Kansas City Power and Light Building.html



Kansas City Power and Light Building
View of the southeast
Information
Location	1330 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri
Coordinates	39°05′51″N 94°35′05″W / 39.09751, -94.584743
Status	Completed
Groundbreaking	1930
Constructed	1931
Roof	476 feet (145 m)1
Floor count	34
Floor area	230,000 square feet (21,000 m2)
Companies
Architect	Hoit, Price & Barnes
Contractor	Swenson Construction Company
Developer	Kansas City Power and Light
Owner	Gailoyd Enterprises Corporation

The Kansas City Power and Light Building (also called the "KCP&L Building" and the "Power & Light Building") is a landmark skyscraper located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Construction was completed in 1931, as a way to promote new jobs in Downtown, and since then, the Art Deco Kansas City Power and Light Building has been a prominent part of the Kansas City skyline.

Background

The original plans designed by Hoit, Price and Barnes included a twin building to be paired on the immediate west side of the building, but plans were abandoned after the Great Depression took a greater toll than expected. As a result, the west side of the building has no windows. After its completion in 1931, the Power and Light Building was Missouri's tallest habitable structure at 36 stories, until the completion of the One U.S. Bank Plaza building in St. Louis in 1976.

In 2002 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The building is the centerpiece of the Power & Light District. The east side of the building faces this new high-end shopping center, that is slated to open for business in March 2008. The building's legacy will continue, as a landmark for the new Power and Light District. Mixing the "old" with the "new", the Power and Light District will revitalize the downtown area and spark new interest in the Power and Light Building's history.

Lighting

The Kansas City Power and Light Building is crowned by prismatic glass panels concealing red-orange lights that glow each evening at sunset. Originally, each recessed stepback of the building also held alternating multicolor flickering flood lights that dazzled nighttime viewers with the impression of blazing flames.² Today, only the lantern on the top on the top the structure is illuminated by this effect.

Gallery

Power & Light Building at night.

Exterior detail.

Main floor office.

Light fixture, main floor office.

Air vent, main floor lobby.

References

External links

• Kansas City Power and Light Website