This collection contains the work of Steve Lispi, a commercial artist who was especially active during the mid-20th century. Lispi designed advertisements, packaging, branding, and various promotional materials for numerous clients in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest. The collection contains illustrations, lettering, cartoons, logo designs, layout sketches, menus, print advertisements and original artwork of various media.
The Richards and Conover Hardware Company was started in 1857 by John Francisco Richards and continued to operate as a family-owned business until it closed in 1999. This collection, donated by a former president of the company and descendant of John F. Richards, consists of the business records created and maintained by the company’s owners and employees.
This series contains photographs, miscellaneous documents,and newspaper clippings pertaining to the Sicilian-American criminal brotherhood known as the Unione Sicilione, or Unione Siciliana, and individuals suspected of having ties to organized crime, mafia, and mob activity in Kansas City.
Open since 1900, the Folly Theater has assumed several names and identities over the decades, from a vaudeville, burlesque, and Shakespearean playhouse to an X-rated movie theater. Today, it serves as Kansas City’s oldest performing arts venue. The Folly Theater Collection contains photographs, scrapbooks, posters, administrative and financial records, building blueprints, and various artifacts that document the theater’s diverse history.
This series contains files on criminals of Italian descent suspected of having ties to organized crime, mafia, and mob activity in Kansas City. Items include: mug shots, photographs, KCPD and FBI records, short biographies, and newspaper clippings. While most of the documents are undated, many contain arrest records from the 1930s until the year 1950. This series is arranged alphabetically by surname.
Frank N. (Mickey) Schubert is a historian who has done extensive research on the topic of Buffalo Soldiers, specifically the experiences of individuals. This collection consists of Schubert’s research files, copies of his speeches and presentations, manuscripts and articles he reviewed, and photograph prints used in his books.