Nelle Peters: The groundbreaking Kansas City architect Nelle Peters designed many famous 1920s Kansas City buildings. and last updated 2021-03-16 07:39:36-04 KANSAS CITY, Mo. â The appearance of Kansas City, Missouri, can be credited in part to the design of buildings by Nelle Peters. "She was really a Kansas City architect, so she really shaped the way that city looked," Elizabeth Engel, with the State Historical Society of Missouri, said. According to the State Historical Society of Missouri, Peters was born in Niagra, North Dakota, on December 11, 1884. According to Engel, Peters' experienced difficulty starting her career in a male dominated industry.