas City, Missouri, set to open in 2027, I believe it will be even more impressive. I look forward to visiting the new museum then. For more information go to the website, https://kansascityautomuseum.com/
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