Kansas City Insurance Building - Consumers Cooperative Association

Constructed in 1905 to house Spalding's Commercial College, this structure later housed numerous insurance companies, including Sentinel Life Insurance Company. In 1944, the Consumers Cooperative Association moved in, making major interior renovations. The building later housed union and public service offices. The college was founded by former business professor James F. Spalding in 1865, the college aimed to bring business education to the Midwest. Students of the college include future President of the United States Harry S. Truman, who attended the school in 1901. Initially located at 2nd and Main Streets in downtown Kansas City, the college relocated here be near leading businesses in 1905. Over 1200 students attended classes in this building and learned a variety of business skills. The building was designed in the Chicago style, with multi-sash windows, vertical pillars, and terracotta trim. As the area became more commercialized and Spalding’s Commercial College outgrew the space, the building became home to business in 1920.

This building was constructed in 1905 for Spalding’s Commercial College, a growing business school founded in 1865 by James F. Spalding to bring business education to the Midwest. After teaching business in Michigan for years, Spalding saw Kansas City as a potential hub for commerce by the end of the 1800s. Thus, the college was located at the heart of downtown commerce at the time – 2nd and Main streets. But as the city expanded, Spalding and his college would follow the heart of commerce. In 1904, Spalding commissioned the construction of this building. The building was initially three stories tall, largely designed in the Chicago style of architecture. From the multi-sash windows, vertical pillars dividing them, and the terracotta trim ornamenting the building, the Insurance Building is distinctly a part of the Chicago movement of the early 20th century.

Spalding’s new building would prove to be a great investment, as the college would quickly see 1,200 students per session. The district he had chosen was also heavily commercialized during the early 20th century. Thus, when Spalding’s Commercial College moved to a larger location further to the southeast in 1920, they had plenty of interest in the location. The new ownership quickly invested in the building, adding two additional stories to the building and redesigning the interior to fit commercial space. The addition was made to maintain the integrity of the architecture. The building was sought after by insurance companies in particular. Numerous insurance companies held office space here ranging from the American Fire Insurance Company to the Western Reciprocal Underwriters. The most prominent tenant at this time was Sentinel Life Insurance Company. They would lease out multiple floors of the building by 1928. 

This would change by 1944 when the Consumers Cooperative Association moved its headquarters into the building and made major interior renovations while leaving the exterior largely untouched. As many businesses withered under the Great Depression and World War Two, cooperatives began to thrive, as mutual aid was necessary during the strained economic conditions. Thus, the Consumers Cooperative Association grew too large for its old headquarters in North Kansas City and took over the 318-320 East 10th Street location. They would call this building home until 1956, returning north of the river that year. The next tenants would be unions or public service offices, as the neighborhood was no longer as commercialized during this period as it had been at the beginning of the century. Now, the location was in close proximity to government offices, both local and federal, making such offices attractive to public employees.

Schwenk, Sally. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form - Insurance Building, MoStateParks. May 4th, 2005. Accessed June 26th, 2024. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Insurance%20Bldg%20-%20Consumers%20Cooperative%20Assoc%20Bldg.pdf.

Bushnell, Michael. Spalding's Commercial College, Northeast News. February 2nd, 2022. Accessed June 26th, 2024. https://northeastnews.net/pages/spaldings-commercial-college/.