One Kansas City Place was designed to be an '80s version of Kansas City's famed 30-story Art Deco building Kansas City City Hall, which is located five blocks east of Main on 12th Street.[5]
History
Looking up at One Kansas City Place from Main Street.
One Kansas City Place was constructed as the first part of a much larger project named Kansas City Place, which never was completed. The project was to include townhomes, office towers, and residential/hotel towers. The Kansas City Place project was originally proposed during the real estate boom of the 1980s. The plan was developed by Frank Morgan and his uncle Sherman Dreiseszun who had earlier built Town Pavilion that was completed in 1986.
The tower was proposed for the South Loop (So-Lo) area south of downtown's central business district. The project included a plethora of skyscrapers with uses ranging from offices to hotels and residential buildings. Unsubstantiated claims hold that a major cause of the project's failure to come to its full stature was the complaints of residents, claiming it would ruin Kansas City's skyline, which had remained largely unchanged for 30 years.
One Kansas City Place was to be the third-tallest of several towers constructed, though it is the tallest that was actually constructed. Today, it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Kansas City's skyline.
Morgan and Dreiseszun (operating as MD Management) would see some of their banks fail in the wake of the project in the Savings and loan crisis. They would be indicted on federal charges of bid rigging to get government contracts. Morgan would die in 1993 and Dreiseszun would plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and pay a fine of US$375,000.[6]
Lighting
At the four sides of its top, the building glows at night with red, white, and blue lights. Throughout the year, the colors change to red and yellow for important Kansas City Chiefs games, blue and white for important Kansas City Royals games, red for Valentine's Day, green for St. Patrick's Day, pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), and red and green for Christmas.
Project proposed building
Name
Floors
Status
Use
Two Kansas City Place
65
Cancelled
Office
Three Kansas City Place
55
Cancelled
Office
One Kansas City Place
43
Built
Office
Four Kansas City Place
24
Cancelled
Office
Kansas City Place Apartments
20
Cancelled
Residential
1200 Wyandotte
18
Built
Office
Kansas City Place Apartments
16
Cancelled
Residential
Kansas City Place Apartments
14
Cancelled
Residential
Tenants
As of 2012, Bank of America maintains a large branch in the building's lower lobby.[7] The building's largest tenant is Bryan Cave, a law firm based in St. Louis. Karbank Real Estate Company, an industrial development and brokerage company, occupies the 39th floor. Great Plains Energy and subsidiary Kansas City Power & Light Co. have taken space in the building in 2009. Tenants are provided security by EHI through Securitas AB.
