Western Dental college and old Central high school, Kansas City's first public high school, are pictured on this 1911 post card on the south side of Eleventh street at Locust. Eldon E. Hahn's book store and George Keifer's restaurant occupied the ground floor space in the dental college building. Dr. D. J. McMillen founded the college in 1890 at 12 West Tenth street. He was the first dean of the college, which opened with 60 pupils and a faculty of nine. When larger quarters were needed the school was moved to the Navaho building at 716 Delaware street. For 19 years the college remained in the building at Eleventh and Locust. Then in 1919 it merged with its rival, the Kansas City Dental college. Kansas City Western Dental college was the name given after consolidation. Twenty-two years later, in 1941, Dr. Clarence R. Decker, president of the University of Kansas City (now UMKC) and Dr. Roy J. Rinehart, dean of the Kansas City Western Dental college, effected a complete consolidation of the schools. Today the school is the University of Missouri-Kansas City school of dentistry, and occupies a splendid new building at 650 East Twenty-fifth street, on Hospital Hill, where classes are held and a clinic is maintained. Kansas City Star, January 16, 1971.
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