A.R. Dykes Library Blog - Research Guides at University of Kansas Medical Center

This year, Murphy Administration Building turned 100 years old. As the oldest building on the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, it has served as a foundation for the massive growth of the university and hospital over the past century. As planning for the celebration commenced in late 2023, the Clendening Library and Museum and the KUMC Archives recognized the opportunity to use library, museum, and archival collections to construct an exhibit delving into the forces that shaped (and opposed) the building's construction, and why it was renamed after Dr. Franklin D. Murphy.

We began our research with the published accounts present in the library collection. These included reflections of past KUMC faculty, as well as various history books about the University of Kansas. From there, we combed through the archival records related to the building’s planning and construction—newly digitizing and re-scanning dozens of documents and photographs in the process. We then compared what we found with newspaper coverage published in Kansas City and Lawrence. Finally, we pulled pieces of the original Eleanor Taylor Bell Memorial Hospital from the museum collection, as well as artifacts related to the “new” Bell Memorial Hospital and the building’s current namesake, Dr. Franklin D. Murphy.

By combining our collections and varied expertise, the historical collections team identified errors in the various published accounts, both due the imperfection of human memory and the lack of access to the KUMC Archives before its foundation in 1989. We were able to present as accurate a version of the history as possible and hope to highlight the importance of the community’s role (both the campus community and the wider Rosedale community) in the construction of this building. We have found tremendous value in returning to a piece of campus history that seemed settled.

The exhibit, “Murphy 100: Celebrating a Century of Life and Legacy” opens as part of the Murphy Building centennial celebration on September 12, 2024. Festivities begin at 2 PM with the Don Carlos Peete Lecture by Jennifer Gunn, Ph.D., “Franklin Murphy and the Kansas Rural Health Program.” Following the lecture, all are invited to attend the reception and exhibit opening, “Murphy 100: Celebrating a Century of Life and Legacy in the Clendening Museum and Murphy Lobby from 3-5 p.m.

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