HERLIFE Magazine

Websterh o u s eby charity ohlund | photography by brooke vandeverIt’s easy to forget the sentiment aroused by great architecture whenyou live in the age of strip malls.It had been a particularly long dry spell with nothing but theright angles of Hobby Lobby, Lowe’s and DSW when I walkedthrough the wrought iron gate leading to Webster House andfound myself smack in the middle of an architectural buffet.On my right (swoon)—the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Yes, Moshe Safdie is agenius, and yes, the building is a shiny jewel box of wonder. But the Kauffman Center somehowevokes both formality and fun. The roof angle practically begs for a zip line.Straight ahead - the cozy curves and warmth of Webster House, a former schoolhouse built in1885 and cultivated by Shirley Bush Helzberg into a thoughtful antique, interior design, specialevent, catering and restaurant venue. I paused on the porch for a moment to admire the contrastand the view… and to find a proper anchoring spot for the zip line.I was visiting Webster House at 10 a.m. on a rainy Tuesday, but there is most certainly a newenergy on the corner of 17th and Wyandotte in Kansas City’s Crossroads District.With last year’s arrival of a renowned new performance venue and a talented new executivechef, the once demure Webster House was positively bustling inside as I walked through the doors.And lunch service had not yet even begun.HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM 37