Kansas City Film Exchange (Davidson Building)

Constructed between 1919 and 1920, this historic Kansas City building was intended to be the center of regional film distribution. Major motion picture companies such as Famous Players-Lasky, the predecessor of Paramount, were early tenants throughout the building. Upper floors were designed for film storage with state-of-the-art vaults designed to mitigate the risk posed by flammable film reels used at that time. Despite this innovation, the building was the site of a destructive fire in 1920. Months after the fire damage was repaired, the owner increased rent, and tenants moved from this structure to smaller buildings along Seventeenth and Eighteenth Street. This structure later became known as the Davidson Building. Although not part of Kansas City’s Film Row, the creation of this building was the impetus for major motion pictures creating regional distribution offices in the Crossroads area.

Given Kansas City's growth as a railroad hub in the early 20th century, representatives from Hollywood studios saw potential in creating one of their many film exchange hubs in this midwestern community. Less than a decade before the motion picture with synchronized sound in 1927 (known colloquially as a “talkie” in that era) the construction of this building from 1919 to 1921 was at the start of a period many historians refer to as Hollywood’s "Golden era." Studio heads in California and their financial staff in New York offices saw Kansas City as a prime location to create another film distribution center.

The first building dedicated to film distribution was here on Main Street, and construction got underway in June 1919. Local newspapers paid close and constant attention to the building process, regularly providing updates in the daily editions. The construction of the building was estimated at $750,000 and promised to bring regional offices of motion picture companies to Kansas City.

Designed by Pratt and Thompson Construction Company, the new film exchange was designed to follow the newest fire codes, which were passed in 1918. This was an essential feature as the film vaults would be home to hundreds or even thousands of reels that were extremely flamable. The Kansas City Film Exchange was the first of its kind. In the autumn of 1919, local studio representatives in Chicago announced that plans were underway to build their new exchange next.

By the summer of 1920, the building was nearly complete. Several floors had been finished and studios had begun to operate from the new exchange building. On the morning of July 23, 1920, however, an explosion occurred in one of the Paramount-Players Lasky vaults on the twelfth floor. The fire that resulted spread quickly. Employees evacuated as the flames began to reach out the windows. The fire ravaged through the vaults and film reels that had not yet been processed and properly stored in the vaults. By the time the fire was controlled, roughly $1 million worth of films had been destroyed – an estimated $16 million today. It is believed that of the thousands of reels destroyed, hundreds of them had not yet been released. But the story is not without heroism. After stopping the elevator on every floor checking for anyone who had not made it out of the building, young Fred McPherson took armloads of film reels and was able to flee with them from the burning building. While the construction of the building may not have made it truly fire-proof, the design and layout of the building likely kept it from burning to the ground, and thousands of film reels survived as a result.

Workers quickly began repairs, and by December 1920, business in the Film Exchange was underway once again. The first screening in the building’s new theater took place for area theater owners on December 27 of that year. Just months later, word began to spread that the building’s owners were threatening to raise rent on the studio tenants. Studio managers felt the move was unfair, especially given the disruptive fire and construction. When the owner followed through with a rent increase in the spring of 1921, studios began the gradual move out of the building and closer to 18th Street which would become the center of a district known as Film Row.

Not long after studio workers left their floors vacant, the building was purchased and renamed the “Davidson” Building. While this building did not become the core of Kansas City’s connection to motion picture companies, its creation was the impetus for the creation of Film Row which was located nearby and centered along 18th Street.

"Excavation started this week on 12-story Film Building." The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) June 10th, 1920. , 14-14.

"Not What It Appears To Be." The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri) January 10th, 1920. , 12-12.

"Film Fire Loss Big." The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) July 23rd, 1920. , 1-1.

"Film Tenants in Reprisal." The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri) January 17th, 1921. , 2-2.

"Film Building Renamed." The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) May 22nd, 1921. , 11A-11A.