insight is a Star series that takes our readers behind the scenes of some of Kansas City’s most famous and lesser-known places and events. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at [email protected].
This unassuming building on the corner of 29th Street and Troost Avenue played an outsized role in the world of religious literature for over a century.
The Nazarene Publishing House dates back to 1912, when the Church of the Nazarene built it as the headquarters of its publishing house. The church was then headquartered in Kansas City. It is now based in Lenexa.
From the beginning, the church was a bustling place, producing 25 million publications a year at its peak—everything from Sunday school lessons for churches around the world to books, magazines, and weekly newspapers such as the Herald of Holiness.
In later years, his publishing house, Beacon Hill Press in Kansas City, published dozens of books annually on theological topics and Wesleyan thought.
It was a constant presence along Troost Avenue at a time when many businesses had left the area.
But the digital age took its toll. In 2014, the Nazarene Publishing House suddenly ceased operations, citing massive financial problems.
After the closure, the publishing house was restructured and emerged as The Foundry Publishing with significantly fewer staff.
In 2016, the Kansas City Board of Education purchased the space to consolidate its administrative offices and maintenance and engineering staff in a more accessible location than its downtown facility.
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Looking for more Kansas City history?
Just a few blocks from the Nazarene Publishing House, Walt Disney met a very important mouse for the first time
Squier Park is another historic district that also borders Troost Avenue
Kansas City has experienced a number of terrible tornadoes, and this one in 1886 was one of the worst.
