The Ginger House Museum Opens in Independence

100 W Moore St. Independence, MO

The Ginger House Museum at 100 W Moore Street, Independence, Missouri, is the birthplace of famed actress, singer, and dancer Ginger Rogers. The Museum opened to the public on August 22, 2018. A ribbon cutting was held by the Independence Chamber of Commerce on August 21.

Marge and Gene Padgitt, of Independence, Missouri purchased the property in February of 2016 and began the restoration process, which was quite extensive. Marge Padgitt is a Ginger Rogers fan and wanted to save the house for the public to enjoy. The Padgitts own several businesses including HearthMasters, Inc., which is a chimney and fireplace restoration company, and Three Trails Cottages, LLC, which is a real estate investment business. Gene Padgitt was the general contractor for the Ginger House Museum project. The interior has been restored to as close to original as possible with the addition of museum displays which include photos, posters, clothing and items that Ginger Rogers owned, and her family history. The exterior of the home and landscaping will be completed in the spring of 2019.

The 1906 home was designated as an Historic Landmark Property by the City of Independence in 1994 when Ginger Rogers visited for her birthday celebration. Mayor Ron Stewart affixed the plaque to the home at that time.

Audrey Elder, author of “Guide to Selling Historic Properties for Real Estate Agents” and 29 historic property books including “100 W Moore Street,” is the manager for The Ginger House Museum. After recently leaving a twelve-year career in real estate, Audrey now teaches continued education about working with historic properties for realtors in Missouri and Kansas, as well as training presentations specific to historic preservation and sustainable community building in historic districts. Audrey served three years on the City of Independence Missouri Heritage Commission, is a member of many local historical societies.

Audrey Elder at the front desk

Museum hours are 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Wednesday – Saturday from April 1 to September 30, and weekends in October through December, and again in February for special holiday theme tours. The museum is open to private group tours by appointment year-round.  

Ticket prices are $8 for ages 13 and up, $6 for seniors, military, fire, and police,and $4 for children aged 5 – 12. The Ginger House Museum hosts the annual Ginger Festival in honor of Ginger Rogers. Plans for the 2019 Festival are underway and include a 1940’s theme, fashion show with Ginger Rogers gowns, a banquet and dance.

Fundraising for the project includes the sale of engraved bricks for the new sidewalks, which will be installed in 2019. Bricks may be purchased for $100. Larger contributions are accepted. The museum has several items for sale including books written by Ginger Rogers, postcards, and milk bottles from her Oregon ranch. 

The museum is seeking volunteer docents to work part time on their own schedule. For more information visit www.thegingerhouse.org or call 816-833-1602. The blog address is www.thegingerrogershouse.blogspot.com, and the museum has a Facebook account where updates are posted.

Welcome to the Ginger House Blog

From a 1942 LIFE Magazine article

Welcome to our new blog about the Ginger House - the birthplace of  actress/dancer Ginger Rogers in Independence, Missouri. We purchased this home on February 29, 2016 and are restoring it so that hopefully we can open it to the public in the near future.

We have addressed several major structural issues including the stone foundation, floor joists, floors, woodwork and brick chimney, and are currently in the process of doing the interior renovations, restoring the interior features as close to original condition as possible. The costs so far have exceeded $66,000.

The room where Ginger was born.
From a 1942 LIFE Magazine article

This house was built in 1906 by a developer who built three houses on this block at the same time. They are all still standing.

The architectural style is called Craftsman Bungalow and according to the Independence Heritage Commission, this house has unique features such as the porch columns and extensive exterior and interior wood trim work not normally found on "working class" houses.

The location is  at 100 W. Moore Street, one block off of 24 highway at the corner of Main and Moore streets in Independence. Watch here for our progress photos and opening date. Please sign up for notices so you can keep up with our progress.

We can't make any further exterior changes without permission from the Independence Heritage Commission since this is an Historic Landmark Property. We have big plans for the exterior landscaping, fences, and parking in back, but this portion of the project won't be started until we raise adequate funds. The cost for the landscaping and parking is expected to be around $50,000.

We are real estate investors and normally buy, restore, then sell or rent historic houses. Our purpose in purchasing the home was solely to preserve it as a piece of history rather than have it go into further disrepair or have another family living in it as a private residence that the public did not have access to. Part of the reason for this decision is that I am a huge fan of Ginger Rogers, as was my mother. Ginger Rogers was an extremely talented woman and her mother was a very strong and independent woman. Both were good role models for young women.

Ginger visited this house several times while in Independence or Kansas City playing at Starlight Theatre or other venues, and in 1964 when she visited President Harry Truman at the Truman Library, just three blocks from this location. Ginger again returned in 1994 for the Ginger Rogers Day Festival hosted by the City of Independence and Mayor Ron Stewart. She was given the key to the City at that time.

Ginger Rogers at the house and Mayor Stewart holding the historic plaque
which he affixed to the house

The house today, the columns repaired and a new chimney constructed

We are planning a Ginger Rogers Festival and fund-raising event in the spring of 2017 and will post more information about that on this blog soon.

For more information about how you can help with this project visit www.thegingerhouse.org.