Kansas City Power and Light Building

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name =Kansas City Power and Light Building


caption = View of the southeast
year_highest =
year_end =
plural =
location = 1330 Baltimore, Kansas City, Missouri
coordinates = coord|39.09751|N|94.584743|W|format=dms
status = Completed
groundbreaking = 1930
constructed = 1931
est-completion =
opening =
demolished =
destroyed =
use =
antenna_spire =
roof = convert|476|ft|m [ [http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?c499 Diagrams - SkyscraperPage.com ] ]
top_floor =
floor_count = 34
elevator_count =
cost =
floor_area = convert|230000|sqft|m2
architect = Hoit, Price & Barnes
engineer =
contractor = Swenson Construction Company
developer = Kansas City Power and Light
owner = Gailoyd Enterprises Corporation
management =
references =

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. [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] Today, only the lantern on the top on the top the structure is illuminated by this effect.

Gallery

main floor office.

main floor lobby.

References

* [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=1usbankplaza-streetlouis-mo-usa| One U.S. Bank Plaza]
* [http://eng.archinform.net/projekte/14171.htm?scrwdt=1024| General Building Information]
* [http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/681473/Main/681473| Google Earth Info]
* [http://rewebportal.com/powerandlight/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=8| Power and Light District]

External links

* [http://www.kcpl.com/ Kansas City Power and Light Website]