Commerce Trust Building is a 15-story tower built for

Kansas City Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

's biggest bank

Commerce Bancshares Commerce Bancshares, Inc. is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Missouri, with principal offices in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City and St. Louis. It is the corporate parent of Commerce Bank, which offer ...

in 1907, and was Kansas City's second skyscraper following the New York Life building. It has a facade of red granite and white terra cotta tiles and was Missouri's tallest building when it opened. Formerly, the site was the home of the Kansas City Journal, which in turn was taken over by Commerce.

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

worked in the predecessor building. Its architect,

Jarvis Hunt Jarvis Hunt (August 6, 1863 – June 15, 1941) was a Chicago architect who designed a wide array of buildings, including railroad stations, suburban estates, industrial buildings, clubhouses and other structures. Biography Hunt was born in Wea ...

, also designed

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

and the headquarters of the

Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

. The construction company was the

George A. Fuller Company George A. Fuller (October 21, 1851 – December 14, 1900) was an American architect often credited as being the "inventor" of modern skyscrapers and the modern general contractor, contracting system. Early life and career Fuller was born in Te ...

which built the

Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a 22-story, steel-framed triangular building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick P. Dinke ...

in the New York City and as a company continues to build major skyscrapers around the world. In 1965, Commerce built a larger adjoining building

Commerce Tower Commerce Tower is a 30-story skyscraper located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, US. Constructed in 1965, it is the ninth-tallest habitable structure in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, and since the completion of the City Hall, it was the ...

but has continued to use the original building. In 2004,

conducted a $48 million renovation of the building expanding its square footage to by filling in the

light court In architecture, a lightwell,light well, light-well sky-well,skywell, sky well or air shaft is an unroofed or roofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or u ...

between the fourth and 15th floors.Banking on the Future - June 2003 - buildings.com - Retrieved January 8, 2008
/ref> Part of the renovation also included illuminating the lobby's ornate glass ceiling to replicate natural sunlight.

External links

skycraperpage.com profile
{{Buildings in Kansas City, Missouri timeline Skyscraper office buildings in Kansas City, Missouri Office buildings completed in 1907 Downtown Kansas City 1907 establishments in Missouri