Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Building

Kansas City played a critical role for much of the 20th century as part of a network of 32 "exchange centers" around the country that stored and distributed films. This structure, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Building, was constructed between 1929 and 1930 and was one of several buildings that supported major studios in an area of Kansas City once known as "Film Row." Other major film companies such as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, and 20th Century Fox had their own buildings in Film Row as well. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Building is located on the west side of Film Row, which encompasses the area between Central Street and Baltimore Avenue, and between 17th and 20th Streets.

Kansas City and the other exchange centers were essential to the film industry between the 1920s and the 1970s. Kansas City's central location in the country and its status as a major railroad transportation hub made it an ideal place to store and distribute films to Midwestern theaters. These were needed beginning in the 1920s, which is when the film industry took off. During that decade, approximately 800s films (including cartoons, newsreels, and media in addition to films) were made each year and this number continued to rise in the coming decades. All of this production generated vast amounts of films (the average film needed six to ten reels of film reels) that had to be stored somewhere and the exchange centers were the best locations. They were also places where films could be repaired.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios erected its building on Film Row between 1929 and 1930. Designed in the Art Deco style and built of brick, it had a capacity of 15,000 reels and also had a small theater. The studio owned the building until 1990. In 1992, the building was bought by a vacuum company that used it for storage.

Associated Press. "Preservationists fight for MGM building in Kansas City." Columbia Missourian. July 16th, 2016. https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/state_news/preservationists-fight-for-mgm-building-in-kansas-city/article_db2522de-6ff7-507d-8c97-222d2f7b90dc.html.

Dennis, Clarence. "Kansas City’s Crossroads has a Historic Tie to Hollywood." FlatlandKC. June 6, 2022. https://flatlandkc.org/curiouskc/kansas-city-film-row-links-crossroads-arts-district-to-hollywood.

Ihde, Ted. "Ever curious about why Kansas City has been so historically important to Hollywood?" Linkedin. April 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ever-curious-why-kansas-city-has-been-so-historically-ted-ihde.