What is a mansion?
That’s the question Roland Sabates posed to a friend from England when he and his wife, Marcia, saved the home at 4343 Oak Street in Kansas City, Missouri, from the wrecking ball.
Roland Sabates was afraid that the word “mansion” sounded pretentious.
The friend responded to the query in a perfect British accent: “Well, you have a carriage house. It is gated. It is large with many rooms. Yes, you may call it a mansion.”
As beautiful as the home is, what it houses is every bit as lovely: sculptures, paintings and drawings.
There is art from around the world but, most importantly, art from our home region.
Oak Street Mansion is now The Art Hotel and, this weekend, it will be one of the stopping points in the Wornall/Majors House Museums Garden Tour.
Marcia Sabates has made the tranquil garden, complete with a statue of Charlie “Bird” Parker, on Oak Street a labor of love.
On Saturday, hundreds of people will enjoy the green peacefulness and the first floor gallery while helping to preserve two of the oldest and most historically important houses in Kansas City: the John Wornall and Alexander Majors Houses.
The Oak Street Mansion and Garden is one of six stops on the tour.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to live like a king, this is your chance to stroll the grounds of your mansion…for a little while, anyway.
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Joel Nichols can be reached at joel.nichols@kclive.tv.
