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1928
The Raphael Hotel
Kansas City, Missouri
325 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri 64112
Original Property Opened in 1928
Historic Hotels of America member since 2001
art
ghosts
memorabilia
movies
In its first life, The Raphael Hotel was the upscale, nine-story, European-style Villa Serena Apartments, which opened in 1928 to privileged Kansas City residents. A complete restoration of the building in 2009 saw the vintage style and classic design of this landmark structure come to life again. It was from this refurbishment that the elegant Raphael was reborn. The mahogany-paneled ceiling and ornate woodwork in the lobby recalls the graciousness of a bygone era. Reflecting the hotel’s European heritage through touches of grandeur, the guestrooms accommodate the comfort and technological demands of upscale travelers. The hotel is located on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, the nation’s first shopping district designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile.
Discover
- Discover The Raphael Hotel, Kansas City’s first all-suite boutique hotel, offering European-style elegance and charm. The ornate nine-story Italian Renaissance Revival structure was born in the 1920s as a luxury apartment building and converted to a hotel in 1975. The building remains Kansas City's most recognized example of that architectural style.
- Gaze out onto Brush Creek just steps beyond the hotel's front door. This majestic body of water is mere steps from several other cultural attractions, such as Frank A. Theis Park and Kauffman Legacy Park.
- Admire the tree-lined boulevard and visit Country Club Plaza, Kansas City's finest destination for shopping, dining, and nightlife since 1922. In addition to over 150 shops and dozens of fine restaurants, it's also a Moorish-influenced open-air public art gallery with fountains, murals, mosaics, and sculptures, and is host to special events and concerts year-round.
Explore
- Explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's extensive collection of Asian art, and one of the finest collections of antique Chinese furniture in the country. Its collection of European paintings is highly regarded, and it owns one of only 25 authenticated paintings by Hieronymous Bosch in the world. The Hallmark photography collection spans 1839 to the present and includes works by Alfred Stieglitz and Dorothea Lange. Large galleries of Native American art include works by Jamie Okuma.
- Visit the family-friendly Kansas City Zoo, and explore numerous themed areas, including award-winning African and Australian animal exhibits. From sea lion shows and elephant painting demonstrations, to lorikeet feedings and chats with chimpanzees, this attraction features more than 1,300 animals.
- Travel to The John Wornall House Museum. Founded in 1858, this remarkable historic home is a house museum dedicated to preserving the historical legacy of the prominent Wornall family. The John Wornall House Museum is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Experience
- Attend a performance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Home of the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, this performance center is a hub of culture and art. It consists of two elegant performance venues, the Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall, and hosts a brilliant array of entertainment and events, including ballets, operas, symphonies, and music concerts in many genres.
- Tour Union Station Kansas City, a fully restored 1914 landmark train station that's now home to restaurants and shops, railroad and museum exhibitions, a theater, a planetarium, and the Model Train Experience, 8,000 square feet of model trains chugging through their tiny landscapes. Stop by Science City, an interactive museum for adults and children, and don't miss Regnier Extreme Screen, the largest 3-D movie screen in the region at five-and-a-half stories tall.
- Experience the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Located near Southmoreland Park, this outstanding cultural institution is among the best places to view contemporary artwork in all of Kansas City.
Taste
- Enjoy Kansas City cuisine with a side of Kansas City jazz at Chaz on the Plaza, The Raphael Hotel's signature restaurant and lounge. It's a unique destination restaurant that embodies the culture, history, and spirit of Kansas City. Menus feature a distinctive brand of modern, regional American cuisine and change seasonally to celebrate heartland bounty. The jazz brunches on weekends are a highlight, but Chaz on the Plaza's lounge also showcases live music nightly.
- Taste Kansas City barbecue—slow-smoked over a wood fire, rubbed with spices, served with a tomato-based sauce—at any one of a hundred restaurants in the city. Kansas City is known for burnt ends, which are the trimmings from the end of a brisket that have a crispy, smoky crust and tender interior.
- Satisfy your sweet tooth with a hand-dipped piece of chocolate. Russell Stover, one of the most recognizable candy companies in the country, calls Kansas City home. The sweets manufacturer still produces small batches of its delightful confections.
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Best Available Rate
Book the Best Available Rate at this property on HistoricHotels.org and receive a complimentary one-year family membership (a $30 value) to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
