New Development
Since 2000, downtown Kansas City has undergone a virtual renaissance. During the 1950s and 1960s, as many downtown residents moved south and north to Kansas City's sprawling suburbs, downtown's population dwindled. By the 1980s, downtown Kansas City consisted mostly of office towers, with few thriving neighborhoods remaining. Today, however, major downtown redevelopment has brought back thousands of residents; with them has come a need for more buildings and more density.
In the winter of 2004, H&R Block announced the construction of its new headquarters, a 17-story tower downtown which was completed in early 2007. The tower serves as the anchor of a six-block entertainment district neighboring the Central Business District. This project hopes to bring additional entertainment, jobs and housing to downtown; the project includes five new skyscrapers.
Local architectural firms have major contracts with these and other new proposals. The two biggest are the Power and Light District, designed by Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland, and the 18,500-seat Sprint Center arena.
On October 6, 2006, ground was broken on the future Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts a 316,000-square-foot (29,400 m2) performing arts center. It serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area as host to three resident companies: the Kansas City Symphony, Ballet, and Opera. The Kauffman Center held its grand opening on September 16, 17 and 18, 2011.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has also completed building a new headquarters located southwest of the Crown Center.
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| 2555 Grand | 26 | 2003 | Office |
| H&R Block Tower | 17 | 2006 | Office |
| Kirkwood Circle | 13 | 2005 | Residential |
| 4646 Broadway | 13 | 2007 | Residential |
| Federal Reserve HQ | 14 | 2007 | Office |
| Plaza Colonnade | 10 | 2004 | Office |
Read more about this topic: Architecture Of Kansas City
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—Ellen Galinsky (20th century)