William Rockhill Nelson founded the '' Kansas City Star '' in 1880 , and was to eventually take over its prime competitor , the '' Kansas City Times '' . Nelson was a major supporter of the Democratic Party and an urban booster . At the urging of his paper , the city built Memorial Hall in 1899 to attract the 1900 Democratic National Convention . The hall burned in early 1900 was rebuilt in 90 days in time for the convention . Nelson left provisions that his house ultimately be torn down to create the Nelson-Atkins Gallery of Art
1900 Democratic National Convention
1900 Democratic National Convention
History of the Kansas City metropolitan area