Asa Beebe Cross Explained

Asa Beebe Cross (December 9, 1826 in New Jersey — August 18, 1894) was an American architect. He studied architecture under Thomas Walsh and John Johnson.^[1] He primarily worked in Kansas City where it is estimated that he designed more than 1,000 structures. He designed Union Depot in Kansas City (opened 1878), Seth E. Ward Homestead for Seth Ward, Old Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri,^[2] and the Vaile Mansion. He designed many homes in Quality Hill. His grandson, Alfred E. Barnes, was also an architect.^[3]

Works

• Gillis Opera House, 5th and Walnut, completed 1883^[4]
• Jackson County Courthouse, also known as the Truman Courthouse, adapted from unfinished construction in 1872^[5]
• Sauer Castle, 935 Shawnee Rd. Kansas City, KS, believed to be a Cross design, 1871^[6]
• Seth E. Ward Homestead, 1032 W. 55th St. Kansas City, MO Cross^[7]
• St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 8th and Cherry
• Union Depot (Kansas City, Missouri) (built in 1878, predecessor to Kansas City Union Station)
• Vaile Mansion, 1500 N Liberty St, Independence, MO, completed 1881^[8]
• Vaughan's Diamond Building, 9th and Delaware, completed 1870^[9]
• Wornall House, 146 W. 61st St. Kansas City, MO Cross

Notes and References

1. Web site: Biography of Asa Beebe Cross (1826-1894), Architect KC History. 2020-08-25. kchistory.org.
2. Web site: Jackson County Courthouse.
3. Book: Mitchell, Giles Carroll. 1934. Brown-White Company, Kansas City. There is No Limit: Architecture and Sculpture in Kansas City.
4. Web site: Gillis Opera House KC History . 2020-08-25 . kchistory.org.
5. Web site: Our History Jackson County, MO. 2020-08-25. www.jacksongov.org.
6. Web site: The Fate And Future Of Wyandotte County's Sauer Castle. 2020-08-25. KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City. Local news, entertainment and podcasts.. en.
7. NRHP database
8. Web site: 2017-12-12 . At Independence's Vaile Mansion, Visitors Have Themselves A Scandalous Victorian Christmas . 2020-08-25 . KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City. Local news, entertainment and podcasts. . en.
9. Web site: 2020-02-09 . One of KC's most iconic buildings was a diamond in the rough . 2020-08-25 . Covering the Southland . en-US.