The Hallmark Penthouse at corporate headquarters

For a long time, if you got on a certain elevator at Hallmark headquarters, there was an extra button at the top labeled “PH.” You needed a key to get into the Hallmark penthouse. You’d probably never been there, but knew someone who had: They reported only that the decor was retro-tastic.

Now the space has been re-purposed and (mostly) redecorated as a meeting space, and renamed the Executive Conference Center. It’s still fabulous, but sounds a little less swanky and alluring than “The Penthouse.” So we were thrilled when Hallmark Historian Samantha B. gave us a peek into what was a mid-century modern showcase. Here’s what she shared with us.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

A high-rise guest house for famous friends

Hallmark founder J.C. Hall made friends with the best-known artists, writers, celebrities, and politicians of his time. Many visited headquarters regularly, and to better accommodate them, J.C. built the Hallmark penthouse.

Opened five years after Hallmark relocated to our current headquarters, the penthouse accommodated hundreds of guests from 1961 to 1977. The first was President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the last was actor Ed Asner; in between, J.C. welcomed Walt Disney, Henry Dreyfuss, Charles and Ray Eames, Bob Hope, Yousuf Karsh, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Saul Steinberg, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Hermann Zapf.

[Editor’s note: The guest register may be the 20th century’s most impressive, eclectic autograph book.]

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Custom decor by Alexander Girard

When local architecture firm Marshall and Brown completed the penthouse in 1961, it featured a conference room, garden, living-dining area, study, small kitchen and serving bar, five bathrooms, and six bedrooms.

Alexander Girard, head of the Herman Miller Textiles Division, designed the interior. He custom-made much of the decor, including a wool rug woven in Morocco as the focal point in the conference room; accessories from door handles to curtains to a water fountain; and upholstered furniture throughout. He also incorporated antiques, items from Hallmark’s collection, and iconic Saarinen and Eames designs.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Girard started his design for the Hallmark penthouse with whites—white walls, white tile, white plaster ceiling, white marble and formica—then layered on solids and patterns in earth tones, metallics, and rich woods. He showcased Italian, French, and American paintings from the international Hallmark Art Awards. And he created a 40-foot 3D mural full of antique cards and ephemera from Hallmark’s collection.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

J.C. used the central space in the Hallmark penthouse as a meeting room, but kept things friendly and informal—there were couches and chairs, but no conference table.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Because the conference room was located in the interior of the penthouse, there were no windows. Instead, a retractable skylight over a Venetian glass reflecting pool brought the outdoors in.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

[Editor’s note: Ashtrays as accessories—everywhere. Hard to imagine today.]

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Girard designed the seven-tiered water fountain, and Teodora Blanco created the sculptures.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Modern, practical touches around every corner

Girard’s designs weren’t all for show: Thoughtful, practical choices made the penthouse convenient for business-minded guests and the maintenance team.

You could draw curtains and partitions to separate spaces. Or hide the television and stereo in the wall when it was important to be distraction-free. Desks and night stands featured push-button conveniences and plug-ins for “telephones and dictating machines.” Tables hung on walls or were built into sofas, cords hid behind walls and in furniture, and beds were upholstered—both for a clean look and to make vacuuming easier.

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

[Editor’s note: Twin beds only. We assume this was to keep people focused on business.]

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Living spaces with views of the city

The 10th floor view from the Hallmark penthouse gave visitors a breathtaking look at Kansas City through 4,000 square feet of floor-to-ceiling tinted windows.

But to anyone with an appreciation for modern design, the inside was equally impressive. Girard’s designs were,  according to a 1963 issue of Interiors magazine, “gentle, restful, rich, inviting.”

The same year, Interior Design said, “In these rooms, Girard’s attention to the details of interior design is exemplary. The functions of the spaces have been worked out so thoroughly in advance that no extraneous element mars the intended visual effect.”

[Editor’s note: We were about to say exactly the same thing.]

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

[Editor’s note: Of course, you can’t see the dramatic skyline here because curtains. We assume it was awesome.]

Hallmark Penthouse | thinkmakeshareblog.com

The Hallmark penthouse today

So, what happened to all the cool stuff? We asked Samantha.

She tells us that over the past 56 years, the penthouse has been remodeled several times and the layout has changed. But a few of Girard’s original designs remain, including a desk, night stands, dressers, and a bar made of Formica and teak; three Knoll Associates chairs, and two upholstered beds. And the Moroccan rug, some paper objects Girard designed, and Eames/Herman Miller chairs all have a home in our Archives. The 40-foot greeting card mural is displayed in our headquarters.

All images courtesy of the Hallmark Archives.

 

Comments

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  1. 8.4.17 | Reply
    Steve wilson wrote:

    Early in my career at Hallmark I had the opportunity to photograph in the corporate penthouse several times… It truly was a cool space and felt very European to me. My favourite memory was that on one occasion the record on the record player was, “Famous Speeches of Winston Churchill”.

    • 8.5.17 | Reply
      Vince wrote:

      Any chance those photographs were in color? Girard’s layer textures show so much better in color.

      • 8.8.17 | Reply
        Steve wilson wrote:

        There are surely colour images in the photo collection. I’m retired from Hallmark so hopefully someone can post those.

        • 8.9.17 | Reply
          Samantha B. wrote:

          Unfortunately, we only have black and white photographs of the penthouse in the Hallmark Archives.

  2. 8.5.17 | Reply
    Barbara Weary wrote:

    A secret space I had never heard about! Thank you for a wonderful presentation of a long time space that was unknown to the general public!

  3. 8.15.17 | Reply
    Jefrey Bond wrote:

    Is the water fountain still in use?

  4. 3.16.18 | Reply
    Lanny Mong wrote:

    I worked 44yrs. In Bldg. Eng. 30 of those on evening shift. I spent A lot of time working up there on repairs. Mr. Hall used to come down to the Crown Room for midnight snacks with his dog (Heide) when he spent nights up there. I used to enjoy visiting with him. Pres Eisenhour, Winston Churchil and many dignitaries used to stay there when in town.

    • 3.16.18 | Reply
      Think.Make.Share wrote:

      Love hearing about the history of that space! Thank you for sharing, Lanny. And for your 44 years! WOW!

  5. 4.2.18 | Reply
    Mary Nacrelli wrote:

    This was a lovely tour! I’d heard about the penthouse, but was never able to see it.
    Thank you!

  6. 2.4.19 | Reply
    Peter Sellers wrote:

    Thank you so much for the intriguing information of the Hallmark Penthouse. I find it so fascinating. You have noted some very famous individuals that visited the penthouse in your article. Is it possible to view the guest registry in its entirety? Or somehow see a list of who all visited this iconic landmark?
    Thank you again for the great history and pictorials of the Penthouse!

    Peter

    • 2.11.19 | Reply
      Trish B. wrote:

      Hi, Peter: Unfortunately, we don’t have a complete list of Hallmark Penthouse available—the guestbook has more than 700 signatures, addresses, and comments. Although several well-known individuals visited, most of the guest list is comprised of business partners and retailers.