Baker–Vawter Building; Sosland Building

The Baker-Vawter Company, a national producer of steel filing cabinets and other office-supply products, hired a Kansas City architectural firm in 1920 to design its "Western Office and Factory" facility in Kansas City. The architectural firm of Hoit, Price & Barnes went on to design numerous buildings in Kansas City, from skyscrapers to residential buildings, many of which survive today as historical landmarks. The Baker-Vawter Building stands as one of the firm's earliest projects and continues to serve as a representation of the firm's contributions to the area's industrial architecture. The Sosland family of Kansas City acquired the building in 1950 and used it for their growing publishing company which began in 1922 with the publication of a weekly magazine for area flour mills. Similar to many other buildings in the area, The historic structure is now home to loft apartments.

The Kansas City building boom of the late nineteenth century led to the growth of the acclaimed architectural firm of Hoit, Price, and Barnes. The history behind this company begins in 1901 when Chicago-born and MIT-trained Henry Ford Hoit (1872-1915) moved to Kansas City and joined the firm of Van Brunt and Howe. Before moving to Kansas City, Hoit worked as an architect in Boston. Hoit's friend and Kansas City architect, William Cutler, employed by Van Brunt and Howe, convinced Hoit to come to the Midwest. His words to Hoit demonstrate the building boom occurring in Kansas City during the late nineteenth century; Cutler told Holt that the firm was overwhelmed with job opportunities and needed help to avoid turning down high-paying commissions. 

Shortly after Hoit took the job in Kansas City, Van Brunt passed away (1903). Consequently, the company made Hoit a partner in the firm, along with William H. Cutler. Of the many projects completed by newly-formed Howe, Hoit, and Cutler, they designed one of Kansas City's first skyscrapers in 1906: the R. A. Long Building. By 1909, both Cutler and Howe had died. Thus, within eight years after taking the job, Hoit stood as the firm's principal architect. Hoit worked independently for four years until 1913, when his draftsman, Edwin M. Price (1885-1957), became a partner. In 1919, Alfred E. Barnes, Jr. (1892-1960) joined the firm as a partner, completing the eighteen-year evolution of the firm that became Hoit, Price, and Barnes in 1919.

The firm went on to build numerous celebrated buildings. Hoit, Price, and Barnes contributed to the design of the Bell Telephone Building, which stood as the city's tallest building (twenty-eight stories) when finished in 1929. The firm then designed the even taller thirty-four-story Kansas City Power and Light Building in 1931, making it Missouri's tallest building, a title it held until 1976.

The Baker-Vawter building was one of the first major projects and is for a building architectural historians generally describe as a fusion of commercial and industrial styles. While the windows and doors exude industrial design, the main facade's terracotta veneer was atypical for the exterior of a utilitarian, commercial structure in that era. The plan likely speaks to the needs of the company. Although it operated primarily as a factory, the building sat in Kansas City's central business district, where the company served a national client base. Indeed, Baker-Vawter, a company that manufactured perpetual ledgers, loose-leaf and manifold order systems and handled steel filing equipment, maintained offices in Benton Harbor, Michigan; San Francisco, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Holyoke, Massachusetts. This building's design dually served the company's pragmatic and aesthetic needs.

The Remington-Rand Corporation purchased the Baker-Vawter company in 1935 and subsequently occupied the now-historic building in Kansas City for about fifteen years. In 1950, Remington-Rand sold the property to the Sosland family of Kansas City, Missouri, who used the facility to consolidate their family businesses: Sosland Envelope Company, Sosland Press, Inc., and the Southwestern Miller publication; the building became locally known as the Sosland Building. 

A major renovation took place in 2005, allowing the building to transform into a multi-unit housing (lofts) complex. It's one of many commercial structures built during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that have been converted into residential buildings.

"Featured, Historic, Multi-Unit Housing: Lofts @ 917, Kansas City, 917 Wyandottte Street." Stark Wilson Duncan (SWD) Architects. swdarchitects.com. Accessed September 3, 2022. http://swdarchitects.com/products/lofts-917/.

"Library District Walking Tour: Baker-Vawter Building." Pocket Signs. pocketsights.com. Accessed September 3, 2022. https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/Baker-Vawter-Building-4713:523.

Millstein, Cydney E. "Nomination Form: The Baker-Vawter Building." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2000. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Baker-Vawter%20Bldg.pdf. 

"A Rich History and Culture." Historic Kansas City. historickansascity.org. Accessed September 3, 2022. https://www.historickansascity.org/kansas-city/.

Straley, Steven Cody and Clio Admin. "Kansas City Power and Light Building." Clio: Your Guide to History. July 19, 2018. https://theclio.com/entry/62427.

History, Sosland Publishing. Accessed September 6th, 2022. https://www.sosland.com/history/.