“ = a 4 : aenee ‘mera Hise City Architecture e A T A M A T A A S O K A C S A A U N O A S A G A N « O f 9 ! | | i e e T e e vi Supporters Ix Foreword Introduction: Architecture in Kansas City xii Introduction: Public Art in Kansas City Downtown 52 Westside 62 Old Northeast AMERICAN InsTITUTE OF ArcuiTécts Guioe To Kansas Ciry Arcuimecrure & Pusuic Art UP. East Side ©) 2000 American Institute oF Arcuitects/KANsas Ciry 90 Midtown ALL Richs ReseRveD. No PART OF THE CONTENT OF THIS BOOK MAY’ BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHERS, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF - a Arcuimecrs/KANSAS City AND HIGHWATER EDITIONS, A DIVISION OF JANE MoBLEy 114 Brush Creek & Country Club Associates, 144 Northwest THE AMERICAN InstTTUTE oF ARCHITECTS, THE AIA/KC, Jane MoBtey AssocuTes ano INDIVIDUALS CONNECTED WITH THIS PUBLICATION ASSUME NO LEGAL RESPONSIBILTY fon THE COMPLETENESS OR ACCURACY OF LISTINGS HEREIN OR ANY LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR IHE 154 Northeast APPRECIATION OR DEPRECIATION IN VALUE OF ANY BUILDINGS OR PROPERTIES LISTED IN THIS BOOK BY ANY REASONOF SUCH INCLUSION. 162 Southeast COVER: ANEAGLE SCULPTED py Louis Sant-GaUbeus GUARDS THE ENTRANCE OF THE NEW YoRK Lire Burning (1890), Kansas Cry’s riest “SKYSCRAPER,” HOME 10 THE 174 Southwest MULTINATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY UTIUCoRP UNITED. PHoroGRaPH By Bran FiNcy, Back Cover: |y 1994, HeucopteR INSTALLED R.M. FisHER’S Sky Starions 194 Independence, Missouri CPFpOHMOMTIOSGSfRSIAOPNHEDCrOUARSTES1PYAROTF TOHFE MKuAnNisciapsatCAinryr’sComOmnies-sPieonR.cent-For-ART PROGRAM. 206 Kansas City, Kansas Th—CcHOiNs5SeaT8RU080C0arTKIONwedasoMAeDPAERTWEPRSO,KSaSanINsBaDLsE.OTTHCHEiRRtOySUGwDHHeOsGiEAcNLnESROOCVUEANSLTUEgERR,AONUTMRSANCYFO.RMOMMOUFNTIHOTEUYRCiiSTAyDREOCSFHIIGTKNEACNTAsUNARDsE 220 People’s Choice Awards 222. Contributors PRINTED BYay Rictar0nson PRINTING, Ic. rN THE UNITED Starts oF AMERICA 224 Suggested Further Reading LBRARY OF Congress Giro Nunaer: 00 103973 ISBN 1-888903.06.4 226 Index: Architecture & Public Art 233 Index: Architects & Artists “ — cj @ oon co —] sd : THIS GUIDE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT GENEROUS Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS: Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, P.c. Construction SpecificationsInstitute/Kansas City Chapter Bratton Corporation PRINCIPAL SUPPORTERS Ochsner, Hare & Hare Wee ae es se Otis Elevator William T. li oundation RNC Enterprises, Inc. AIA/Kansas City The Hall Family Foundation Hallmark Corporation Foundation AIA/KANSAS City MEMBERS: DST Realty, Inc. ASAIArchitects Turner Construction Company BNIM Architects The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City CDF?Architecture Capital Electric Construction Company,Inc. Devine Deflon Yaeger,Inc. Johnson Controls, Inc. Gould Evans Goodman Associates The Builders’ Association HNTB Corporation Ellerbe Becket Mr. Richard L. Farnan FRIENDS IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY Gastinger Walker Harden Architects, Inc. Ammon Painting Company HOK Sport, Event and Venue Architecture Mr. J. Philip Kirk Jr. TK Architects, Inc. Mark One Electric Company,Inc. Wiedeman Architects Inc. Midwest Titan Incorporated Bucher, Willis and Ratcliff Consulting Engineers and Architects Associated General Contractors Inc./Kansas City Chapter John Lawrence Daw and Associates Architects CNAInsurance Companiesand Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, Inc. Overland Park Development Corporation Peters and Associates Linda Ervin Young Fund of the Kansas City Architectural Foundation Piper-Wind Architects A. Zahner Company Shaughnessy Fickel & Scott Architects A.L. Huber Construction, Inc. Shaw Hofstra + Associates Carthage Marble Corporation Susan Richards Johnson and Associates, Inc. DiCarlo Construction Company Warner-Nease-Bost Architects JE Dunn Construction Company Junk Architects, P.C. KC Heritage Construction Co. Dean Graves Architect KONE Incorporated Mr. Richard D. McDermott Lockton Companies e Western Fireproofing Company of Kansas City, Inc. C a Greater Kansas City, Missouri, Chapter 100 ofthe T National Association of Womenin Construction S a < VI ——SNS S— G Y r c h i t e c t u r e i n K a n s a s C i t y IN 1979. THE KANSAS City CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF produced an abundance of outstanding examples of architecture Architects (AIA/KC) publishedits first guidebook to the architecture most of which speak to a maturing of the art and practice of the of our city. In the two decades that have followed Kansas City has architectural profession in Kansas City. Additionally, Kansas Citys seen the addition of many outstanding buildings and the loss of One-Percent-for-Art Program, given new impetus in the 1980s, has several old ones. For this reason alone, a new guidebook for Kansas provided a bodyof public art that enhances manyofthose examples