Crossroads Financial Office
Crossroads Financial Office THE CHALLENGE: Transform the building where prohibition-era boss Tom Pendergast controlled Kansas Ciy politics into a high-tech financial office without losing the intrigue or historic significance of the space. THE SITE: A two-story masonry and wood framed structure constructed in 1926 in downtown Kansas City. THE PROGRAM: 5,250 sf of open office, flex space, reception area, kitchen, conference room, lounge space, and a private executive office.
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SITE PLAN The financial office is located at 1908 Main in the Crossroads Arts District, a downtown neighborhood of historic midrise buildings and an abundance of surface parking.
1908 MAIN
HISTORIC CONTEXT In the 1920s and 30s, the ground level of 1908 Main held a mundane commercial linen company. Upstairs in the Jackson Democratic Club however, “Boss� Tom Pendergast essentially controlled the city, doling out construction contracts, handpicking men for political office (including Harry S. Truman), and using his influence to effectively bypass Prohibition.
HISTORIC RESTORATION The original interior wood trim and flooring were preserved in Pendergast’s former office, now small front conference rooms. The exterior facade and window profiles were restored to their historic appearance based on archival photographs.
INTERIOR VIEW The main design element in the office Is a full-length, back-lit glass wall that serves both as concealed storage and as a large-scale markerboard.
SECOND LEVEL PLAN The upper level office is divided into three front conference rooms, a reception and kitchen area, workstations, and a single executive office/ meeting room.
AXONOMETRIC DIAGRAM Aside from the front portions where the historic finishes were maintained, the glass wall extends the length of the second level, connecting and illuminating the kitchen, workstations, and executive office.
INTERIOR VIEWS The architect designed and fabricated the majority of the furniture in the office, including the workstations, couches, coffee tables, and reception desk.
GROUND LEVEL FLOOR PLAN The lower level features an open plan with an expoxy-coated concrete floor and extensive cove lighting, a full kitchen, single car garage, and support space.
TRANSVERSE SECTION Looking West
LONGITUDINAL SECTION Looking South
EXTERIOR VIEW The garage and exterior office occupy a minimal addition to the original brick structure, with painted 2x2 rainscreen cladding and clear anodized aluminum doors and windows.
PERFORMANCE QUALIFICATIONS The following sustainable features were employed in the project: Adaptive reuse of existing historic structure located in the urban core. The building sits on one of downtown’s three main north/south arteries that includes a bus line, and the future street car line. High-performance building systems, including low E-insulated glazing, and a reflective white TPO roof membrane to reduce heat gain. Building addition facing west utilizes a rain screen detail with tightly spaced wood slats to provide solar relief. High efficiency T5 fluorescent light fixtures on motion detectors throughout the building to reduce energy use. All furniture systems were locally fabricated. Water-conserving, energy star appliances and low flow plumbing fixtures (1.1 GPF toilets; 2.0 GPF kitchen faucets). Reuse of existing high efficiency HVAC units. Shower and locker facilities encourage multi-modal transportion. Community connectivity, with 10+ basic services and 10+ residential developments within a 1/2 mile radius.