Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio

The outside of the house was nice. The art studio where Thomas Hart painted his artwork was even more special. The inside felt like an actual lived-in historic home even including an early-1970s TV set, paintings, and cozy spaces to complete. Although there is a small $5 admission fee per person, it was worth it.

The Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio are a must-see if you're an architecture and/or art fan visiting Kansas City. The home and studio of America's most prominent "regionalist," Benton, are located in the Belleview Historical District. The streets are lined with beautiful historical homes, including one designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The gentleman who led the one-hour tour was pleasant and passionate about Benton. There are a dozen or so original works in the home and studio. Having seen his monumental "Hollywood" and "Persephone" paintings at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, it was interesting to see a few of his still life paintings in the home. You can reserve a tour online for $5 per person. They accept additional donations at the site and there is a small gift shop in the home. The tour was a highlight of our time in Kansas City.

Take this with a grain of salt, as I've never actually been inside this beautiful home, and have yet to take a tour. Whenever this Covid-19 phase wants to leave us, this is on my list.What I can speak to is the absolute architectural beauty of this house. We literally will drive into this neighborhood as part of a scenic route home because it's pretty amazing. This one fits the neighborhood all decked out with stone. Other houses around also showcase big stone front porches, and towering 100-year-old homes enshrouded in trees. The Thomas Hart Benton Home might just be my favorite of all of them in the neighborhood, which is high praise. I love when cities/towns preserve history, and this is a spot that has been featured and well-maintained over the years. THB's painting and murals are something to be celebrated, and you can find many of them at the nearby Nelson-Atkins Art Museum as well. Pretty cool to have a legacy connection to an iconic painter in Kansas City.

My wife and my mom and I toured Thomas Hart Benton's house this past Sunday afternoon. I've been on this tour at least a couple of times in the past, when I used to live in KC, but this guided tour blew me away. Our tour guide (Liz, I think was her name?) was FANTASTIC. Such incredible knowledge about THB, his life, and his art. I had no idea what a renaissance man he was, or his influence in music (especially the harmonica). Our guide was enthusiastic, funny, engaging, and knowledgeable. If I still lived here, I would totes wanna befriend her. (And if you're reading this, hiiiiii please message me, because we should totally be Facebook friends. We were the queerdos wearing trans+queer pride masks.) THB is one of my favorite artists, and it was fun to talk about him with someone who understood the complexities of him. He wasn't a perfect person (namely: hella homophobic and a bit of a gatekeeper about the American Regionalism art classification), but who clearly appreciated his art and nuance.One of my favorite tours to take when I visit KC!

I was on my way to the Nelson-Atkins for a T.H. Benton exhibit when I realized I still had never visited his home and studio which is a state park. The 2 guides I encountered are rich in the knowledge of THB, Missouri, art, architecture and everything related. An absolute treasure and so glad I went here before going to see the exhibit to get a better understanding of the man and his legacy. Next time I have a guest from out of town that appreciates art or history, I will take them here before getting BBQ.

Very interesting tour of the studio/home.

We had Saffie as our tour guide. She was so informative and answered all our questions. She was also patient with us and gave us the time to take in the spaces and art work. Beautiful house and architecture, Beautiful artwork, wonderful tour. Not for small children. Leave the kids 12 and under at home folks.

Lovely home in a gorgeous neighborhood that would have made the tour worth it alone. Excellent tour guide. So glad we stopped!

Thomas Hart Benton was an American painter and muralist know for his fluid paintings of the Midwest. His house is a hidden gem in the beautiful Roanoke neighborhood now ran by the Missouri State Park as a state historic site. His house and studio are open to tour and it's a little step back in time.It's kind of a trip to show up and more than likely be the only person there AND then out of no where, a park ranger shows up and gives you a tour. It seems all fancy and formal to have a man in uniform (ok, a park ranger uniform) give you a personal tour, but that's how they do it! It's not as awkward as it sounds and if you're lucky, another small group might be there for a tour too. The house is simple but dotted throughout with some of his work. Him and his wife lived in this house from 1939 thru 1975. It seems like most of those decades are represented throughout the decor of the house. I love that you can grab a recipe or two of his wife's when you pass the kitchen.....a free souvenir! The studio is out back in what was built as the carriage house. He died in this studio back in 1975 and they say it has pretty much been untouched since then. It's a pretty cool way to spend an hour or so of your life in a great neighborhood of KC. If his work motivates you enough, maybe you'll find yourself visiting the Nelson-Atkins to see some of his best work displayed in person.

If you've read anything about or have any curiosity concerning Thomas Hart Benton this is a place you must go. The MO Dept of Natural Resources has done an excellent job of preserving this place, so much so that when you take a tour you kinda wonder if Mr. Benton is just going to appear, grab his brushes and paints and start painting. The Rangers do a great job of telling the story of the place, and in short if you love the painter, or have an interest in Kansas City history for that matter, this is well worth 1 hour of your time to visit. This is one of Kansas City's hidden in plain sight treasures. I can't give everything 5 stars, but it's a very strong 4.