Jacob Leander Loose and Ella Anne Clark, husband and wife, were deeply devoted to each other. This is evident in their grand displays of affection: Loose Mansion and Loose Park. Jacob built our four-story mansion for his beautiful wife as the perfect location for her to host elegant evenings. Jacob had a nickname for Ella, “Sunshine,” and for this reason, he ordered “S’s” to be hand-carved in the mahogany Grand Staircase. Following Jacob’s death, Ella donated a larger than life-size statue of Jacob and 80 acres to the city for a park that will “never be built on, and always enjoyed.” To this day, both the mansion and the park are sites for beautiful wedding ceremonies and love stories.

The Loose Mansion was built over a three year period starting in 1907 with completion in 1909 at a cost of $250,000. The Washington D.C. architect hired by the Loose’s was well known for building embassies. Although a private home, it was designed for entertaining large groups and constructed to be extremely solid with cement flooring. There are high ceilings, extremely wide doorways, and multiple ways in and out of every space. Huge pocket doors were installed to allow for larger areas to become smaller when needed for more intimate settings.

Some of our favorite historic characteristics include:

• Dining Room Tiffany Chandelier
• Imported Italian Tile Flooring
• Hand Carved Phillippine Mahogany
• The Bible Fireplace
• The Grand Staircase
• Marble Foyer with Brass Railings
• Ornate Dome Ceiling in Foyer
• Fireplace Tile with Jacob’s Name
• Loose Family Safe
• Ella Loose’s Jewelry Safe
• High Security Bank Safe

The Carriage House, located on the South side of the mansion, is 2,200 square feet and was originally home to three of the Loose’s full time servants on the top floor, and Jacob’s 1907 Packard Limousine in what used to be a garage on the bottom floor. Today, the Carriage House is our adorable Bed & Breakfast.

The Saathoff Family purchased Loose Mansion in 2003. Their dedication to the home and Kansas City’s history is evident throughout the mansion. Keeping the integrity of the home has always been of utmost importance to them. The Saathoff’s have restored the entire mansion and Carriage House, including extensive updates to electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, along with resurfacing roofs and rebuilding balconies.

Jacob Loose left school in Illinois at age 16 and took a job earning $5 a week. Four years later, he and his brother, Joseph, opened a dry goods store in Chetopa, Kansas. In 1878, he married Ella Clark of Carthage, Missouri. Jacob founded the American Biscuit Company in 1880.

In 1905, Jacob and his company were responsible for inventing the Hydrox cookie. And in 1917, they introduced the soda cracker. Jacob’s companies developed creative packaging for their products, and many of them quickly became collector’s items. By 1925, Loose-Wiles employed 30,000 people throughout the United States.

Shortly after World War I, Jacob and Ella Loose were actively involved in the Liberty Memorial Association which was created to build a lasting National memorial in Kansas City to those who offered and gave their lives in defense of liberty and our country. On November 1, 1921, the site for the Liberty Memorial was to be dedicated, and the five Allied military leaders met in Kansas City to speak to a crowd of 200,000 people. This groundbreaking event was the only time in history that these leaders were together in one place. In attendance were Lieutenant General Baron Jacques of Belgium, General Armando Diaz of Italy, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, General John J. Pershing of the United States, and Admiral David Beatty of Great Britain.

The Loose’s enjoyed entertaining a few of the military heroes in town for the Liberty Memorial dedication. This photo was taken before the dedication and shows Jacob and Ella Loose on the front porch of Loose Mansion with General Armando Diaz of Italy standing between them. The two officers on the right side of the photo were aides to General Diaz. These included General De Luca, who is next to Mrs. Loose. The man on the far right with a cross on his helmet was a Dragoon (cavalry) officer, perhaps Major De Mierry, but this is not a definite identification. The American officer on the far left in the photo is an unidentified officer assigned as escort to General Diaz. An enlargement of this photo is proudly displayed in the mansion’s main level Sun Porch.

Five years later on November 11, 1926, many dignitaries returned to Kansas City to celebrate the dedication of the completed National World War I Liberty Memorial. Kansas City residents were thrilled that Queen Marie of Romania, her daughter, Princess Ileana, and her son, Prince Nicolas, traveled by train, arriving at Union Station just in time for the dedication ceremony. Queen Marie was extremely popular in Romania and throughout the world. Her popularity in her lifetime has been compared to Princess Diana in ours. During WWI, the Queen’s popularity grew enormously due to her devoted service in the Red Cross caring for wounded soldiers in military hospitals. Marie’s grandmother was England’s Queen Victoria. At age 17, Marie married Ferdinand of Romania, and was crowned Queen in 1914. The Queen and her two children were greeted at Union Station by thousands of Kansas City residents just hoping to get a glimpse of them. Upon leaving Union Station, they went directly to the memorial, and then were quickly taken to several small events around Kansas City.

Jacob was a generous benefactor who started the Children’s Mercy Hospital endowment fund with $25,000 in 1913. Jacob Loose donated the incredible United States flag staff to Swope Park on July 4, 1915. For over 30 years, Ella provided new shoes and spending money for orphans at Kansas City’s Gillis Home. Jacob and Ella also gifted chimes to various local churches, and they enjoyed hearing them ring throughout the city.

The Loose’s most visible legacy is Loose Park at 52nd and Wornall Road, once the Kansas City Country Club. Mrs. Loose bought the land for $500,000 and gave it to the city in 1927 as a memorial to her husband. It continues to be one of the most beautiful parks in Kansas City, and home to many wedding ceremonies. Every year, we have couples who “tie the knot” in the park’s gorgeous Rose Garden and then head to Loose Mansion to celebrate with a gorgeous reception.

The presence of ghosts was again substantiated in October 2008 by P.A.R. Investigations, a group of professional ghost hunters, sponsored by Radio 106.5 the WOLF for a fun Halloween segment. The ghost hunters were interviewed by the morning show following a night in the mansion using high tech computer, video and sound equipment to try to capture proof. According to this group, there was evidence of ghosts. The sound tapes were particularly fascinating. After the evening in the mansion, one of the ghost hunters told the owners they believed it was Jacob Loose visiting the mansion that evening, and he does this periodically to enjoy time in his study and to check in on the current owners. They believed he was pleased with the owners and what they are doing with his mansion! Whew!