Commerce Tower

Constructed from 1962 to 1964, the 32-story Commerce Tower is the ninth-tallest building in downtown Kansas City and was home to the corporate offices of Commerce Bank and a popular rooftop restaurant in its first two decades. With the completion of the nearby Commerce Bank Building at 1000 Walnut Street in 1986, the bank sold their interest in this building in 1990 and it is now home to several hundred apartments along with retail space. The building's history is closely connected to the reinvestment in the downtown area that occurred in the postwar years and it became the first locally-designed skyscraper office building in Kansas City when it was completed. The building's planning committee studied various styles before selecting this modern and minimalist design by local architects Keene & Simpson & Murphy.

The building was designed to house Commerce Trust Company offices. Today, the company is a subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares, has headquarters in St. Louis and Kansas City, and remains the largest banking group in Missouri, with branches across the Midwest. Before its construction, there was no locally designed skyscraper in Kansas City beyond the cement structures that were built in the Pendergast Era to hold city and county governmental offices. Dating back to 1865, when it was founded as the Kansas City Savings Association, Commerce Trust Company has financed many of the city's leading businesses and provided financial stability for many local companies during the Great Depression. Following World War Two, Board Chairman James M. Kemper Sr. hoped to build a new corporate headquarters building that reflected the company's commitment to investing in the city's downtown neighborhood. The company prioritized functionality and hoped to select a design that reflected a new and modern era for Midwestern businesses. Kemper formed a three-member planning committee that toured the country to explore modern office building design. The committee's 400+ page report sought to integrate modern skyscraper design with the design of nearby structures.

Designed by local firm Keene, Simpson & Murphy, the design draws heavily from the Modernist Movement, which saw the transition away from the emphasis on ornamentation of the early 20th century to a more sleek, modern design. This structure is similar to many other corporate skyscrapers designed during the middle of the 20th century when builders focused on function and efficiency with prefabricated components. While some companies started leaving the downtown area in the 1960s, local companies like Hallmark and Commerce Bank commissioned landmark structures that they felt demonstrated their commitment to Kansas City. As a result, the placement of the final steel beam was a citywide celebration, with 180,000 residents signing the final beam, including Former President Harry S. Truman.

The building was completed on April 2nd, 1965, with a 500-person grand opening held in the lobby. At the time of opening, the interior had a post office, a drugstore, a barber shop, and a branch of Commerce Bank, while most of the building held the company's headquarters. Some of the upper floors were rented to other companies, while the top floors were home to a popular restaurant for many years. In 1986, Commerce Bank moved its headquarters to the newly completed Commerce Bank Building at 10th and Main. The bank sold its interest in this building in 1990, leading to the transition of this structure to apartments and retail spaces on the first floor along with classrooms of Park University.

Ehrlich, George. Kansas City, Missouri; An Architectural History, 1826–1990. Kansas City, Missouri. University of Missouri Press, 1992.

Rosin, Elizabeth. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - Commerce Tower, MoStateParks. December 20th, 2013. Accessed June 21st, 2024. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Commerce%20Tower.pdf.

History of Commerce Bank, https://www.commercebank.com/commerce150 accessed 7/7/2014

Commerce Tower, Kansas City, SkyscraperPage. Accessed June 21st, 2024. http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=562.

Roush, Chris. Building Commerce. Kansas City, MO. Commerce Bancshares, Inc., 2014.