Keys to the City

The Missouri Valley Special Collections Department of the Kansas City Public Library presents the new, original exhibit Keys to the City: The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Kansas City, Missouri, 1895-1957, opening Friday, September 4, at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Urban and industrial growth in Kansas City during the 1860s made fire disasters a real possibility, and fire insurance companies formed to protect businesses and homeowners from catastrophic financial losses. In 1866, D.A. Sanborn founded a company that created maps to help insurance companies evaluate fire risks. Though Sanborn died in 1883, his company went on to make detailed and accurate maps of the Kansas City area beginning in 1895-1896.

Using the Sanborn maps, today’s historians, genealogists, and environmentalists can discover how Kansas City developed over time from a small city to a booming metropolis. This local history exhibit showcases four Kansas City neighborhoods as they stood at different points in the first half of the 20th century. A variety of postcards, photographs, and advertisements complement the Sanborn maps and shed light on the history of Kansas City families, leisure, business, and industry.

Admission is free. The exhibit will remain on display through July 5, 2010.

Keys to the City highlights the recently-completed digitization of the Sanborn maps. Over 1200 maps are now available in color, online in the Missouri Valley Special Collections’ Digital Gallery. “The color coding, penciled notes, and ability to search by street names in the digitized online maps have greatly improved reference service,” Missouri Valley Special Collections librarian Sherrie Smith said. “Last week I told two researchers that they could access the maps from home or work, and they were absolutely ecstatic.” Learn more.

This exhibit was prepared by the Missouri Valley Special Collections and the Department of Public Affairs of the Kansas City Public Library. The Sanborn map digitization project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. Additional funding provided by the William T. Kemper Foundation.