Louis Curtiss, a Kansas City architect best known for his innovation in the "curtain wall"

construction of buildings, was born on July 1, 1865, in Belleville, Ontario. During a 37-year
career in Kansas City, he left his mark with the government buildings, railroad stations,
restaurant, hotels, and residences that he designed. Rivaling his architectural accomplishments
were his eccentric personality and several mysteries that captured the public's attention.

Little is known about Curtiss's personal or professional background. According to years of

conjecture, Curtiss studied at the University of Toronto and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, in Paris.
Authors Wilda Sandy and Larry K. Hancks, authors of Stalking Louis Curtiss, however, could
find no surviving records at either institution to confirm that Curtiss ever attended. Curtiss
himself preferred an air of mystery. His first will (but not his final one) requested that his
personal papers be burned upon his death. Whether or not they were burned, the papers have
never been found. As a lifelong bachelor, he never had children who could fill in the details for
the curious public. Furthermore, he never gave interviews to explain his artistic inspirations or
even his technical background.

What is clear is that Curtiss arrived in Kansas City in 1887 and formed a partnership with
Frederick C. Gunn in 1889. The pair designed a dozen buildings, including the Hotel Baltimore
(finished 1899, razed 1939) and the Progress Club (1893, still standing). In 1898 or 1899, Curtiss
started his own firm and began experimenting with new designs that would eventually lead to a
distinguishable style that was sometimes called the "Louis Curtiss style." His work with Gunn
had produced buildings styles that were modern, yet still possessed distinctive classical elements.
Once on his own, Curtiss experimented with a variety of artistic elements and more unusual
designs. The Folly Theater (1900, still standing) and the Willis Wood Theater (1902, destroyed
1917) had a classical European style of columns and arches. On the other hand, Mineral Hall, a
private residence finished in 1905 and now a part of the Kansas City Art Institute, was much
more contemporary.

Curtiss is best remembered as the designer of the six-story Boley Building at 12th and Walnut in
downtown Kansas City, Missouri in 1908. Still standing today, it was one of the first buildings in
the world that was designed with a so-called "curtain wall" construction. "Curtain wall" refers to
an exterior wall that hangs on the building rather than being a supportive part of the structure.
This allowed the outside walls of the building to be encased in glass, letting in sunlight for a
more open feeling. This type of construction became prominent in the skyscrapers of the 1950s
and still dominates the skylines of most cities today. When the Boley Building opened , the
design was so unique that a large sign on the site read; "Only Building of Its Kind in the World."

It is not clear whether the Boley Building was truly the first example of curtain wall design. A
department store in Berlin, Germany, designed in 1898, had a similar construction and clearly
predated Curtiss's design. An 1899 building in Cleveland, Ohio may have had a similar design,
but it collapsed in 1903 and little is known about it. Curtiss himself never revealed his source of
inspiration, but the curtain wall design became associated with him nonetheless. He is often
credited with its creation, and the modern, open look of many his subsequent designs became
known collectively as the " Louis Curtiss style."

One of these memorable buildings was Curtiss's own studio building and apartment (designed
1908, still standing) at 1118-20 McGee St. Curtiss set up his apartment on the third floor and a
courtyard on the roof (accessible from his bedroom). He decorated with bookcases and a pipe
organ. According to legends perpetuated by his visitors, he built a private entry from his
apartment to the nearby Empress Theater, a former vaudeville theater that had since begun
hosting burlesque shows. No physical evidence of this secret passageway has been discovered.

Louis Curtiss remained an enigmatic figure for the rest of his life. In 1918, a man sued Curtiss
for allegedly convincing his wife, an artist, to leave him to pursue her artistic career. The law suit
was dismissed, but Curtiss was held liable for the court fees nonetheless. It was just one of
several such affairs that Curtiss may have had. When Curtis died, in 1924, he was buried at
Mount Washington Cemetery, in an unmarked grave. While it is not clear why the grave remains
unmarked, it was a fitting tribute to such a mysterious person. Curtiss left a more tangible legacy
with the 216 buildings he designed (not all of which were completed). More than 30 of them still
stand today, with the majority in the Kansas City area. His influence locally and nationally was
significant enough for Trudy Faulkner, a preservationist with the American Institute of
Architects, to refer to Louis Curtiss and the "Frank Lloyd Wright of Kansas City."