City architecture would be warranted. The year ofthis publication, of recent architecture. The private sector also has recognized the however, brings two additional compelling reasons to overview the value of public art and many privately developed projects carry that built assets of our city. The new millennium provides a time to both commitmentwith them. look to the future as well as review the past, and the year 2000 also marksthe 150th anniversary of the founding of the City of Kansas Because the size of the book necessarily had to be limited, the Guidebook Committee invited a jury of Kansas City architectural City, Missouri. professionals to assist in evaluating new projects, as well as editing To this end the Kansas City Chapter of The American Institute of entries from the 1979 book. KansasCity architects weresolicited to Architects has joined together with the Design Center of Kansas City provide examples of their works since 1979 to be considered for to publish this celebration of Kansas City architecture. The intent of inclusion in the new book. Scores of projects were offered this book is to give the reader a representative visual image of for consideration and the jury selected more than 300 examples to Metropolitan Kansas City through its exceptional buildings, urban be included. design, and contemporary environmental public art. The material in The result is a guidebook that is not complete, but one the this guide was drawn from many sources and all entries have been committee believes offers a comprehensive look at the history and carefully deliberated by an editorial committee made up of development of the role of architecture in Kansas City’s built distinguished architects, educators and historians. environment. To keep the size of the book manageable, the The reader will find — arranged in 12 geographic districts — committee excluded monuments, fountains and otherfree-standing structures in favor of focusing on buildings that actually contain and examples of the work of some of the area's finest architects and support human activity. Also not represented here are the myriad artists, as well as a numberofentries by individuals of world renown. parks and boulevards that so splendidly define much ofthe area’s Atthe beginning of each geographic area is a guide map, along with an introduction to the overall significance ofthe area. All entries civic infrastructure. Those deserve a volumeoftheir own. can also be found in the index,listed by architect/artist, as well as This project has been a laboroflove for everyone involved with it. by project name. Long hours, passionate debate, and much objective thought, respect and delight have goneinto this guidebook. Weinvite youto use and These geographic areas were defined primarily to assist the userin enjoyit. efficientuse of time to schedule andvisit the subjects ofthis book. As it happens, the geographic divisions tend to parallel closely the Tom Bean, AIA patterns of growth and development in Kansas City and recognize President, AIA/KC 2000 the individual styles of Kansas City, Missouri; Independence, e : r n u o t i Missouri; Kansas City, Kansas; and Johnson County, Kansas. t c Bryan Gross, AIA uc e t d i o Chairman, r h t c n r I The content of the new guidebook was based on the 1979 AIA/KC A Guidebook Committee edition, with the recognition that the years since then have , x X LIKE MANY CITIES | NTHE UNITED STATES, KANSAS CiTY HAD A PUBLIC ART such as Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Shuttlecocks. ordinance on the books long before 1991, when city officials set These giantfiberglass sculptures redefined the neoclassical facade aside a mandated one percent from construction costs of municipal and lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art when they were buildings in order to commission art. Also similar to other cities’ acquired through the Sosland Family for the museum in 1994. efforts, this action was not taken lightly. On the contrary, it provoked heated debate. Some citizens believed that Kansas City’s long- Sky Stations, Shuttlecocks and other works of public art pushed previously held standardsfor taste and appropriateness farther than standing tradition of civic-minded patrons privately commissioning or ever before in Kansas City. The rewards, as evidenced by the purchasing art to adorn the city’s urban spaces, splendid parks, and reproductions of these colossal sculptures on everything from public places — like the venerated J.C. Nichols’ Country Club Plaza telephone book covers, to television news backdrops, to national — was a sufficient responseto the demandfor public art. publications and media spots, have themselves beenlargerthanlife. To the credit of numerous dedicated community leaders, patrons, and Public art in Kansas City has come a remarkably long waysince the an expansive arts community, today, almost a decade after the publication of an architectural guidebook