The historic Loose Mansion was built between 1907 and 1909 at a cost of $250,000. The mansion had 11 fireplaces, 12 bathrooms and 8 balconies. The mansion's Carriage House was home to three of the mansion's full-time staff.
Although Jacob Loose made his fortune in the cookie and candy business, the money to build Loose Mansion actually came from another source. Jacob and his brother, Joseph, each gave $10,000 to a friend who subsequently discovered copper in the Northwest. Their investment paid off ... $1,000,000 each!
Jacob told his wife, Ella, that he wanted to give her anything she wanted with some of the proceeds from his windfall investment. She told him she wanted to return to Kansas City (from their current home in Chicago) and build a beautiful home to entertain in ... and that they did!
The first floor is finished with hand-carved Philippine mahogany. This incredible woodwork has been restored to its original condition and is enjoyed by all who attend mansion events. The Grand Staircase provides wonderful photo opportunities for mansion brides and other guests. The hand-carved "S's" along the stairway stand for "Sunshine," Jacob's nickname for Ella.
The Grand Entrance boasts beautiful brass railings, marble floors and walls, and an ornate dome ceiling. Though Mrs. Loose took many of her chandeliers with her to her apartment at The Walnuts where she moved after Jacob's death, the chandelier that lights the mansion's evening buffets is an original piece made by Tiffany & Company.
Four beautiful fireplaces on the two main levels are restored and used for winter time events. One in particular, the Bible Fireplace, designed by Mrs. Loose and Henry Chapin Mercer from Philadelphia is one-of-a-kind. Ella and Jacob's favorite Bible stories are depicted on this fireplace. Short phrases on the fireplace are written in English, German and Latin. Henry Chapin Mercer's tile work can also be found in the Sun Porch floor and throughout the mansion's lower level.
The elegant Grand Salon and Music Room have been beautifully restored and are still enjoyed today for dinner and dancing. The Music Room once contained a large ceiling mural and a pipe organ built for Mr. Loose by a company in New York at a cost of $38,000.
There are three safes in the mansion. Two of them are 6' by 9' in size. One with a 2,000 lb. door was installed by the Savings and Loan that purchased the mansion from Mrs. Loose in the early 1930's. The second large safe in the lower level is believed to be an original. The third safe is a wall safe that once hid behind a painting in the Loose's bedroom.
left school in Illinois at 16 and took a job earning $5 a week. Four years later, he and his brother opened a dry goods store in Chetopa, Kansas.
In 1878, he married Ella Clark of Carthage, Missouri. They moved to Kansas City in 1882, where he entered the cracker business. Eventually he founded the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company, a gigantic producer of cookies and famous Sunshine Crackers.
Jacob was a generous benefactor. He started the Children's Mercy Hospital endowment fund with $25,000 in 1913. After a serious illness, he semi-retired in 1919 and died at his summer home in Massachusetts in 1923. His will created the Million Dollar Charity Fund Association.
was born in Carthage, Missouri. In 1878, she married Jacob Loose. They moved to Kansas City in 1882 where her husband and his brother started a cracker business.
Mrs. Loose supported many causes but, having lost two children as infants, she most enjoyed providing for children's needs. Among other donations, for over thirty years she bought shoes for youngsters at her favorite orphanage in Kansas City. She was a strong willed, but compassionate woman who cared about the Kansas City community.
At age 60, "Kansas City's No. 1 society dowager" activated a plan to conquer Washington, D.C. society. For years, she was a popular party hostess and donor there. When she died in Kansas City, most of her estate went to the Million Dollar Charity Fund. Coupled with several other trusts, it helped launch today's Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and Affiliated Trusts.
Loose gifts still benefit Kansas City today.
The Looses' most visible legacy is Loose Park at 52nd and Wornall Road, once the Kansas City Country Club. Mrs. Loose bought the land for $500,000 and gave it to the city in 1927 as a memorial to her husband. His statue stands near the Wornall Road driveway of the park that she intended as "a restful place, particularly for children."
Shortly after World War I, the Liberty Memorial Association was formed in Kansas City. Their goal was to build a lasting memorial to those who offered and gave their lives in defense of liberty and our country. In less than two weeks, this organization raised $2,500,000 from Kansas City and from across the nation to fund the building of the Liberty Memorial. The Liberty Memorial is located just a mile north of Loose Mansion at 100 West 26th Street.
The site for the Liberty Memorial was dedicated on November 1, 1921. The main Allied military leaders met in Kansas City to speak to a crowd of 200,000 people. This was the only time in history that these leaders were together at one place. In attendance were Lieutenant General Baaron Jacques of Belgium; General Armando Diaz of Italy; Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France; General John J. Pershing of the United States; and Admiral David Beatty of Great Britain.
The photo here shows Jacob and Ella Loose on the front porch of Loose Mansion next to General Diaz of Italy prior to the dedication. An enlargement of this photo is proudly displayed in the mansion.
