One Kansas City Place, Kansas City

One Kansas City Place is a prominent fixture of the Kansas City skyline and holds the title of the tallest building in Missouri. Located in the heart of Downtown Kansas City, it stands 189.9 meters (623 feet) tall, bounded by 12th Street to the north, Baltimore Avenue to the west, and Main Street to the east. Completed in 1988, the skyscraper was designed by the architectural firm Patty Berkebile Nelson & Immenschuh, drawing inspiration from the Art Deco style of the nearby Kansas City City Hall but with an unmistakable '80s flair.

Originally envisioned as part of an ambitious development called Kansas City Place, One Kansas City Place was to be just one piece of a larger puzzle that included additional office towers, residential buildings, and hotels. This grand vision was set against the backdrop of the 1980s real estate boom and spearheaded by developers Frank Morgan and Sherman Dreiseszun, who had previously completed the Town Pavilion in 1986. However, the broader project stalled amidst public opposition, economic turbulence, and the Savings and Loan crisis, which saw Morgan and Dreiseszun's financial ventures crumble and face legal troubles.

Despite these setbacks, One Kansas City Place emerged as the tallest of the proposed buildings and remains one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. At night, the tower’s top illuminates in a variety of colors to celebrate local events and holidays: red, white, and blue throughout the year, red and yellow for Kansas City Chiefs games, blue and white for Kansas City Royals games, and other colors to mark occasions like Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Christmas. Though the full Kansas City Place project never materialized, One Kansas City Place continues to be a defining symbol of Kansas City’s skyline and its architectural aspirations.