Bob Needs a Light

Yesterday, Melissa and I headed over to Lawrence, KS, for a little used bookstore browsing and fall foliage viewing. As we were returning to Kansas City, I saw one of my favorite Kansas City, MO, landmarks: Bob the Hereford Bull. I decided I needed to let you know about my friend Bob. Here is a recent photo of him:

Bob (Bull on building) is now 53 years old. He was created from fiberglass by sculptor Paul Decker. During the middle of the twentieth century, Kansas City, MO, was second only to Chicago in the size of its stockyards located on the state line in the West Bottoms, just to the west of downtown and below the west bluffs. The American Hereford Association set up shop on Quality Hill overlooking the West Bottoms in 1953. The new headquarters included a ninety-foot pylon with Bob perched majestically atop. President Eisenhower was there for Bob’s dedication. From the time I was kid, my image of the Kansas City, MO, skyline always included Bob.

The Hereford Association relocated in 1997. The building was sold to HNTB, an international architecture firm that has designed several major sports arenas that have sprung up in recent years. Apparently, HNTB decided Bob was not in keeping with the corporate image, so they brought Bob off his pedestal and put him in storage. The skyline was changed and seemed sadly less majestic without Bob. Here is a picture of the HNTB building and the Pylon where Bob used to live.

But all was not lost. Bob got a makeover, and someone (unknown to me) built a 60’ pylon across the ravine through which I-35 runs, and Bob ascended his majestic new perch in 2002. Looking closely at the picture below, you can see HNTB in the foreground and Bob on his new pylon just to the right of the building, standing above the trees across the I-35 ravine.

I was up on Quality Hill one night recently and noticed that Bob was not lit up like he used to be. The last remaining step to restoring Bob’s full dignity is for Bob to be lit. So, to any Kansas City philanthropists out there, forget the ballet or more acquisitions for the Nelson Art Gallery. Bob needs a light!

One further observation about Bob. As you can see in the photo below, Bob’s backside points directly at the FBI building. Was there any intentional significance to this?

(Wikipedia has an entry about the American Hereford Association that also includes a great picture of Bob and some background information.)