Our Current Project

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The Society's first project involves the restoration and preservation of the 100-year-old William Rockhill Nelson Memorial Chapel. The Society owns and is responsible for the care of the chapel, in keeping with the wishes of the Nelson family. There are no descendants.

Nelson founded The Kansas City Star newspaper in 1880. He is interred in the chapel with his wife Ida, their daughter Laura and her husband Irwin Russell Kirkwood. The chapel is also of architectural significance. It was designed by the noted Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt who also designed the landmark Union Station in Kansas City. The beautiful tile, vaulted ceiling was the work of Raphael Guastavino who also created the magnificent ceilings in the Boston Public Library and the Grand Hall at Ellis Island.

The Society recently completed repairs to the Nelson Chapel roof.  While mitigating water issues is the first step in preserving any building, there is so much that remains to be done on the chapel. It needs a lot of TLC, including:

• Security upgrades.
• Conservation work to prolong the life of the limestone exterior walls, and the sandstone interior walls.
• Replacement of a bronze dedicatory plaque placed in 1917 that was stolen by vandals during the 1980s.
• Restoration of the massive oak doors on the north and south entrances.
• Restoration of the stained-glass windows on all four sides of the structure.
• Providing electricity to the site.
• Landscaping around the chapel.
• Drainage improvements for the one-acre lot upon which the chapel sits.
• Making application to have the chapel placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Replacement of the American flag and stand originally placed near the W.R. Nelson tomb.
• And a general cleanup of the interior of the chapel, probably for the first time in 103 years.

The historic building is structurally sound and the society is fully committed to keeping it that way for the

benefit of future generations.