Fun Facts about the Hall of Waters

There’s more to the Hall of Waters than being “the place to pay your water bill.” Today, the Hall houses a visitor center, the Downtown Excelsior Partnership (DEP) office, city offices, a municipal court, and maybe even a ghost or two…

The building cost $1,000,000 to build. A lot of money now, even MORE money in 1936 when ground was broken for construction! If built today, it would cost more than $22 Million dollars.
Work on the Hall began in 1936; it opened in 1937 and was completed in 1938!
The light fixtures in the visitor center are the original light fixtures!
In September 2020, the Hall was placed on The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
Visitors come from all over, seven days a week, to see the Hall and admire the Art Deco architecture.
The original water bar still stands in the visitor center inside the Hall and is the longest water bar in the world!

Four different types of mineral water from 10 different wells were piped into the water bar in its prime.
The kiosks that surround the water bar tell the exciting history of our town. You can stop in anytime during business hours to read them.
Some believe the building is haunted!
At the height of the Halls’ popularity, an estimated 10,000 people a day would visit!
The original spring, Siloam, sits underneath the front lawn of the Hall.
The swimming pool in the basement of the Hall was filled with saline water. You can view the pool from a window above Monday-Friday.
There is still an original spa room and a museum room open for viewing seven days a week.
Excelsior Springs once had over 40 wells. The city still owns ten well sites. If we all work together, one day we could have a variety of water in the Hall again!

We have such a unique gem in the Hall of Waters. Every week, tourists are enthralled by the town’s history, housed within its walls. It is almost unanimously agreed that the best thing for the Hall would be to have water available again. The money brought in would go a long way in restoring the building!

Unfortunately, giving people water from below the ground isn’t as easy as it was back in the day. Saving the Hall is a costly endeavor.

If you are wondering how to help, and I hope you are, please visit https://friendsofthewells.org/index.php/hall-of-waters-restoration/.

For more information on the latest with restoring the waters please visit https://friendsofthewells.org/index.php/next-project/.

Consider volunteering with Friends of the Wells and/or donating to their cause! If you haven’t been down to the Hall lately, maybe pop in one afternoon and see everything this great building offers! Business hours for the visitor center are 10:00 am-4:45 pm M-F and 11:00 am-4:00 pm Sat-Sun.