Kansas City Power and Light Building

Kansas City Power and Light Building
View of the southeast
Alternative names	KCP&L Building Power and Light Building
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Commercial offices
Location	1330 Baltimore Ave Kansas City MO 64105 United States
Coordinates	39°05′51″N 94°35′05″W / 39.09751°N 94.584743°W / 39.09751; -94.584743Coordinates: 39°05′51″N 94°35′05″W / 39.09751°N 94.584743°W / 39.09751; -94.584743
Construction started	1930 (1930)
Completed	1931 (1931)
Owner	Gailoyd Enterprises Corporation
Height
Roof	476 ft (145 m)
Technical details
Floor count	34
Floor area	230,000 sq ft (21,000 m²)
Lifts/elevators	7
Design and construction
Architect	Hoit, Price & Barnes
Developer	Kansas City Power and Light
Main contractor	Swenson Construction Company
References
^[1]^[2]^[3]
Kansas City Power and Light Company Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1930 (1930)
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP Reference #	88001852^[4]
Added to NRHP	January 9, 2002 (January 9, 2002)

The Kansas City Power and Light Building (also called the KCP&L Building and the Power and Light Building) is a landmark skyscraper located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The building was constructed by Kansas City Power and Light in 1931, as a way to promote new jobs in Downtown Kansas City. Since then, the Art Deco structure has been a prominent part of the Kansas City skyline. The east side of the building faces the Power & Light District which bears its name, and the building's iconic lantern appears on promotional materials and signage for the district.

History

The building was designed by the Kansas City architecture firm of Hoit, Price and Barnes, which also designed Municipal Auditorium and 909 Walnut. Rumor for years said the original plans included a twin building to be paired on the immediate west side of the building, but the second tower was never built due to the effects of the Great Depression on local real estate prices. This was debunked in 2013 by local architect Dan Hicks who reviewed plans and interviewed Clarence Kivett, a well known architect working for Hoit, Price and Barnes at the time of the building design.^[5] The west side of the building has no windows because it was meant to be a firewall next to any building built next to it, plus the elevator shafts are along that side of the building.. The Power and Light Building, at 34 stories, was Missouri's tallest habitable structure from 1931 until the completion of One U.S. Bank Plaza in St. Louis in 1976.

In 1984, the building was featured in the movie Ghostbusters in the final scene. The top of the building is clearly displayed before encountering Gozer.

Kansas City Power & Light Co. left the building in 1991.^[6] The building lost its last tenant, BNIM, a Kansas City-based architecture and planning firm, on September 2, 2014. Now vacant, the conversion of the 36-story Power & Light building into an apartment tower began in October 2014. The project, led by NorthPoint Development of Riverside, calls for 217 apartments, with availability by the end of 2015. ^[6]

In 2010 Kansas City selected the area adjacent to the Power and Light Building as a potential location for a hotel and convention center, to fulfill a need for the city. However, the city only received two proposals from property developers for a convention hotel at the site. The city considered the two proposals it received in 2011 as lackluster and were considering reopening the bidding process for a different downtown location.^[7] In 2012 the building was put on sale^[6] and was purchased by a Minnesota developer.^[8]

Lighting

The Kansas City Power and Light Building is crowned by an ornate Art Deco lantern, which features prismatic glass panels concealing red-orange lights that glow each evening at sunset. Originally, each recessed setback of the building also held multicolor flickering flood lights that dazzled nighttime viewers with the impression of blazing flames.^[9] Today, LED floodlights rotate through an abundance of colors and dazzle onlookers.

Gallery

Power & Light Building at night.
Exterior detail.
Main floor office.
Light fixture,
main floor office.
Air vent,
main floor lobby.

References

↑ Kansas City Power and Light Building at CTBUH Skyscraper Database
↑ Kansas City Power and Light Building at Emporis
↑ Kansas City Power and Light Building at SkyscraperPage
↑ Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/blog/2013/12/the-mystery-at-the-power-light-building.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2013-12-19&page=all
1 2 3 "Kansas City Power & Light building goes up for sale". Kansas City Business Journal. March 28, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
↑ Klaus, Krista (May 20, 2011). "Kansas City may reopen bidding for convention hotel site". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
↑ Vockrodt, Steve (July 20, 2012). "Power & Light Building will sell to Sherman Associates". Kansas City Business Journal. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
↑ The Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (1979), Kansas City, "N° 52: Kansas City Power and Light Building," Kansas City, Missouri: KCAIA, p. 71

External links

Timeline of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi River

Central Tower (91 m) (1898)
Smith Tower (141 m) (1914)
Kansas City Power and Light Building (145.1 m) (1931)
Mercantile National Bank Building (159 m) (1942)
Sheraton Dallas Hotel (183 m) (1959)
ExxonMobil Building (185 m) (1963)
Republic Center Tower II (183 m) (1964)
Elm Place (191 m) (1965)
555 California Street (237 m) (1969)
Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972)
Aon Center (262 m) (1973)
JPMorgan Chase Tower (305 m) (1982)
U.S. Bank Tower (310 m) (1990)

Timeline of the tallest buildings in Missouri

Old Courthouse (59 m) (1864)
Union Station (70 m) (1894)
Commerce Trust Building (79 m) (1906)
Railway Exchange Building (84 m) (1914)
925 Grand (91 m) (1921)
Southwestern Bell Building (121 m) (1926)
Kansas City Power and Light Building (145 m) (1931)
One US Bank Plaza (148 m) (1976)
Hyatt Regency Crown Center (154 m) (1980)
AT&T Center (179 m) (1986)
Town Pavilion (180 m) (1986)
One Kansas City Place (198 m) (1988)

Timeline of the tallest buildings in Kansas City

New York Life Building (55 m) (1892) Commerce Trust Building (78.6 m) (1906) 925 Grand (91 m) (1921) Oak Tower (116 m) (1929) Kansas City Power and Light Building (100 m) (1931) 2345 Grand (107 m) (1977) Hyatt Regency Crown Center (154 m) (1980) Town Pavilion (180 m) (1986) One Kansas City Place (198 m) (1988)

The Kansas City Area

Kansas City, Missouri The Metro Area History Timeline Economy Neighborhoods Architecture Fountains Barbecue Jazz Broadcast Film Education Sports

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types

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