Once an elegant and fashionably trendy locale, the Presidential Hotel played host to the 1928 Republican National Convention where Herbert Hoover was nominated for President, and acted as a hot spot for Kansas City Jazz in the '30s and '40s. The hotel was eventually abandoned in 1984, at which point it became a haven for vagabonds and pigeons, collecting animal waste and incurring significant smoke damage from indoor campfires.
 |
| The lobby was restored to its 1930s grandeur, a difficult task since the original fixtures and fittings had been sold, stolen, or damaged. Significant repairs saved the damaged and rotted entrance canopy (above). PHOTOS: MIKE SINCLAIR |
In 2002, the Kansas City Council overrode a long-term plan to demolish the hotel, and in 2004 a massive interior cleanup effort began. Faded black-and-white photos were reviewed and what remained of the hotel's interior architectural details were analyzed. Paint layers were peeled away to determine the hotel's original color scheme. Extensive molding and plaster work was eventually recast.
Another major renovation, led by JE Dunn Construction, involved transforming the original Presidential Suite from a two-story space into a single-story guest suite, thereby creating space for an entire new floor of guestrooms.
On the mechanical side, the hotel's elevators had to be resized to meet modern-day code requirements, and four feet of space had to be added to the top of the shaft for servicing. In addition, the basement had to be redesigned to make room for new ductwork and piping.
Today, the newly refurbished 16-story hotel offers 10,250 sf of meeting space, 200-plus boutique-style hotel rooms, including two presidential suites—one of which is the largest in the Midwest—fine dining and entertainment, while simultaneously lending a historic flair to downtown Kansas City.
Impressed with the overall restoration effort, BD+C Reconstruction Awards judge Robert L. Selby, FAIA, associate professor, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said, “It's a catalyst for other downtown restorations.”
Related Stories
| Jun 4, 2014
Emerging trends in healthcare development: neighborhood care, mixed-use models on the rise
In urban and even suburban markets, real estate is about the "live, work, play," with close proximity to mass transit and other amenities, like retail stores. Healthcare organizations are following suit.
| May 21, 2014
Evidence-based design practices for the palliative care environment
Palliative care strives to make patients comfortable as they are receiving treatment for a severe illness. As hospitals seek to avoid Affordable Care Act penalties for poor patient satisfaction, many expect this field to grow quickly.
| May 14, 2014
Prefab payback: Mortenson quantifies cost and schedule savings from prefabrication techniques
Value-based cost-benefit analysis of prefab approaches on the firm's 360-bed Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage Project shows significant savings for the Building Team.
| May 7, 2014
Design competition: $900,000 on the line in Las Vegas revitalization challenge
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman wants your economic development ideas for remaking four areas within the city, including the Cashman Center and the Las Vegas Medical District.
| May 3, 2014
Health system capital planning for the future: The benefits of master plan portfolio analysis and ambulatory market modeling
Money continues to be scarce, yet U.S. health systems need to invest and re-invest in their physical future. Healthcare facilities planning experts from CBRE Healthcare outline tools and strategies for identifying where to best allocate precious resources.
| Apr 9, 2014
How patient-centered medical homes can help healthcare providers and patients
Beyond reducing the number of uninsured Americans, the Affordable Care Act is driving new types of healthcare facilities, especially patient-centered medical homes.
| Apr 2, 2014
The new model of healthcare facility management
A growing number of healthcare organizations are moving to an integrated real estate model in an effort to better manage costs, respond to regulatory requirements, and support changes in patient care delivery.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
High-rise Construction | Jul 9, 2013
5 innovations in high-rise building design
KONE's carbon-fiber hoisting technology and the Broad Group's prefab construction process are among the breakthroughs named 2013 Innovation Award winners by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
