Homes of Note

Message from the President

Welcome to the Kansas City Symphony Guild Homes of Note Tour XXXV. The Kansas City Symphony Guild is an auxiliary organization supporting the Kansas City Symphony in this annual event. This year's tour, “Across 3 Centuries,” features three lovely homes in the Briarcliff area of Kansas City. These homes span the 19th, 20th and 2lst centuries and are not to be missed. The pre-tour cocktail party entitled “An Evening with Kriss Kringle” will be a once-in-a-lifetime event!

We wish to acknowledge the homeowners for their generosity in sharing their homes for this event. We are thankful for their open and warm hospitality and, additionally, thank you to the talented florists and decorators who generously donated their time and expertise in contributing to showcase these lovely homes with holiday magic.

We are grateful to our community supporters throughout the years and would like to acknowledge Jack Miller and Platte Woods Methodist Church for continuing to provide transportation and to the accomplished musicians who give their time to help make this  event memorable.

A sincere thank you to the volunteer members of the Symphony Guild for their time and efforts throughout the year preparing for the Homes of Note Tour XXXV.

On behalf of the Kansas City Symphony Guild members, the homeowners, volunteers and supporters, please enjoy the tour.

Nora Hildreth
President, The Kansas City Symphony Guild

The Henderson Home
An evening with Kriss Kringle, a pretour at the Henderson Home

The lovely home of Deborah and Mark Henderson is decorated for Christmas 365 days a year. During the holiday season, however, the trees, ornaments and especially the Drollerie population grow exponentially. Created by Deborah when she started Drolleries in 1980, these quaint Santas and elves — you can't have too many elves, according to  Deborah — are nestled  among the Henderson  family mementos, antiques and the furnishings from China, Russia and various European countries.

Visitors admire the Drolleries' costumes and are  mesmerized by the faces molded out of acrylic clay. They resemble people more than traditional dolls, and it is not unusual to find a face that is reminiscent of a friend or relative. Sometimes Deborah discovers that she has unintentionally created a familiar face. The clay guides her, she says.

Mark is responsible for the Christmas focus. When the Hendersons married, he told Deborah he did not do holidays, anniversaries or birthdays. She told him to compromise by selecting one holiday to celebrate.

“He picked Christmas,” she says, adding he didn't realize it would lead to a business where the product was shipped by the semi-trailer load.

In 1985, after selling successfully at the Renaissance Festival, Deborah began marketing her Santas to upscale stores like Marshall Fields, Saks and Nieman Marcus. She established a reputation, and in 1997, Christopher Radko, well-known for Christmas ornaments, called with a request for 26 elves and Santas. They were needed in six weeks to decorate mantels in the White House. First Lady Mrs. Hillary Clinton wanted small figures, something Deborah had not made, so she turned him down.  When Mark told her she was crazy, she called back and accepted the order.

“It was Debbie's lucky duck day,” she says, “and Debbie's folly.”

What followed was an invitation to a White House reception hosted by the Clintons. Deborah and her daughter, Cate, attended the event.

In 1994, the couple opened the Kriss Kringle shop in Weston. When they closed the business in 2002, it was in its third location due to an increasing need for more space.

Now Deborah's work is displayed in the Smithsonian, several other museums, in countless homes and has been featured in national publications — not bad for a woman who was accepted at the Kansas City Art Institute after high school but didn't think she had anything to offer.

Deborah has a studio in her home and does custom orders for Drolleries.

The Vivion Farm Home

The Vivion Home is a 19th-century landmark in North Kansas City. This Homes of Note tour stop will be a treat for those who have been fascinated by the white mansion sitting near the busy intersection of North Oak Trafficway and Vivion Road. 

Confederate Major Harvey Jackson Vivion built his mansion in 1876, overlooking his 105-acre estate. His only daughter, Sheffa Vivion Foster, and her husband, Benjamin, came to live in the Vivion home following their marriage in 1915. Benjamin Foster owned Foster Lumber Company.

In the winter of 1947, the Vivion Home caught fire and burned to the ground, leaving only the chimneys standing. This was a significant news event that some members of the Kansas City Symphony Guild still remember.

Mrs. Foster then had the home rebuilt, including such features as copper roofing, decks and hand-fitted eaves. She refurbished the home with antiques, some of which were salvaged from the fire and had been in the family for more than 100 years.

Homes of Note guests will be pleased to know that many of these antiques, which have been carefully researched, photographed and cataloged, are still on display in the home.

