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Liz Bickel | all galleries >> Places Around the World: Multiple Galleries >> Heart of America : Multiple Galleries >> Kansas City > 1931 Power & Light Building
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18-Dec-2017 copyright Elizabeth Bickel

1931 Power & Light Building

The building, lit in red & green, is a Kanss City skyline icon. With its strong art deco details, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi from 1931 to 1962.
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I found it somewhat a roadside "distraction" when driving down Main Street. Or perhaps an "attraction." Either way, it caused me to shoot this image while driving. Ooooooo!!! I think I was actually stopped at a traffic light & not shooting while in motion. However, I did shoot through the not-so-clean windshield to capture just what I was seeing while driving.

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The Power & Light Building is a notable Kansas City landmark.

In 1931 the new Kansas City Power & Light Co. building dominated the landscape as Missouri's tallest building. It rose 31 stories high, the crowning 97-foot-high pillar of changing colored lights creating a jewel-like glow visible for miles around. Decades later it remains notable both for its spectacular lighting and as a magnificent example of Art Deco architecture. The impetus behind the building was Joseph Franklin Porter, born in 1863. He had worked with Thomas Edison in 1882, putting electric lights to their first practical use in a Wisconsin electrical plant. He joined the Kansas City Power & Light Co. as president in 1917, and in 1930 hired local architects Hoit, Price & Barnes to design the first building to house all of the company offices. The structure is clad in Indiana limestone and designed according to the latest trends in skeleton-framed high-rise buildings. It is also a masterpiece of Art Deco design.

The glowing multi-color lighting was (and still is) the most impressive and eye-catching feature of the building. At night, banks of floodlights concealed in five recessed balconies and parapets bathed the building in white light while alternating amber, green, and red lights shimmered through the prismatic glass to dramatic effect.

After opening, the Power & Light building excited such local interest that Boy Scouts led 25-cent tours to the top of the 479-foot building, as well as the equipment rooms and the auditorium. By the mid-1930s about 800 people a month took in the wonders of the Power & Light building. Although long ago losing its claim to its status as the tallest building in Missouri, the Power & Light building still delights the eye with its Art Deco styling and play of multicolored light. After a long period of dormancy, developers completed an 18-month renovation of the building and opened the Power and Light Apartments in 2016.

Canon EOS-1D X ,Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
1/80s f/4.0 at 105.0mm iso8000 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
comment
Mieke WA Minkjan24-Jul-2022 09:21
beautiful photo of a great illuminated building V
LynnH23-Jul-2022 02:33
I enjoy your random drive-by shots. It just shows how passionate you are about getting the shot. V
Dennis Hoyne18-Jul-2022 23:28
A beautiful night time shot!
Nick Paoni18-Jul-2022 03:36
It looks so festive.
joseantonio17-Jul-2022 03:34
nice view at night.V.
larose forest photos17-Jul-2022 00:56
There is a festive colour to this very fine and interesting shot. V