You may have driven past a prominent but less obvious display of Art Deco at the intersection of Main Street and Westport Road a zillion times. The richly detailed panels along the second story of the Southwell building are examples of polychromatic terracotta ornamentation in the style of Art Deco. Thomas Hart Benton, D-Missouri, Benoist Troost, Lewis and Clark, the Chouteau trading post and the Santa Fe Trail.įidelity National Bank and Trust Company Building Other Art Deco-style elements include stylized light fixtures on the lobby’s ceiling, geometric tile patterns, sculpted brass elevator doors that illustrate the four major modes of modern transportation (railroad, airplane, automobile, steamship) and custom brass door knob plates.Įxterior sculptures on the building’s facade depict people and places of note in the region, such as U.S. Pyrenees marble imported from southwestern France, travertine marble from Tivoli, Italy, and Verde antique marble from Vermont were all used to beautify the interior. Similar to other downtown structures, City Hall features exterior use of limestone sourced from Indiana. The revivalist design of Beaux-Arts, sometimes found in Art Deco, is a separate but similar movement that also signified a break from the Industrial Revolution. To split hairs, the design incorporates elements of Neo-Classic and Beaux-Arts architectural styles. The firm also worked on the design for the Jackson County Courthouse. Kansas City architectural firm Wight and Wight developed plans for City Hall, a 30-story building with an observation deck completed in 1937. Stylized architectural details along the building’s facade also display the ornamental look associated with Art Deco.įlickr The sculpted brass elevator doors at City Hall illustrate the four major modes of modern transportation (railroad, airplane, automobile, steamship) available in Kansas City. Stepbacks that recede from the building’s footprint in graduated stages emphasize the verticality and geometric form typical of Art Deco buildings. Supplemented by exterior lighting, the lantern serves as a beacon that glows red and orange to create a warm, flame-like effect when lit. A 21-foot Art Deco lantern on the highest floor is perhaps the crowning touch. The building is now Power & Light Apartments, a luxury apartment community next to the Power and Light District.Īrt Deco elements include detailed artwork engraved in elevator doors, use of cut glass and usage of the sunburst motif - a signature Art Deco pattern. Flickr Constructed in 1931 in the midst of the Art Deco movement, the Kansas City Power and Light Building is an easily identifiable skyscraper along the city’s skyline.Ĭonstructed in 1931 in the midst of the Art Deco movement, the 36-story Kansas City Power and Light Building is an easily identifiable skyscraper along the city’s skyline.
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