Tocqueville Society's Historic Stevens' House

Tocqueville Society Members are invited into the private historical home of the Stevens' House located in the historic Northeast (across the KC Museum).

Your night will include:

• Heavy appetizers from Lon Lane Special Occassions
• Hand crafted cocktails and whiskey tasting in the speakeasy
• Exclusive tours of the house from the current owners

This is a private event open to all Tocqueville Society members at the United Way of Greater Kansas City. Space will be limited for this event, so sign up early!

To learn more about our Donor Networks at United Way please visit https://www.unitedwaygkc.org/donate. For questions, please contact Mike Lager at [email protected]

The historic Edward A. Stevens House is located at 3223 Gladstone Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s architecturally classified as Late 19th Century and Early 20th Century: Colonial Revival and Neo-Classical Revival. The architect was Loren Grant Middaugh (1841–1930). The Stevens House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 24, 2016.

The foundation of the home is stone and limestone and the walls are brick. The main house’s limestone block foundation was mined from the now dormant limestone quarries near Phenix, Missouri. There’s also limestone in the columns.

The house is located on the corner of Indiana Avenue and Gladstone Boulevard, and it’s within the Scarritt Point North National Register Historic District in Kansas City (Jackson County). This district is located on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River east of downtown and it’s one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City. In its prime, it was also one of the most affluent areas. Visit for additional information and images.

The house is near Cliff Drive and the historic George E. Kessler Park (previously known as North Terrace Park). Located to the north is the Corinthian Hall which houses the Kansas City Museum, and also used to be the private residence of lumber baron, R.A. Long. You can see Corinthian Hall from the porch of the Stevens House, so it’s actually across the street.

The house is two and one-half stories tall, and there’s also a one-and-a-half-story carriage house on the property. The walls contain tan brick, natural rock, and rusticated limestone with a red clay tile roof. The house is privately owned and according to the Redfin real estate website, it was last sold in 1996.

The home has an amazing entrance hall and parlors. There are also six bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. The third floor has a ballroom. The architectural details in the interior of the home will make your mouth water.

The flooring is maple and ponderosa pine. The woodwork was repainted to the original ivory color after being stripped. When the house was built, it was wired for electricity, and plumbing with hot and cold water was added.

Eight coal-burning fireplaces were converted to natural gas in 1996. The Grand Reception Hall on the first floor is just that, grand. It has a double waterfall staircase, ivory-colored wood spindles, and a rich mahogany banister.

There’s a large art-glass window above the staircase landing containing six panels of art depicting Stevens’ daughter, Aileen’s talents in arts, music, literature, and sports.

On one side of the Reception Hall is the music room (or a Ladies' Parlor) and opposite that room is a billiards room (or Gentlemen’s Parlor). Both rooms have fireplaces and pocket doors. A storage pantry, butler’s pantry, and kitchen are in the back of the house.

The second floor contains bedrooms with fireplaces and bathrooms. The third floor contains more bedrooms, a bathroom, and used to have a ballroom. The attic is unfinished and provides storage space.

The carriage house is behind the home. It was used for horses and automobiles. It also has a stone foundation, tan brick walls, and a red-tiled roof.

The electrical, plumbing, and HVAC have been updated. The kitchen and bathrooms were modernized. There are elements of the home that match the original architecture. The maple flooring is original. Walls were added to the ballroom on the third floor and the prep kitchen that used to be there was removed.

Much of the house appears as it did early on. It’s a remarkable historic landmark inside the Scarritt Point neighborhood. The house and carriage house are also listed as property contributing to the Scarritt Point North Historic District which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of December 1, 1997.

The Stevens House is one of the earliest Colonial Revival homes constructed in Kansas City.

Stevens was a native of Wooster, Ohio where he was born in 1841. He was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan College. He served as a Captain in the Union Army after the Civil War began. After the war, he moved to Kansas City to practice law. He was also a real estate developer.

In 1872, Stevens and Ellen Stuart Moores were married. She was a native of New York. They had two children. In 1901, Stevens purchased two lots from the Scarritt family of the Melrose Addition.

Sadly, while the house was under construction, Stevens had a stroke which left him paralyzed and not able to speak. He did get to see the house completed and his family moved in during the summer of 1902. On August 25, 1902, he passed away. He was only 60–61.

In 1908, Robert A. Long, a lumber baron, acquired land at Scarritt Point to build a massive home known as Corinthian Hall (now Kansas City Museum). He was wanting more land across the street to establish English gardens that could provide nice views from his house. He bought some vacant lots near the Stevens House and it seemed the home of the Stevens family put a hiccup in his plan.

Long assumed he would be able to convince Mrs. Stevens, who was then a widow, to either sell her property or let him relocate her house. Naturally, Mrs. Stevens refused either option and you can imagine the stories that have been passed through the years about this.

In 1934, after Long had passed away, his house and property were donated to the city to be used as a museum. Interestingly, in 2011, the city let go of unused land of the former gardens and it was purchased by the owner of the Stevens House.

Since that time, the house has had several owners, seen some renovations, and built more memories. The home remains a landmark in the Northeast neighborhoods that are so historic.

Host or Publisher United Way of Greater Kansas City