925 Grand is the former headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (Kansas City Fed). It was the oldest Federal Reserve Bank building in active use until 2008, when the Kansas City Fed moved out.[citation needed] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.[4]

925 Grand
925 Grand is located in Missouri
925 Grand
Location within Missouri
Alternative namesThe Reserve
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
General information
TypeCommercial offices
Residential
Location925 Grand
Kansas City, Missouri
Coordinates39°06′09″N 94°34′50″W / 39.1026°N 94.5806°W / 39.1026; -94.5806
Opening1921
CostUS$4.3 million
OwnerGreat Western Bank of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Height
Antenna spire92.0 m (301.8 ft)
Roof90.8 m (298 ft)
Technical details
Floor count16
Floor area367,000 sq ft (34,100 m2).
Design and construction
Architect(s)Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (original), Focus Architecture, LLC (current)
References
[1][2][3]

In 1913 Kansas City and St. Louis had a fierce rivalry over which city was to get a Federal Reserve bank, but in the end, both cities received one. (Missouri is the only state to have multiple Federal Reserve banks. Among the reasons noted for the award is that former Kansas City mayor James A. Reed, who was on the Senate Banking Committee, broke the deadlock to permit passage of the Federal Reserve Act.[5]

The first Kansas City Fed building was in the R.A. Long Building at 928 Grand, which opened on November 16, 1914, until a new $4.3 million building could be built across the street at 925 Grand, which formally opened in November 1921 in Downtown Kansas City. Shortly after it was established the Kansas City Fed rented space to outside tenants.[6]

The building was designed by Chicago architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White,[7] who also designed the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago[8] and the Wrigley Building, among other landmarks. 925 Grand was Missouri's tallest building from 1921 to 1926 and Kansas City's tallest building from 1921 to 1929.

President Harry S. Truman had his office in Room 1107 of the building from when he left the Presidency in 1953 until the Truman Library was completed in 1957.[9]

In 2008, the Kansas City Fed moved to a new building off of Main Street by the Liberty Memorial designed by architect Henry N. Cobb.[10] Townsend, Inc. of Overland Park, Kansas, bought the building for $10.8 million in 2005 and the Kansas City Fed continued as a tenant until its new headquarters opened in 2008.[11] In 2013, Townsend lost the building when its lender, Great Western Bank of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, took back the property at courthouse auction. A Boston lender is providing funding to a new developer who plans to convert the building into a hotel.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Emporis building ID 121877". Emporis. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "925 Grand". SkyscraperPage.
  3. ^ 925 Grand at Structurae
  4. ^ "Jackson County National Register Listings". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  5. ^ James Neal Primm. "A Foregone Conclusion: The Founding of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis". Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
  6. ^ -Timeline - Official Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Website Archived December 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "From the Vault: 100 years ago, the Kansas City Fed got a brand-new home". Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  8. ^ "About Us: 100 Years at LaSalle". Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  9. ^ Truman Places: Federal Reserve Bank - Trumanlibrary.org - Retrieved January 5, 2008
  10. ^ Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, The New Tenth District Headquarters[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Sources: Fed has buyer for old HQ - Kansas City Business Journal - January 21, 2005
  12. ^ Hotel Conversion planned for old Federal Reserve building in downtown KC
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