If you have lived in Kansas City for a few years or more, chances are you have seen a glimpse of the Bixby Residence located near 65th Street and State Line Road. It hides behind a gated entrance with enough landscaping to hide the front from passing traffic. Your eye catches small pieces of the home while driving by. It has always pulled my eyes off the road for a split second and made me go "Wow I wonder what the rest of the home looks like?"
Designed by architect Edward W. Tanner, the home was originally built for insurance executive Walter E. Bixby. The Bixby Residence was meant to suit Walter Bixby's taste and achieve the goal of being much different than the surrounding classic styles of homes in the neighborhood. Tanner was an interesting choice considering his career up to that point consisted of small commercial spaces with traditional styles, some portions of the Country Club Plaza with Spanish styles, and many of the humble ranches in Prairie Village, Kansas.
For this shoot I had about an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to capture what I could. Being an overcast morning actually contributed to the home's style and the nature of the shoot. My job here was just to capture the home as it was. There was no serious staging of any kind. Even with the sprinklers being on about half the morning and flower pedals and small plant bits spread across the walks the mood of the home still comes through strong!
