Emery, Bird, Thayer Building
Once a landmark of Kansas City retail, the Emery, Bird, Thayer building was demolished in 1973—just one year after being added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Emery, Bird, Thayer Building
1016 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64100 (Map)
Built: 1889-1890
Architect: Van Brunt & Howe / Romanesque
Area: Downtown
The Emery, Bird, Thayer (EBT) department store was a major commercial and architectural landmark in downtown Kansas City for much of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The store’s origins trace back to the 1860s, when it operated as Coates and Bullene, supplying goods to travelers on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. Over time, the business expanded and eventually became known as Emery, Bird, Thayer & Co., named after partners William E. Emery, Joseph T. Bird Sr., and William B. Thayer.
In 1890, EBT moved into a new five-story building located at 11th Street between Walnut and Grand. Designed by the prominent Kansas City architecture firm Van Brunt & Howe, the building featured Free Romanesque architecture, which included pressed red brick, sandstone, terracotta ornamentation, and a notable arcade of large arched openings along the street level. Its design was intended to convey both scale and stability, with large recessed windows and symmetrical details.
Known informally as “the Big Store,” EBT became one of the most prominent department stores west of the Mississippi River. By 1915, the store employed more than 2,000 people and occupied over two acres of floor space. It sold a wide range of merchandise, including clothing, housewares, furniture, and jewelry. The building also housed a well-known tea room on the third floor, which was used for events, dining, and promotional activities.
In addition to its role as a commercial institution, the building held architectural significance. It was one of the earliest uses of arcaded design in Kansas City and influenced later nearby structures. Architect Henry Van Brunt, who designed the store, was an important figure in American architecture and also served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1899.
Despite its long-standing presence downtown, EBT began to decline in the mid-20th century as suburban shopping centers drew customers away from city centers. The downtown store closed on August 7, 1968. Although the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, there were no legal protections preventing its demolition. The building was torn down in 1973 after standing vacant for several years.
In the years following the demolition, the site was used as a surface parking lot until United Missouri Bank (UMB) constructed its new headquarters on the property in the mid-1980s. Some original elements from the EBT building were salvaged and repurposed.
Today, the only surviving structure associated with Emery, Bird, Thayer is the former warehouse at 16th and Walnut, now converted into residential units known as the EBT Lofts. The building remains a case study in the history of urban development, retail transformation, and historic preservation practices in Kansas City.
