Oak Tower
- KC_JAYHAWK
- Alameda Tower
- Posts: 1014
- Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2002 10:33 am
- Location: Waldo
Re: Oak Tower
Do know who the owner is? I would think they could apply for historic tax credits to restore the facade?
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
I think they could easily get the historic credits. The building is certainly old enough and notable enough. No idea who the owner is though
Re: Oak Tower
The stucco panels may have compromised the historic integrity. Not certain about that, but it’s a distinct possibility.
- FangKC
- City Hall
- Posts: 18233
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
- Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound
Re: Oak Tower
I think TheLastGentleman means historic tax credits to help pay to restore the original terra cotta, and remove the stucco cladding.
KC Partners Oak Tower is the registered corporate owner, but it's a holding company. Good luck finding out who actually owns it. The Missouri corporate registry stops at the registered agent, Prentice Hall, which is a legal firm.
I would think the original terra cotta would be more durable a siding than the stucco on panels attached to reinforced steel bracing that is rusting out.
The Professional Building is covered with it, and it held up over the decades. It was never covered up with a modernized facade. When they restored the building, they cleaned the terra cotta, and replaced any tiles that were damaged or missing.
Adding the stucco cladding to Oak Tower might have been more about making the building look modern than it costing too much to clean and repair the original terra cotta. It was a thing at once time to do that. We would have to talk to the original decision-makers, or find any memos discussing it to know for certain.
KC Partners Oak Tower is the registered corporate owner, but it's a holding company. Good luck finding out who actually owns it. The Missouri corporate registry stops at the registered agent, Prentice Hall, which is a legal firm.
I would think the original terra cotta would be more durable a siding than the stucco on panels attached to reinforced steel bracing that is rusting out.
The Professional Building is covered with it, and it held up over the decades. It was never covered up with a modernized facade. When they restored the building, they cleaned the terra cotta, and replaced any tiles that were damaged or missing.
Adding the stucco cladding to Oak Tower might have been more about making the building look modern than it costing too much to clean and repair the original terra cotta. It was a thing at once time to do that. We would have to talk to the original decision-makers, or find any memos discussing it to know for certain.
Re: Oak Tower
Yes, but the amount of what's been compromised matters. I've seen buildings denied NR listing for far less than what's been done to Oak Tower.
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
Fascinating stuff! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Re: Oak Tower
Agree, really interesting read, thanks for posting!
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
The 1928 design with the twin building looks like it may have been based loosely off the other Bell Telephone Building in St. Louis, which was built in 1926. Bell certainly had a corporate style!
Re: Oak Tower
monopolies are great for architecture!
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
Ground floor scaffolding
Re: Oak Tower
Can't be terracotta falling off!
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
Visited SHSMO and got a bunch of their Oak Tower documents scanned from their Hoit Price and Barnes archive. Tried to put it all in chronological order.
https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscrip ... /k0004.pdf
https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscrip ... /k0004.pdf
- FangKC
- City Hall
- Posts: 18233
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:02 pm
- Location: Old Northeast -- Indian Mound
Re: Oak Tower
LG, thanks for going to the effort of getting those images scanned.
Re: Oak Tower
Is it possible that downtown's finest skyscraper is currently an eyesore waiting to be uncovered? Oak Tower's future would greatly benefit by a new ballpark 1-2 blocks east. Yes, thanks for the pictures.
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
Yes, no doubt the building can be restored. It just a matter of finances and ownership at this point. No doubt that a ballpark would add some energy there, and maybe even give it some neighbors!
Whoever ends up involved in a hypothetical restoration would get a massive amount of publicity, both local and national. This is probably one of, if not the largest building cover-up ever done, and reversing that would be unprecedented.
Re: Oak Tower
Was there anything in the documents about the design for the expansion? I have never seen an image of the exterior lighting, except an old tinted postcard. The pattern of light and shadow on the pierced Gothic fretwork on the upper setbacks is dazzling. I wonder when the lighting was discontinued. It was not illuminated when I have childhood memories of seeing it from the freeway in the late sixties. It was the most evocative and romantic silhouette on the skyline, but I think at that age I confused "Gothic" with "Gotham."
- TheLastGentleman
- Broadway Square
- Posts: 2932
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:27 pm
Re: Oak Tower
There were documents that were correspondence between the architects and contractors. At some point I'll try to sort through the pictures I took of them and post the most interesting ones.