The Williams Home
 

Mary Kay Williams developed an attachment for her Briarcliff home long before she and her husband, Homer, moved into the Tudor house in July 2005.

“I had to drive by the home every day,” she says. “I even knocked on the door to see if the Motters were interested in selling it.”

The home was originally built by The Motter Company for the construction company owners, Eual and Erma Motter.

The Williams already owned a landmark Frank Lloyd  Wright home in the neighborhood, but Mary Kay says that although she respected the design and the designer, it was not home to her. Since Homer is an architect, he enjoyed living in a house designed by a legend.

She and her husband reached a compromise when the Motter home finally went on the market. They would buy the Motter home to live in, but they would keep the Wright home as Homer's office for his work in the architectural and  construction industries.

One of the things that Mary Kay fell in love with was the way the house embraces the lot, its circular driveway leading to the front veranda.

“It's a private environment for all seasons, watching snowfalls and rainstorms and seeing the leaves changing color,” she says.

She also enjoys the views year-round from her garden room, and the living room is special for family gatherings when their sons come home and bring friends.

Since Mary Kay is a realtor, she knows the importance of creating memories in a home for all to enjoy. These are the unique items that have special significance to the family. Her clients understand that as well. Some of her favorite collectibles are from clients who gave her mementos from their own houses.

The warm Tudor design lends itself to the Thanksgiving decor by L & L Home Goods & Gifts of Briarcliff Village and accented with floral arrangements by Hibiscus Florists.

The Garney Condo

The reason Lynda Garney loves her third-floor Ravello condominium isn't inside her condo — it's the 440-square-foot balcony that wraps around the southern and western sides, giving her breathtaking views of the downtown Kansas City skyline and the Missouri River valley and bluffs.

She recently purchased a double chaise lounge from Pottery Barn for the balcony. “It's so beautiful to sit outside and relax,” she says.
Her favorite room is the main living area, a large open space that incorporates her kitchen, living and dining rooms.

“The condo is all windows,” she says. “It's very peaceful to look out my windows, stare at the beautiful Kansas City skyline and just relax in my favorite leather chair.”

In the winter, after she has finished her day teaching first-graders in the North Kansas City School District, Lynda likes to light a candle, turn on her fireplace and relax while looking at her view.

Since the building is truly a product of the 21st century, built by the Pauls Corporation from Denver in 2007, Lynda and her decorator friend Debbie Haws have kept the decor modern. Lynda purchased her home in 2008, and she is the condo's first owner.

“I enjoy antiques and family heirlooms at my parents house,” she says. She can see parents Charles and Patty Garney's Briarcliff home from her dining room.

But Lynda has a collection of her own that reflects her love of her alma mater, the University of Kansas.

“I have collected a lot of sports memorabilia. I have hung or placed all of my sports items in my office,” she says. “When you start collecting or buying sports items, they are memories you will have for a lifetime.” Lynda also loves attending Royals and Chiefs games.

Holidays are special for Lynda, and she is proud of her collection of one-of-a-kind Christmas ornaments made by her first-graders. Each is unique.

Her condo lends itself to entertaining and not just during the Christmas season. “My open floor plan allows everyone to be able to mingle together, and everyone loves to be out on the balcony.”

During the summer months, Lynda hosts two special events. 

“My family and friends love to come over to watch the Fourth of July fireworks from my balcony,” she says. She also looks forward to hosting the annual Kansas City Air Show event as the planes fly right over her place from the Wheeler Downtown Airport.

“Being up this high and out on my balcony, my family, friends and I have a first-class seat.”

Mrs. Foster bequeathed her home, its furnishings and the surrounding five acres to the Midwestern Baptist Seminary in 1966. The seminary had purchased the rest of the farm from her in 1957.

The seminary's first president, Millard J. Berquist, and his wife, Gladys, restored and redecorated the mansion in 1967. The seminary's second president, Milton Ferguson, and his wife, Bettie, moved into the home with their daughters in 1973.

The current president, Dr. Phillip Roberts, accepted his appointment to the seminary eight years ago. He and his wife, Anya, led in the renovation and retrofitting of the Vivion Home and designated it for hospitality and guesthousing.

The floral designs of John Shackelford and Debbie Keefer add to the charm and ambience of this historic home. The Roberts family and the Midwestern Baptist Seminary welcomes the Homes of Note Tour to enjoy this landmark property.