Kansas City, MO City Hall

By kennyg5577
updated 5 months ago

Kansas City, Missouri City Hall at 414 E. 12th Street in downtown K.C., is an all concrete building constructed in 1937 as part of a 10-year plan approved by voters. The building was the direct result of the famous (or infamous) Pendergast political machine under the leadership of Boss Tom Pendergast. [The reader may recall the when the late Harry S. Truman was first elected to the U.S. Senate, he was often referred to as the "Senator from Pendergast" since in that day, no one in Missouri was elected to high office without old Tom's backing.] City Hall was built using 20,000 cubic feet of, yes, Pendergast concrete! It is an engineering marvel even today. At 29 stories high, with a 30th floor 'observation deck', it was once the tallest building in Missouri and even today remains one of the tallest city halls in the nation. During the hot summer weather, the building is 3.25 inches taller than on cold winter days. An elastic compound was used in the building's joints to allow the 50,000 ton building to expand and contract without damage. Each floor is an expansion joint! The building took 22 months to complete and was dedicated on October 25, 1937.