Spencer Knarr was 12 years old when he found a White Star Line plate for sale at a thrift store near his hometown of Overland Park. The plate was as used on board the Titanic, Knarr said, and as a kid who was already interested in the ship, he just had to have it.
Decades later and he’s only added more Titanic-related artifacts to his collection. Although he now lives with his wife in Providence, Rhode Island, the professional collector is now sharing part of his collection with his hometown inside Union Station’s newest exhibit.
Titanic: An Immersive Voyage opens its doors Saturday, Nov. 8. It’s the third time Union Station has hosted an exhibit about the British passenger liner that sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912, but CEO George Guastello said this version gives visitors a peek at what it would’ve been like to be on the ship as it was sailing the ocean.
A deck chair from the Titanic is on display at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
There are over 200 authenticated artifacts on display, from the fine china used in the first class dining hall and one of only seven remaining deck chairs collected from the wreckage. While having these priceless pieces in Kansas City is important, Knarr said it was just as important for the exhibit to honor the over 1,500 passengers who died in the wreck, as well as educate visitors on the ship and its journey.
“Titanic herself is really just a small part of the story,” Knarr said. “What really makes Titanic the story that it is is the people around it, who built it, the people who sailed on it, the people who perished, and the people who went on to survive and do great things in this world.”
Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Tickets cost $28 for adults and $20 for children ages 3-12, with discounts available for military members and adults ages 65 and up. Guests can also experience a virtual reality tour of the Titanic that takes them deep into the sea to look at the submerged vessel for a $10 add-on.
Guastello said you should bring your phone since there is a downloadable audio guide included with the ticket that will tell visitors more about the history of the Titanic.
A collage of newspapers covering the Titanic sinking, including a copy from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is displayed on a wall at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
What’s inside the Titanic exhibit at Union Station?
Guests are introduced to a local connections space before entering the exhibit, showcasing what Kansas City looked like at the time of the Titanic setting sail. Over 30 pieces collected from the 1850s to the 1920s are on display, like Edwardian and late-Victorian diamond earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches and necklaces, a model of the 1903 Cadillac Model A, plus items collected from Steamboat Arabia’s sinking in 1856.
A replica of the Titanic’s ship wheel is displayed against a digital backdrop of the open ocean at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Once you enter the exhibit, you’re greeted by a model of the Titanic and facts about the ship are projected on screens leading into a doorway that mimics what it would’ve felt like boarding the ship. Artifacts are lined up on the wall in protective cases.
You’re also given a card that assigns you a passenger who was verified to be on board the Titanic, listing where they were coming from and whether they had a first, second or third class ticket. It ties into the displays built inside, showing visitors what a first class cabin looked like compared to a third cabin, or what the dining halls and silverware looked like to each passenger.
“All the rooms are recreated to the perfection that that would have been the original Titanic, but mixed with artifacts to tell the story, tell the people’s story and then to tell the Britannic or the Olympic story,” Guastello said.
A recreation of a first-class cabin aboard the Titanic is displayed at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
The immersive aspects don’t stop there, as the temperature in one section dedicated to the iceberg that sank the ship is colder than the rest of the exhibit. Deep in the exhibit, you can see what it would’ve looked like to be on the bow of the ship minutes before it struck the iceberg.
People from the Kansas City area who boarded the ship are highlighted on posters hanging on the walls next to artifacts like fragments of a first-class curtain, a door handle and a White Star Line envelope.
The room replicating the crash is dimly lit, which Knarr said is because there was no moonlight coming from the sky to illuminate the sea. The next room following the crash is designed to feel crooked, and a screen at the end of the hall shows water filling the hall.
“This is what happened, this is real life and this is what these people experienced,” Knarr said. “It forces you to ask yourself a question: ‘What will you do when the lights go out?’”
A deck chair from the Titanic is on display at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
A wall is covered with headlines from newspapers around the country spreading the news and a poster starring an actress who survived the wreck promoting a movie about the experience. Knarr also shared a story about a nurse who survived not only the wrecks of the Titanic but also its sister ships, Olympic and the Britannic. He said he wasn’t sure if she was the luckiest or unluckiest person in the world.
A large screen near the end shows visitors what it would’ve looked like being in the cold water as the ship was sinking, and surrounding the room are boxes that people clung onto in the water or a lifeboat that’s the same size as what was on board. Knarr said the original plans for the Titanic didn’t include any lifeboats since the ship was supposed to be “its own lifeboat.”
The exhibit isn’t complete without movie set pieces from the 1997 Academy Award-winning film, like the diamond necklace worn by Kate Winslett and Gloria Stuart’s character Rose or the button-up shirt Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Jack wore throughout most of the film.
Spencer Knarr, a Titanic collector and historian, discusses his collection, which is part of the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Is the virtual reality experience worth the extra $10?
After you’ve looked at the postcards that covered any mention of the Titanic, pieces from its sister ships or the original sheet music bandmaster Wallace Hartley strapped to his chest in a case as he continued to play when the ship was sinking, you’re given the opportunity to purchase a virtual reality experience for $10.
It’s worth every penny, in this reporter’s opinion.
A piece of sheet music for the song “Reine Valse” is on display at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
The 12-minute experience takes you down to the depths the wreckage, where it feels like you’re walking on top of the fully-submerged ship. Prompts pop up in your headset asking you to move virtual pieces of debris out the way as you walk into the next hub.
You’re then transported onto the deck of the Titanic on a bright and sunny day, and later it takes you inside the grand staircase exclusive to first class patrons (a life-size model was also built for the exhibit). One moment you’re enjoying the band, the next it feels like surrounded by water while stuck inside the ship.
The experience plays with all of your senses, and it’s just one of the hundreds of stories told within the exhibit.
“There are other Titanic exhibits out there, but this is a Titanic experience,” Knarr said. “I just want people to come and have a good time.”
A recreation of a first-class cabin aboard the Titanic is displayed at the Titanic: An Immersive Voyage exhibit at Union Station on Thursday, Nov. 6, in Kansas City. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
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Joseph Hernandez
The Kansas City Star
Joseph Hernandez joined The Kansas City Star’s service journalism team in 2021. A Cristo Rey Kansas City High School and Mizzou graduate, he now covers trending topics and finds things for readers to do around the metro.
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