One Ballroom, Many Lives

This downtown Kansas City building has more lives than a cat. Originally it was to be a hotel but construction was begun in 1912 but not completed. The Kansas City Athletic Club then bought the unfinished structure and completed it in 1923. It remained the club until bought by the Continental group which converted the structure to a hotel.... the Athletic Club remained in the building until the 60s or 70s when it moved to Kansas City Kansas. During the Continental period the Kansas City Playboy Club was on the 22nd floor. Purchased again the building was refurbished for office space and is now known as the Mark Twain Tower. Now under new management several new leases have been signed.

The elegant room shown below was the ballroom for all the buildings incarnations. Today it is the Sawyer Room and is popular for weddings and other events. Each of the windows in the room has a unique design/logo in the center. I'm assuming those date to the Athletic Club Days and are logos for different teams.... although if someone knows for sure help me out!

President Truman used the club regularly before, during and after his Presidency. He was very keen on physical fitness.

Remnants of the old club facilities remain and the current management hopes to restore some to their former glory.

Below is first the exterior of the building at 11th and Baltimore. Then the entryway. The Ballroom takes up the fifth and sixth floors.

More pictures later including rooftop views (if we EVER get warmer weather). The building is the 20th tallest building in Kansas City at 24 floors.

Many thanks to Dawña the building manager who allowed me to photograph this treasure!

Television Market ca 1950

More images from the Herb Harper Collection. 90% of the negatives are 4x5. All of the negatives are black and white. So far the dates run from 1949 to 1952.... but I am only on the contents of box three out of 7. It's a tedious process to assign a file number, scan, write a brief blurb on what's in the image and then move on to the next. Most of the files aren't marked as to contents and there could be negatives of one subject.... i.e. W.T. Grants.... scattered throughout one box.

These show what the envelope said was "T.V. Mart".... although I suspect it's TV Market. The address on the front of the building is 3634 but could be east and west or north and south.... there is a reflection on the window glass from the building across the street. The signage on that is "Dr. Lilyhor Chiropractor". There is also a reflection of a cleaners that can be partially read: "...erles Cleaners." So the location can be pinpointed at a later date.

This is probably promotional work for the site showing that they have a full range of the latest models including those with phonographs and TVs as well as a repair facility (tubes anyone) and men who will make house calls.

Television was just coming into it's own around this time as the stars of decades of radio shows were making the move to the little screen.

The image of the man on his knee getting ready to fix the tv is an unfortunate double exposure... easily done back then when the 4x5 film was in negative holders (two to a holder) and you had to remember to take out the holder and turn it around for the next shot.

Renovating W.T. Grants

From the Herb Harper Collection which I am cataloguing (sporadically at best). 4x5 black and white images of the W.T. Grant store at 1017 Main after renovation circa 1950. From the store display signage it looks like the interiors were shot shortly before Mothers' Day. I'd like to have those prices back.

Not sure but I think the bottom two photos may be "before" pix and those pix which show the "Luncheonette" signage are after.

Play Misty for Me

Taken around the Concourse in Old Northeast..... cold and dank... but very quiet.....

Seeking the Golden Age Lighting

The Golden Age of Movies was, some believe, also the Golden Age of Portrait Photography... when light and shadow craftily shaped the actors appearance. Extensive retouching was also employed on all the images. In the early days large viewfinder cameras were used many producing negatives that were 8x10 inches. For ease of modification the large negatives were employed... the vast amount of touchups required an 8x10 working space.

I decided that with the New Year I would start exploring that golden world. Flash was not used early on but "hot" lights (so named for the intense heat they put out) provided the light for the portraiture. As many of the images were made on or near sound stages on studio lots... plenty of lighting equipment was available as well as sets and props. Wardrobes were extensive and added to the "feel" of the picture.
These shots were all taken with "hot" lights although they are a good deal more compact than their ancestors... also I'm rather limited for the time being in light modifiers.... but that will change. It's interesting to see how movements in the main light and the attitude of the models head and body alter the image.... I also fooled around with digital makeup.... some are a little too much probably.... but it's best to go too far first and then back off. And, since it's digital, nothing is permanent.
Rachel, the victim du jour, is getting married next July. Since I'm photographing her wedding I thought it opportune to use her for my first test shots.
I converted all to black and white as that lends itself to the most intense expression of light and dark.... however the last two shots on this post are the same... with one in color and one in black and white.
Three lights were used.... the main light was a fresnel lensed spot for the face.... two lights in the rear provided light for the hair and separation from the background. Although for many of these shots only two lights were used.

I will next try some full-length shots..... need a fainting couch if anyone has one for sale :)

And will cool it more on the digital makeup....