Gumbel Building

Built in 1904, the Gumbel Building holds the distinction of being one of the first buildings in the country constructed using reinforced concrete. Designed by local architect John W. McKecknie, it is also an attractive structure featuring square pilasters with decorative terra cotta and topped by Roman eagles, rounded ornate piers depicting Roman fasces (the bundle of rods signifying power) and topped by ornate capitals and a decorative shield and wreath motif. Used as office space for most of its history, the building is now a Hampton Inn hotel. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1979.

The superintendent of the Pacific Stone Company of San Francisco, Ernest Ransome, is believed to have introduced reinforced concrete construction to the country in 1870. It gradually became more well known over time and appeared in architectural textbooks by the early 1900s. Mckecknie, who was one of its early pioneers, studied architecture in at Princeton University and Columbia University. He arrived in Kansas City in 1896 and opened an architectural office. In addition to the Gumble Building, he also designed other reinforced concrete buildings in the city including the Montgomery Ward and Company Building and the Gloyd Building. Conversion into the hotel began in 2014 and was completed the next year.

Piland, Sherry. "Gumble Building." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 22, 1979. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Gumbel%20Bldg.pdf.

Roberts, Rob. "Historic Gumble Building will become a Hampton Inn." Kansas City Business Journal. October 14, 2014. https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2014/10/14/hampton-inn-conversion-gumbel-building-801-walnut.html.