in 1979. Since then, implementation of Kansas City’s One-Percent-for-Art Program, both patrons and artists alike have taken seriously the task of private and public commissions flourish in Kansas City. Together, commissioning and creating art that seeks a meaningful these publicly and privately supported efforts have forged relationship to architecture, site, and finally, community. The 2000 an extraordinary vision for public art in Kansas City, guidebook would be remissif it excluded an exciting developmentin distinguishable from any other city, and worthy of the national the region’s built environment: the large number of art works attention it has received. created over the last two decades that cohabit with ‘architecture. For example, Jonathan Borofsky’s Walking Man can be spotted on The public art works included in this publication were intentionally top of the COMBuilding on the Johnson County Community College limited to those works commissioned from contemporary artists working in relationship to architecture and site. In making these campus, and Dale Eldreds realization of Frank Lloyd Wright's vision from of a Light Steeple can be seen atnightstreaming heavenward selections, the jury of Kansas City architectural professionals who Christian Church on Main Street. the Community evaluated the book’s contenttook into consideration both the context ofthis publication and the numerous publications that already exist Such works became far more than enhancements to buildings. They fo attest to the rich tradition of fountains, monuments, and became expressions of the region's creative energy, embedded in the traditional sculpture in Kansas City. In addition, in order to consciousnessof the community, and crucial to the spirit ofthis place, encourage driving tours of the city’s architecture and public art, only our Kansas City. those works located outdoors are featured. These stipulations aside, the public works featured in this Blair Sands Public Art Administrator, publication are a testament to the expanding vision of the Kansas Municipal Art Commission, City community. A monumental public work, R.M. Fisher's Sky City of Kansas City, Missouri Stations, commissioned by the city’s One-Percent-for-Art Program e y a V h and installed by helicopter in 1994, made an indelible mark on n a t e h Kansas City’s skyscape. Other works included here are easily t a a recognized as someof the best work of nationally renownedartists, xii OWNTOWNKANSASCity, MISSOURI, ENCOMPASSES an area extending from the Missouri River to 31st Street and east from State Line Road to Troost Avenue. During the late 1860s, this area began to interest merchants and residents when Kersey Coates, a real estate speculator, began investing in and developing the land around whatis now 10th Street. South of the original center of commerce,the Riverfront District, the Coates Addition was platted. The new development attracted wealthy families to build mansions on the bluffs overlooking the river, a neighborhood that came to be known as Quality Hill. The Coates Hotel was built in 1891 and encouraged growth along Broadway. Around the same time,the property east of Quality Hill along Ninth Street was developing. It became known as “The Junction,” the busiest financial, social and cultural district in the city. Major Samuel D. Vaughn hired Asa Beebe Cross, a prominent Kansas City architect, to design “Vaughn's Diamond,” a flatiron building at the convergence of Ninth, Main and Delawarestreets. During the 1870s and 1880s, construction of new buildings in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, increased, though most of the land in the city nicknamed “Gully Town” was marked by high bluffs 3 a ———— a Downtown a a : _ and deep ravines. Over time, the bluffs were cut down more than 60 feet to accommodate zealous commercial and residential builders. In the 1880s, Kansas City’s population more than doubled and the city stretched to 13 square miles. Imposing is 1ST 3% % pane structures such as the New England Building and the New York Life Zmz% & °\é oust - ay ee é , 62 Building, the city’s first high-rise, were designed by prestigious architectural firms and constructed during this time. eo 35 A 31 \Q \\ssoue® ig ig me 3 i 1 mo & Pactric® m je sit 2 wissoue z % After the city graded and paved Grand Avenue, a project that INDEPENDENCE AVE S a +-29/35/70 e g US24 Hi involved cutting out 30 to 40feetof hilltop, the Central Business 7m District experienced a huge building boom. Many steel-frame fSao a lie 36 DMIRAL BLVD skyscrapers were built, including the 14-story office building at §E| Sganeg 52E] § om 1198 20 35 37 52 5i8 61 f| See 2 T/ 42 10th Street and Grand Avenue, and the Scarritt Building. New ; 4 ae: Baia = oa 10TH = 7(0 95 222 45 construction yielded three of the country’s most prized Art Deco “READ 8 23 11TH 40 46 skyscrapers and continued through the 1930s in spite of the 2 a 9 e24 gg 39 447 48 8 55 é= 43 54 