History of St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's began in the mid-1840s when a group of Episcopalians began gathering in the Westport area. Eventually, the group became a mission of the powerful Grace Church in downtown Kansas City. The development was a natural outgrowth of the changing landscape of the city as developers and families pushed southward toward Westport. The long ride over dusty or mud-lined roads became too much for the new suburbanites, and a group of Episcopalians from the Westport area petitioned the rector of Grace Church to form a new parish. St. Paul's formally became a parish in 1891.

In 1905, work began on a permanent building at 40th and Walnut (now 40th and Main). The stone church was completed in 1906, with the first services held at Easter 1906.

The Gothic design was drawn by William Barnes Fall and was based on an earlier design by the well-known New York architect Henry Van Brunt.

All of St. Paul's original building still stands. That includes the nave, or sanctuary; the tower room just off the nave and what originally was known as the Guild Room. The large expanse of the Guild Room has been divided into a library, the choir rooms and bathrooms. You can follow the original design of the Guild Room by tracing the ceiling line across the library and choir rooms.

One of the major assets of St. Paul's is its stained-glass. The church has fine examples of the two major types of stained-glass windows - pictorial and jewel.

Over the last 100 years, St. Paul's has added to and refurbished much of the church. Our most recent project was to return to the original wood floors in the nave.

St. Paul's most important contribution to Kansas City has been its service to the community - from the children's home it administered in the 1930s to work with young people on the streets of Westport in the 1960s.

Today that spirit of service has transformed St. Paul's into a community always looking around the corner and down the street to see what needs to be done. Currently, in addition to its Sunday worship services, St. Paul's has active programs for children and youth, including a Day School with more than 450 students.

We also operate a Meals-on-Wheels program to deliver hot meals to area residents. Our Food Pantry, open each Tuesday and Friday, offers groceries to area residents. And our Family Literacy Program, operated each fall and spring, offers help in reading and language skills to area school children. All our service projects depend on contributions from the congregation and the work of many volunteers.

St. Paul's is proud to be a part of the Westport-Midtown community and continues to serve its many needs through its Food Pantry, its Family Literacy Program and other ministries.