Formerly: The Phillips Hotel · Radisson Suite Hotel Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri · Founded 1931 · Building: 1930–1931
A 1931 Art Deco Kansas City hotel built on the former Glennon Hotel site, where Harry S. Truman once ran a haberdashery.
Hotel Phillips opened in 1931 at 12th Street and Baltimore Avenue on the site of the former Glennon Hotel. The 20-story, 450-room Art Deco hotel became the tallest hotel in Kansas City and remains notable for its lobby sculpture, Goddess of Dawn, by Kansas City artist Jorgen Dreyer. Following a major 2016 renovation, the hotel joined Hilton's Curio Collection in 2017.
The Glennon Hotel occupies the future Hotel Phillips site, and Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery operates on its ground floor.
Source: Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing; Hotel Phillips historical summaries
The Glennon Hotel is demolished to make way for a new high-rise hotel developed as Hotel Phillips.
Source: Hotel Phillips historical summaries; Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing
Hotel Phillips opens as a 20-story, 450-room Art Deco hotel and becomes Kansas City's tallest hotel.
Source: Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing
Kansas City sculptor Jorgen Dreyer creates Goddess of Dawn for the hotel lobby.
Source: Hotel Phillips historical summaries
Hotel Phillips is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Source: Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing
Marcus Hotels acquires Hotel Phillips from Wyndham Hotels.
Source: Hotel Phillips historical summaries
Arbor Lodging Partners acquires Hotel Phillips and begins planning a major revitalization.
Source: Commercial Search, Hotel Phillips Curio Collection announcement; Acumen Development Partners, 2017
A reported $20 million renovation is completed, restoring 1930s design elements while modernizing rooms and public spaces.
Source: Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing; Hotel Phillips professional profile
Hotel Phillips converts to Curio Collection by Hilton after renovation.
Source: Acumen Development Partners, March 14, 2017; Commercial Search, Curio Collection announcement
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Truman's haberdashery connection belongs to the Glennon Hotel, the predecessor building on the Hotel Phillips site. The Glennon was demolished before Hotel Phillips opened in 1931, so the business should not be described as a Hotel Phillips tenant.
Visit KC and hotel histories identify the Glennon Hotel as the predecessor building on the Hotel Phillips site and say Truman operated Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery on its ground floor.
Historical summaries identify the lobby sculpture as Goddess of Dawn, created in 1931 by Kansas City sculptor Jorgen Dreyer. This audit did not independently verify the sculpture's measurements or original commissioning documents.
P.S. Speakeasy is described as a modern hidden bar in a basement mailroom and a tribute to Kansas City's Prohibition history. This audit found no evidence that the present venue, its mailroom space, or adjacent storage areas functioned as an illicit speakeasy during Prohibition.
Ghost-tour and paranormal-travel sources market Hotel Phillips as a haunted hotel, with stories attached to rooms and upper floors. This establishes a modern haunted reputation, not the factual existence of named ghosts, deaths, or paranormal events.
Current Visit KC and Hotel Phillips professional listings identify the active hotel as Hotel Phillips Kansas City, Curio Collection by Hilton. Current property ownership and third-party management require further verification.
Everything below has been reported by two or more independent sources — this is an informational record of what's said about this place, not a verified account of paranormal activity. Still Open America doesn't certify hauntings as real.
The most repeated Hotel Phillips story concerns a young woman said to have been shot by a gangster lover in or near Room 1513. Guests and staff report a distressed female presence, a flash of a white lace hemline in the hallway, and a man appearing at the foot of the bed before disappearing when the light is turned on.
The reviewed sources did not identify independently verified historical records of the alleged shooting, the woman, or her purported gangster lover at Hotel Phillips.
Room 913 is repeatedly described as a focal point for unexplained knocking, tapping, rattling, and other nighttime noises. Some guest accounts say the sounds grow louder when ignored and lead occupants to request another room.
Across the hotel, guests report small objects such as remote controls, hairbrushes, and personal belongings appearing in places where they were not left. Other retellings group the reports with doors, faucets, or shower controls operating without an apparent person present.
Hotel Phillips was built before World War I in 1912.
Hotel Phillips was built in 1930–1931 and opened in 1931 on the former Glennon Hotel site.
Source: Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing
Harry S. Truman ran a haberdashery in Hotel Phillips.
Truman's haberdashery was located in the Glennon Hotel, the predecessor building that stood on the Hotel Phillips site before 1931.
Source: Visit KC, Hotel Phillips Kansas City listing
P.S. Speakeasy is an original Prohibition-era bar inside Hotel Phillips.
P.S. Speakeasy is a modern hidden bar in a former basement mailroom that draws on Kansas City's Prohibition-era imagery. The original historical speakeasy claim was not established in this audit.
Source: Haunted Rooms, "Haunted Hotel Phillips, Kansas City, Missouri"
Hotel Phillips has survived because its Art Deco identity and central downtown location remained valuable even as Kansas City’s hotel market changed. The building passed through multiple ownership and brand eras, including Marcus Hotels, Radisson, and later Arbor Lodging Partners. Arbor's 2015 acquisition, $20 million renovation, and 2017 Curio Collection conversion updated the operating hotel while retaining its recognizable 1931 character.
Hotel Phillips was built in 1930–1931 and opened in 1931. It was a 20-story, 450-room Art Deco hotel and was then the tallest hotel in Kansas City.
The Hotel Phillips lobby features Goddess of Dawn, a 1931 sculpture by Kansas City artist Jorgen Dreyer. This audit did not independently verify its height, original commission documents, or later restoration history.
Harry S. Truman operated Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery in the Glennon Hotel, the predecessor building on the Hotel Phillips site. The Glennon was demolished before Hotel Phillips opened in 1931, so the haberdashery was not a Hotel Phillips business.
No historical evidence reviewed in this audit establishes P.S. Speakeasy as an original Prohibition-era bar. It is a modern hidden basement/mailroom bar that references Kansas City's Prohibition history.
Arbor Lodging Partners acquired Hotel Phillips in 2015 and oversaw its renovation and Curio Collection conversion. This audit did not verify current title ownership through Jackson County property records or identify the current third-party hotel manager, so present ownership should be confirmed before publication as a current fact.
106 W 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 221-7000
Check the hotel directly for current lobby, restaurant, P.S. Speakeasy, event, and guest-access policies.