Raphael Hotel Kansas City (Missouri)

General Information

The Raphael was constructed in 1927 and primarily opened as the Villa Serena Apartments in 1927. Michael's Beauty Salon occupied the space which is now the Chaz Restaurant. Founder of the Country Club Plaza, J.C. Nichols' vision was for the structure to resemble Central Park housing for the affluent, whilst keeping with the architectural fashion of the Plaza. One of his needs was for it to be sound proof and fire proof brick building. The 2 sides of the structure were constructed as a mirror reflection of every other, divided by an 8" concrete wall. The National Trust for Historic Preservation added the Raphael Hotel to its list in year 2001. The Raphael was a pioneer in the emerging shop hotel notion that emphasizes individual service and an ambience that goes behind the "cookie cutter" hotel. The Kansas City Historical Society cited the conservation as a "superb specimen of preservation of municipal landscape., The historic Raphael Hotel is undergoing modernization of its elevators from January 14, 2011 through June 1, 2011. The personnel apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.