Prior to the 20th century, the Brush Creek Valley was a stop-over destination for people on the way to somewhere else. Along the banks, Indians, fur trappers and pioneers settled, and it was here that Jesse Clyde Nichols saw potential. J.C. Nichols and his roommates purchased the land during a bankruptcy sale in 1903. After a flood, the land was the only high ground available for people to settle on. Taking the money he made from the sale of the land, he turned around and in 1907; piece by piece he purchased an additional 55 acres of swampland for over $1 million. In 1907, the first formal design plans for Country Club Plaza were drawn up.
Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri encompasses a 15 block district and has over 120 different boutiques, restaurants and galleries and is one of the premier shopping locations in the Midwest. A number of pleasant surprises can be found around every corner and the plaza has a year-round calendar of events that provides entertainment and activities for all age groups. The Plaza is home to such popular draws as the Plaza Lights Show and the widely popular Plaza Arts Fair.
The Plaza was designed in 1922 and is done entirely in Spanish-style architecture. Indoors there is a museum filled with European artwork that has been collected over the years. Outdoors there are fountains, murals, sculptures, a statue of Winston Churchill and replicas of two of Spain's most popular landmarks the Giralda Tower and Seville Light. There are Spanish tiled courtyards and manicured grounds that lend an air of beauty to the historical shopping plaza.
In 1998, the Plaza was sold to Highwood Properties, Inc. which breathed new life and interest in the shopping plaza. In 2000, a 325,000 square foot addition was added to 47th Street, which brought in several new businesses and restaurants to the complex. The Highlands group has continued to work diligently to upgrade and improve the Plaza, while still maintaining its historical integrity and old-world charm.
The plaza has the best locations for those who want to pamper and enjoy themselves. The services include a custom tailor, limousine service, dry cleaning, nail and hair salon, shoe shine, carriage and gondola rides. Country Club Plaza also has nine luxury hotels, thirty-five restaurants, outdoor concerts, outdoor dining and a world famous lights display.
For those coming to the Plaza to shop there are over one-hundred different stores. There is everything from Abercrombie, Tiffany & Co., Betsey Johnson, Burberry and many more. Visiting the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri has something to offer everyone and each year hundreds of thousands of people visit the prestigious shopping plaza to appreciate all the fine things it has to offer.
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