Why Crown City

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Kansas City didn’t earn the nickname Crown City overnight. The crown became part of the city’s identity through a mix of creativity, tradition, business influence, and a deep-rooted sports culture that spans generations.

The modern crown story begins in the 1950s, when Hallmark introduced its now-iconic crown logo. As the company grew, the symbol became closely tied to Kansas City itself, representing creativity, craftsmanship, and pride.

In the late 1960s, Hallmark founder J.C. Hall developed Crown Center to revitalize an aging industrial area near downtown. The campus grew into one of the largest privately funded urban redevelopment projects in the country at the time, featuring offices, shops, hotels, and public spaces. Its name and symbolism helped cement the crown as a permanent part of Kansas City’s visual identity.

Around the same era, downtown merchants began hanging large illuminated crowns over city streets during the holidays, inspired by European shopping districts. For generations of Kansas Citians, those glowing crowns became a seasonal tradition and reinforced the idea of Kansas City as a Crown City.

Long before the modern teams arrived, Kansas City was already a “royal” city because of the American Royal — one of the most historic livestock shows and rodeos in the United States, dating back to 1899.

It became a symbol of Midwestern heritage, agriculture, and community.

KC’s crown theme only grew stronger with the creation of the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, now one of the largest and most prestigious barbecue competitions on the planet. Pitmasters travel from all over the world to compete, and KC proudly calls itself the Barbecue Capital of America.

Between livestock, rodeo, horses, and world-famous BBQ, the American Royal gave Kansas City a “royal” identity long before sports ever entered the picture.

As professional sports grew in Kansas City, teams naturally reflected the crown and royal themes already embedded in the city’s culture.

The Kansas City Royals, named directly after the American Royal tradition, brought championship baseball to the city with World Series titles in 1985 and 2015, along with one of the most recognizable crown symbols in all of sports.

The Chiefs Kingdom added to that identity with multiple Super Bowl championships, reinforcing Kansas City’s reputation as a proud, competitive, big-stage sports city. Their success put Kansas City in the national spotlight year after year and helped shape a modern era where excellence, confidence, and expectation became part of the city’s culture. 

From 1972 to 1985, Kansas City was also home to the Kansas City Kings, bringing NBA basketball to Kemper Arena and helping establish the city as a legitimate major-league sports market. The Kings played an important role in Kansas City’s professional sports history during a formative era for downtown entertainment and fan culture.

Kansas City’s Crown City identity carries into soccer as well. Sporting Kansas City has been one of the most successful clubs in MLS, with MLS Cup championships in 2000 and 2013, along with multiple U.S. Open Cup titles.

That legacy continues with the Kansas City Current, a championship contender and home of the world’s first purpose-built stadium for a women’s professional team — another example of Kansas City leading on a national stage.

We chose the name Crown City Painting because it ties us directly into the story of Kansas City — a city known for pride, craftsmanship, and taking care of its own.

Our crown logo is clean, modern, and simple — a reflection of the work we do:

• Meticulous prep
• Honest pricing
• Beautiful, lasting finishes
• Homes that feel renewed, not just remodeled
   

Every exterior we touch is a small part of this bigger story — a chance to make a KC home look and feel worthy of the place we live.

Across business, tradition, food, art, and sports, the crown has come to symbolize pride, quality, and community — values that continue to define Kansas City.