Traders National Bank Building; The Grand

Traders National Bank Building became the first skyscraper added to the Kansas City skyline since 1937 when the construction of this building was completed in 1962. The construction of this building occurred against the backdrop of suburban sprawl, but the bank's Board of Directors decided against joining that trend and constructing their headquarters in rapidly-expanding suburbs as many corporations and residents had done and would continue to do in the following decades. The construction of this building allowed the company to lease office space in downtown Kansas City, and when demand for office space continued despite developments such as Overland Park's Corporate Woods complex in the 1970s, another period of office tower development began in downtown Kansas City that continues today. The transition of this building from office space to apartments represents another continuing trend.

J.R. Dominick founded Traders National Bank on October 15, 1900, as Traders Bank of Kansas City. The bank had around $123,000 in deposits by November 1900 and operated in a small building before moving in 1908 to a facility down the street from this skyscraper. Continued growth into the 1920s, including receiving a national charter and establishing a trust department, led to a merger with the Gate City National Bank by 1930. The resulting Traders Gate City National Bank held deposits amounting to $8.5 million. After World War II, the Board of Directors officially shortened the name of the bank to Traders National Bank of Kansas City. In that period, sustained growth brought the bank to hold more than $26 million in deposits. 

The Board also made plans to move or build a new facility by the 1950s. While some companies were considering suburban offices, the bank administrators decided to reinvest in the downtown financial center. Bank President J. Robert Dominick II desired to build an office tower that would be a symbol of power and prestige for the bank, and he also believed that the construction of this building could stimulate revitalization in the central business district which would also result in steady revenue through leasable office space. 

Before constructing the new building, the bank renovated and modernized its current facility at 1111 Grand Boulevard. The bank also built a new parking garage with drive-through teller windows in 1956, a change that speaks to the rise of the automobile culture during the decade. The $450,000 three-story (six-level) open-deck garage featured both walk-up and drive-through banking services. Thus, before constructing the new skyscraper, the bank had already invested in its downtown location with five teller stations and one walk-up window in the parking lot that connected with the old bank via a series of pneumatic tubes, similar to newly-designed suburban banks. 

Plans to replace the old bank building began to materialize in 1959. The original design called for only a four-story building, but the project soon expanded to a twenty-story office tower that could bring in steady lease revenue for the bank while spurring future commercial activity in downtown Kansas City. A formal event on October 14, 1960, marked the beginning of construction, and the reinforced concrete skyscraper opened in 1962. The bank added two new parking decks, an elevator, and a sprinkler system to the 1956 garage. 

The Modern Movement addition to the Kansas City skyline, the first skyscraper in twenty-five years in the downtown core represents a critical point in the evolution of downtown commercial architecture in Kansas City. Three skyscrapers in the Chicago Style of commercial architecture were in place in the first few years of the 20th century. By the 1930s, builders used steel-frame and reinforced-concrete technology, allowing buildings to climb to heights never before seen in Kansas City. However, downtown and skyscraper development largely ceased after 1937. Even during the 1950s, when an abundance of modern skyscrapers appeared throughout the nation's cities, the few companies that erected new office buildings in Kansas City chose to build sprawling, low-rise blocks outside of the central business district. In contrast, the bank's reinforced concrete roof of the penthouse stood as the highest in the city for the more modern type of construction.

The design included a plan to accommodate a variety of tenants. A year after the building opened, small insurance companies, law firms, investment companies, and advertising agencies occupied suites. In contrast, larger entities such as Traveler's Insurance, New England Mutual Life Insurance, and Chevrolet and General Motors occupied entire floors. In fact, total occupancy reached sixty percent within a year after opening. Although not a designated federally-funded Urban Renewal project, Traders National Bank Building marked a shift in this suburban trend as the first of a new era of high-rise development and the commercial revitalization of downtown Kansas City. The new skyscraper benefited the bank, too. When the bank opened its new facility in 1962, the bank possessed $57 million in total resources. That total eclipsed $131 million in 1984 when Kansas City Bankshares purchased Traders National Bank.

The building continued to boast a high occupancy rate throughout the 2010s. However, a plan to transform the historic bank and corporate structure into a mixed-use development materialized, with commercial on lower floors and residential on the upper floors. The renovators gave special consideration to the curtain wall, restoring it instead of replacing it. The building opened in 2015 as Traders National Bank Grand Apartments, or more simply, The Grand Apartments.

Nugent, Rachel and Lauren Rieke. "Registration Form: Traders National Bank Building." National Register of Historic Places. mostateparks.com. 2016. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Traders%20National%20Bank%20Bldg.pdf.

"A Rich History and Culture." Historic Kansas City. historickansascity.org. Accessed September 11, 2022. https://www.historickansascity.org/kansas-city/.

"Traders National Bank: The Grand Apartments."  Rosin Preservation. 2014. https://rosinpreservation.com/portfolio_page/traders-national-bank-building/.