One Ballroom, Many Lives

This downtown Kansas City building has more lives than a cat. Originally it was to be a hotel but construction was begun in 1912 but not completed. The Kansas City Athletic Club then bought the unfinished structure and completed it in 1923. It remained the club until bought by the Continental group which converted the structure to a hotel.... the Athletic Club remained in the building until the 60s or 70s when it moved to Kansas City Kansas. During the Continental period the Kansas City Playboy Club was on the 22nd floor. Purchased again the building was refurbished for office space and is now known as the Mark Twain Tower. Now under new management several new leases have been signed.

The elegant room shown below was the ballroom for all the buildings incarnations. Today it is the Sawyer Room and is popular for weddings and other events. Each of the windows in the room has a unique design/logo in the center. I'm assuming those date to the Athletic Club Days and are logos for different teams.... although if someone knows for sure help me out!

President Truman used the club regularly before, during and after his Presidency. He was very keen on physical fitness.

Remnants of the old club facilities remain and the current management hopes to restore some to their former glory.

Below is first the exterior of the building at 11th and Baltimore. Then the entryway. The Ballroom takes up the fifth and sixth floors.

More pictures later including rooftop views (if we EVER get warmer weather). The building is the 20th tallest building in Kansas City at 24 floors.

Many thanks to Dawña the building manager who allowed me to photograph this treasure!

Renovating W.T. Grants

From the Herb Harper Collection which I am cataloguing (sporadically at best). 4x5 black and white images of the W.T. Grant store at 1017 Main after renovation circa 1950. From the store display signage it looks like the interiors were shot shortly before Mothers' Day. I'd like to have those prices back.

Not sure but I think the bottom two photos may be "before" pix and those pix which show the "Luncheonette" signage are after.

Emerald Center Convention Facility

The Mataharians, a secret society of mid-level female executives who work in Downtown Kansas City, have laid hands upon preliminary plans for the new convention hotel. This view shows the building at the Power and Light site. The Center will include a 2,000 room hotel, expanded from the original 1,000 rooms, an office complex adjoining and linking up with the Power and Light Building and convention hall facilities on the north side which will compete with Bartle for bookings and are intended to pay for the operation of the complex. It will be called Emerald Center thus playing on the Oz theme so big in that adjacent other state. If approved by the council construction could begin as early as 2012. A cost of $600,000,000 is projected most of which will come from the snow removal budget.

Up Me Beam Scotty

I visited the site of the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center last Saturday just is time for the crane operators and ironworkers to put another of the curved trusses in place. This structure is going to be a beautiful addition to the skyline and is due to open in 2011.


The 36,000 pound truss is lifted off the ground with guide ropes draped below.
Men on the ground help guide the iron as the crane swings it around and toward the building.
The largest beam hoisted into place was 184 thousand pounds.





Men on an industrial sized cherry picker await the beam and gently guide it in into place.

The truss is bolted into place.... the bottom, middle and top are secured before final tightening.

These pictures show the north side of the Performing Arts Center.... looking north across the street is this view of Bartle Hall and part of the skyline. Many thanks to Mike W., crane operator, who filled me in on some of the details.

A Remembrance of Suns Past

Maybe we'll see this nearby star again on Tuesday. One can hope.

The sunset skyline from Kessler Park.

Night Visions

Had very little time tonight.... but wanted to get out of the house. Corinthian Hall below.12th Street Viaduct.... still closed..... looking west.
12th Street Viaduct looking east.

Tour of Missouri-City Market

If you tried to navigate downtown Sunday you know that the Tour of Missouri, Stage 7, was underway. Riders road 7- 10.2 mile laps for a total distance of 71.4 miles in this the final stage in the statewide bike race. A total of 612 miles was ridden this past week. American David Zabriskie of the Garmin-Slipstream team was the overall winner. The shots below were taken in the City Market area along Grand Avenue. Multiple cars and motorcycles road in support of the riders. Riders road down Grand to Berkley Park and along the river to Charlotte and then back to downtown. One lap took approximately 20 minutes. These shots are samples from five passes.