Kansas City Power and Light Building

KANSAS CITY POWER AND LIGHT CO. BUILDING, BY NIGHT, KANSAS CITY, MO.

Located at 14th and Baltimore Streets. This impressive structure rises to a height of 34 stories. The beacon tower, at night, is beautifully illuminated with changing colors and can be seen from a great distance when approaching the city.

The Kansas City Power and Light Building is my favorite building in the Kansas City skyline. I vividly remember hoping to drive past the building during family forays in the car just so I could watch the color of the top of the building change. The very top of the building houses a six-story lantern that changes color: green, red, orange and white.

Built in 1930-1931 the KCP&L building is a 30-story tribute to art deco style. For more than forty years it was the tallest building in Missouri. It now resides on the National Register of Historic Places.

The two-story entryway of the KCP&L building. By Charvex on Wikimedia Commons.

An air vent in the KCP&L building. By Charvex on Wikimedia Commons.

The original design for the building called for a second tower on the west side, but the Depression had more of an effect then expected and the plans were scrapped. For this reason, the building has no windows on the west side. The KCP&L building is taking center stage in part of a downtown revitalization, granting its name and image to an upscale shopping area called the Power and Light District.