A : Great Depression. st 12 13 26 123T8H 31 55 E6 a7|e) 50 56] 159 : Following World War II, Quality Hill began to decline and many single-family dwellings disappeared from the area. Though the 60 CROssto) Central Business District has remained the center of business in 5TH TRUMA\ | 15TH Kansas City, Missouri, and has seen the construction of many new 2 5- =uw 16TH x E 3 E177 64 buildings, the migration away from the heart of the city in the £ ae 65 a is 1950s continued as suburbs began to offer the same services. @ 17TH w rile 63 Sat et et samy Recently, government incentives have encouragedrestoration and z-3 18TH z] 3] 3] 6] @ 3] sl a] ef Bg 3]5) 5 Sl si eh sl si 3 8 # bE} | 7 El 2hiom obs eos Se redevelopment projects like those in Quality Hill and the River z # & 19THTERR a 5 : 20TH Marketin an effortto revitalize the urban core and attract more aire 2 E %066 21ST businesses andresidents to move to historic downtown. 3 22ND (| = = A x 23RD oa:2 eeg 2 PERSHING RD 73 74 g 67 oe 24TH TERR 2 J g s Z 15 76 79 25TH = 26TH g 3 é 369 yeg z 77 2 etn 26TH a 78 A PIONEER é . 27TH 8) ew h a we sit F27THTERER Y a “ 2 M O ast = Z n hw oe i = ad a a Sag + eee Se ee, eit ee : rt ew OO — Sn an Vowniown istoric River Markel Extending fromthe Missouri River to Fifth Street. the H River M canbe described as the birthplace of Kansas City. Thelocation of one of the most accessible river landingsites the area became the first commercial center in Kansas City and is the site of the presentCity Market. Over the years, Kansas Citians such as Wild Bill Hickok Wyatt Earp, Tom Pendergast Ie and William Rockhill Nelson owned businesses in the district DELAWARE StREET, SECOND TO FIFTH STREETS. This is one of the few remaining commercial streetscapes from late 19th century downtown Kansas City. In the beginning, Delaware developed a bit more slowly than Main Street, but eventually became the hub of business exchange for decades. Cry MARKET, FIFTH AND WALNUT Streets, 1940, Freoerick C. Gunn; RENOVATION, 1991, Many structures display fine Duncan Arcuirects, INc. Located near the site where fur trader Francois Chouteau built architectural form and details such the first KansasCity trading post, the City Market has been an open-air market since as Romanesque arches, intricate the 1850s. Built in 1939 as part of Kansas City’s “Ten-Year Plan” to create jobs and cornice brickwork, cast-iron m renovated in 1991, these buff-colored buildings support a Saturday farmers’ market, columnsand stained glass. c e a Sundayarts and crafts market and many shops, restaurants and community events. HorTON’s Oyster And CHop House, e s 507 Watnut Street, 1879, e e ARCHITECT UNKNOWN. Located in the e d e ( River Market area, this restaurant l) H2 4 1 a e enjoyed huge popularity with early t Kansas City businessmen. Its a p peaked roof, pressed metal entablature, checkerboard brick, and multi-paned windows enliven its facade. Paciric House Horet, 407 Detaware Street, 1860, Resuitr 1868, Asa BeeBe Cross; RENOVATION, 1999. Designed by one of KansasCity’s early architects, this building features a cast-iron arcade. Considered the city’s finest hotel until the late 1880s, the hotel's guests included T Jesse James. Union Army troops occupied thehotel during the Civil War C and it was the site where General Thomas Ewing issued the infamous U Order No. 11, banishing more than 20,000 Confederate sympathizers from their homes and the city. N Downtown E Quaury Hitt, 12-btock powntown AREA WEST OF J BROADWAY AND MAIN. STREET, 1856-1929. REDEVELOPMENT, 1988, PGAV Arcuitects. Quality Hill, a fashionable neighborhood nearthe Central Business District, was developed in the late 19th century on land originally owned by Kersey Coates. Prominent citizens built large residences here but the development of the meat-packing industry railroads and stockyards in the West Bottoms reduced the desirability of the residential neighborhood. By the end of World War Il, the area needed renewal and many of the original residences were removed and replaced by large office and apartment structures. As time wore on, downtown deterioration and lack of adequate housing did little to attract new residents and visitors to the Central Business District. In March 1986, McCormack Baron and Associates of St. Louis and PGAV Architects introduced the $40 million Quality Hill RedevelopmentProject. Phase | of the project provided nearly 250 new and renovated housing units in 11 historic buildings and more than 11,000 square feetof infill townhouses. The project immediately won public acclaim and emphasized how careful rehabilitation can dramatically change and revive the urban core. After Quality Hill was accepted as an historic district on the National Register in 1978, it became possible to rehabilitate this area and,in the process, help the effort for downtown revitalization. The design utilizes historic materials, massing and forms, consistent streetscaping and landscaping.