Kansas City Public Library and Board of Education Building (1960-2020)

This is the former site of Kansas City's Central Library and the headquarters of the Board of Education, which opened in 1960. Edward Tanner designed the new building for the "Space Age," taking inspiration from the modernist movement in architecture at that time. The multistory building was an important public fixture for the rest of the century until the library moved to the former First National Bank building in 2004. The Board of Education relocated in 2017, and the empty building was marked for demolition due to the cost of maintenance and required updates for ventilation and air conditioning systems. The building was torn down in 2020.

The Kansas City Public Library system and the school board share a common history, as efforts to construct the first public library were led by Superintendent James Greenwood. The Public School Library of Kansas City was established in 1873 with a small collection on a single bookshelf that included a set of encyclopedias. The first library facility opened in 1889 at 8th and Oak. That simple store-front facility was replaced less than ten years later with a stately building at 9th and Locust that featured a grand rotunda. Constructed at a cost of $200,000, the new library ushered in the turn of the century with several reading rooms and a collection that grew almost as quickly as the city it served.

After serving the city for over five decades, it was clear that more space was required than the building at 9th and Locust could offer, and formal plans to build a new library began in 1952. Edward W. Tanner was chosen as the architect for the new structure that would be built at this location. Tanner was already renowned for his work throughout the city, including Linda Hall Library, KU's Danforth Chapel, and parts of Country Club Plaza. His work usually followed traditional patterns, but his design for the new library building marked a break from this pattern as library leaders hoped for a modern design that reflected the optimism of the "Space Age." The $6 million structure was intended to support the needs of both the library and school with a design inspired by Mies van der Rowe and his work on the Modern Movement of architecture. From this point onward, Tanner spent his career exploring a balance between modern and traditional architecture, seeking to blend the two in his future projects.

The new structure was completed in 1960. The finished product consisted of eleven stories, the first five of which were occupied by the library, and a two-level basement. The first floor opened in a way that it could be seen from the second story, and balconies from the second story overlooked the bottom level. Levels 1 and 2 were mostly devoted to shelving the hundreds of thousands of books finding their home in the new library. Level 3 combined more shelving with office space, the Art and Music Department on the east side, and the Local History department on the west. Stacks on Level 4 were dedicated to film. Meanwhile, the Board of Education was housed in levels 6 through 10.

The Kansas City Library moved out into its current downtown location in 2003. The Board of Education remained in the McGee building until 2016 when they moved to another location on Troost Avenue. After a deal with Drury Hotels failed to go through, real estate agency Copaken Brooks purchased the empty property in 2019. According to director Jon Copaken, while the overall structure was in good shape, the building faced "a host of environmental issues," including major problems with the HVAC system and deteriorating windows. This caused it to be deemed irreparable and slated for demolition. Sadly, it would seem that while the former library was impressive when it was built, it was not meant to last long-term. The architecturally significant building was demolished the following year in cooperation with an area redevelopment proposal. Before the building was torn down, Copaken was involved in operations to save the ceramic tile mosaic, designed by local artist Gabriella Polony, that had lived in the foyer of the old library.

Nugent, Rachel. Kansas City Public Library and Board of Education Building - National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Missouri State Parks. March 1st, 2017. Accessed January 28th, 2023. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/KC%20Public%20Library%20and%20Board%20of%20Education%20Bldg.pdf.

LIBRARY HISTORY: OVERVIEW, The Kansas City Public Library. Accessed January 28th, 2023. https://kclibrary.org/about/library-history.

Collison, Kevin. Historic Board of Education Building is Being Demolished, Flatland KC. May 19th, 2020. Accessed January 28th, 2023. https://flatlandkc.org/news-issues/historic-board-of-education-building-is-being-demolished/.

Ford, Susan Jezak. Edward W. Tanner, The Pendergast Years. Accessed January 28th, 2023. https://pendergastkc.org/article/biography/edward-w-tanner.