The New York Life Building at Ninth street is in the center background of this old postcard showing Baltimore north from Eleventh. The Building was designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White (Stanford) of New York and built in 1887-1890 of Vermont stone, brownstone, ornamented terra cotta and brick. It is one of the few examples of fine 19th century architecture remaining in downtown Kansas City. In 1890 Baltimore avenue between Ninth and Eleventh streets was a barren road, closed in on either side by high bluffs. No buildings had been erected on the tops of the high embankments, but commanding the street at Ninth street was the 10-story New York Life. The site was one of the best, for the “Junction,” Kansas City’s busiest spot since 1870, was only a block distant. High above the building’s entrance, with its handsome wrought-iron, semi-circular arch, the famous Saint-Gaudens bronze eagle stands on a ledge with enormous outstretched wings over its nest with two eaglets, and in its talons is a serpent. It is considered one of the most beautiful eagles in the United States and was designed to adorn New York Life buildings in Omaha, St. Paul and Kansas City. In 1944 Charles F. Curry bought the building from the insurance company as an investment. It has been improved and kept in good repair. In the foreground of the picture the Willis Wood theater at the left advertises Lillian Russell as the attraction. George B. Peck’s and John Taylor’s Dry Goods companies are on the right, with early day motor cars and a few horse-drawn vehicles at the curb. Kansas City Star, March 29, 1969.
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