The Second Board of Trade Building

[TheLastGentleman]

What an amazing building. If I could pick one building to rebuild in KC, this is what I'd spend it on. The site is still a surface lot, so you wouldn't even have to demolish anything.

Sources and further reading

https://www.urbanremainschicago.com/new ... n-in-1968/

https://www.urbanremainschicago.com/new ... el-images/

https://classics.life/kansas-citys-1887 ... -building/

https://kchistory.org/islandora/search/ ... ype=dismax

[moderne]

This is the single greatest architectural loss in KC history. May I recommend "The Architecture of John Wellborn Root" by Donald Hoffman 1973 Johns Hopkins Press. Hoffman was the art & architecture critic of the KC Star. How may decades since the Star had such a position? Root also designed 3 other demolished KC bldngs: Midland Hotel at southeast corner of 7th & Walnut. American National Bank Bldng at northwest corner of 8th & Delaware, and Grand Ave Train Station at 22nd & Grand.

[nickyrosstheboss]

Thank you for sharing. What wonderful photos. I cried a lot looking at these. such a loss

[FangKC]

There is one John Wellborn Root house remaining in Kansas City in the Historic Northeast on Norledge Avenue behind the Kansas City Museum.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... oramio.jpg

[TheLastGentleman]

There is one John Wellborn Root house remaining in Kansas City in the Historic Northeast on Norledge Avenue behind the Kansas City Museum.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... oramio.jpg

It partially burned down a few years ago, but has since been rebuilt. Of note is that it was built by the same Scarritt that the Scarritt Building and Arcade are named after.









There were several other Burnham and Root buildings in Kansas City besides the Scarritt Residence and the Board of Trade.

I believe this is the complete list of the firm's projects here, though I'm finding conflicting sources, so feel free to correct me:

• Board of Trade (1888, demolished 1968)

• Scarritt Residence (1888)

• The James Lombard Residence at 1805 Jefferson Street (1888, demolition date unknown)

• Grand Avenue Station (1889, demolished 1959)

Not to be confused with Grand Central Depot in the River Market. This one sat close to Union Station.



This image actually depicts the building jacked up and being moved half a block east from its original location on Grand towards Mcgee, circa 1912.

• Waldheim Building (1910, demolished 1986)

Demolished in 1986 for 1 Petticoat Lane and remains the tallest building ever demolished in KC.



Its replacement.

• Midland Hotel (1888, demolished 1966)

• American Bank Building (1888, demolition date unknown)

The beloved Flashcube Building stands in its place.

• 9th and Locust Y.M.C.A. building (1887, demolished 1973)

Crowd at the laying of the cornerstone by President Grover Cleveland

[FangKC]

• Waldheim Building (1910, demolished 1986)

Demolished in 1986 for 1 Petticoat Lane and remains the tallest building ever demolished in KC.

• American Bank Building (1888, demolition date unknown)

The beloved Flashcube Building stands in its place.

I still bemoan the Kempers tearing down the American National Bank and the Waldheim buildings. Both looked to be a really lovely buildings.

Most of the buildings on that block with American National Bank were handsome structures. The Kemper Building was the next building to the north of the Am. Nat. Bank, and the Massachusetts Building (aka Kalis Building) sat immediately to the west.

The Kemper Building (below) extended east to west across the entire block. Shown is the Delaware frontage.



Shown below is the Baltimore frontage of the Kemper Building (outlined in red). The Massachusetts Building sits to the right of it.



Below is an image showing the American National Bank, Kemper, and Massachusetts buildings looking east down 8th Street.

[TheLastGentleman]

While the board of trades demolition was tragic but unsurprising, the Waldheim Building’s demolition is just straight up baffling. Why didn’t they incorporate it into the modern complex? Why is the replacement so short? It’s especially frustrating when the nearby town pavilion did such a good job incorporating the Boley building and the hartzfeld’s building across the street.

[flyingember]

While the board of trades demolition was tragic but unsurprising, the Waldheim Building’s demolition is just straight up baffling. Why didn’t they incorporate it into the modern complex? Why is the replacement so short? It’s especially frustrating when the nearby town pavilion did such a good job incorporating the Boley building and the hartzfeld’s building across the street.

I don't know for sure but I bet it becomes obvious in context.

I recall the bus stop upgrade on that corner ran into the sidewalk having some kind of basement space under it.

Their parking garage is in the basement levels.

[TheLastGentleman]

The commerce building has a garage right next door. And why make it so short? Insane

[moderne]

I was in the Waldheim building once. It was almost comically narrow. Even the shops on ground level were very shallow. It was considered functionally obsolete. In the attempt to revive DT in the eighties as an office park it had to go. Its bad luck was to be in the center of DT where a such a tall vacant building was too obvious of the DT decline. If it had survived a decade or two longer it would have made a wonderful apartment conversion, but such conversions were not even on the radar then. The UMB Kempers wanted it in their plan to close of 11th st to traffic between
Main and Grand and turn it into a Petticoat Lane pedestrian way. Even threatened to not build their new bank if it did not happen.

[TheLastGentleman]

The wing of 1 petticoat lane that sits where the Waldheim building was isn’t even that much deeper though. What a waste

[shinatoo]

I vividly remember that build coming down and the "Downtown Corporate Woods" plan. I would love to see some supporting documents if any of you researchers can find them.

[TheLastGentleman]

This what you’re talking about?

[shinatoo]

No, there was a push in the late 80s early 90s to turn downtown into an office park. Just keep the viable Class A office buildings and tear everything else down and replace with parkland, just like Corporate Woods in OP.

[missingkc]

I thought the Waldheim building was brought down by Executive Hills. FWIW, I have the edition of the Star in which that picture of Kansas City Place was published. Shared the image in the Rag's precursor back when it was split between photostreams and forum.

[FangKC]

I don't know that the Petticoat Lane Building is any wider than the Waldheim was. Of course it's part of a larger building that wraps around the garage with most of it's exposure on Walnut. The width of the Waldheim Building couldn't be the only reason. It looks to be about the same width of the Missouri Bank & Trust (MoBank) and the Harzfeld's buildings across the street. The Land Bank and Chambers buildings are also very narrow, and they survived. The Land Bank building is probably the most like the Waldheim. It's a tall, narrow building, and is just two stories shorter that the Waldheim.

Many times, it appeared that the Kempers wanted to tear buildings down (a long-documented fact) with some vague "urban renewal plan." They often got their way because no one pushed back.

The legacy of James M. Kemper Sr. (president of Commerce Trust Co. from 1925-1939, and chairman from 1939-1964) is the North Loop parking lots, many that have been there since the late 1950s and early 1960s. Dead blocks producing no real economic benefit or tax revenue for the City or residents. Might as well be pasture land. I believe James M. Kemper Sr. was also the first president of what became the Downtown Council.

[FangKC]

The Harzfeld's Building.



Missouri Bank & Trust Co. (now MoBank).


The Harzfeld's and Waldheim buildings look to be a similar width.

[FangKC]

The Land Bank Building was very similar in size to the Waldheim Building. It's 14 stories, and the Waldheim was 16 stories. THe first photo shows Land Bank before the 10 West Tenth Building's (then called New England Bank & Trust) additional floors were added.

[FangKC]

The Chambers building on the SW corner of E. 12th and Walnut.

[FangKC]

Some other narrow buildings of the past can be found on this thread.

http://kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1 ... 8#p595228