See inside a historic $6 million mansion that once belonged to the manager of the iconic KC department store

A 12-minute walk from Loose Park is a house listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places.

Built in 1916, the Charles and Josephine Peters House, 1228 W. 55th St., is a relic of its era. The all-brick Georgian Colonial sits atop three landscaped, tree-lined acres in the Sunset Hill West neighborhood.

The mansion is now for sale by Compass Realty Group and has been listed on Zillow since April 6. The price ? $5,995,000.

It was completed in 1916 for Charles Peters, superintendent and secretary of the Emery, Bird, Thayer department store, and then renovated in 1936 for Porter T. Hall, president of the department store, and his wife Josephine Bird Hall, according to National Register records. Jackson County. After Porter Hall’s death in 1947, ownership passed to his son, Joseph Bird Hall.

He then sold it to Richard and Judith King in 1981. The two eventually divorced, but remained friends before Richard’s death in 2019. Judith lived there until her death on November 28, 2023.

What’s inside the house?

The property’s 3.23 acres include a three-story home and a carriage house located above a three-car garage, providing residents with a total of 17,092 square feet of living space. Outside is a garden with walking paths and seating areas that the King family added in 1981 and an in-ground swimming pool built in 1963.

Although the mansion has been renovated numerous times, including after the King family purchased it and renovated the kitchen, removed the carpet, and raised the floor level of the northeast enclosed porch to match the level of the kitchen floor, each room retains its original architectural details.

This includes hardwood floors, French doors, a grand staircase and deep moldings. There are eight fireplaces throughout as well as living rooms, sunrooms, screened porches and brick patios, the Zillow listing says.

The mansion has five bedrooms and eight bathrooms spread over three floors. The basement includes a wine cellar, billiard room, card room and a large laundry room with storage facilities and a washer and dryer. A room built under the west porch in 1936 is a media room.

The house is located in the Sunset Hill neighborhood. It’s right next to the Mission Hills Country Club. It’s also a five-minute drive on Ward Parkway to the Country Club Plaza.

Nearby public schools include Hale Cook Elementary, AC Prep Elementary, and Southeast High School. The private school Pembroke Hill School is also in the area.