Oak Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oak Tower |
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 324 East 11th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106 |
| Coordinates | 39°06′04″N 94°34′44″W / 39.1012°N 94.5789°W |
| Construction started | 1917 |
| Completed | 1920 |
| Renovated | 1928–1929 (addition, doubling the height) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 379 ft (116 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 28 (+2 below-grade) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hoit, Price & Barnes/I.R. Timlin |
| Main contractor | Swenson Construction Company |
Oak Tower, also known as the Bell Telephone Building, is a 28-story skyscraper located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It's a very tall building that has been an important part of the city's skyline for many years.
The building was designed by a local company called Hoit, Price & Barnes, working with I.R. Timlin. They created it to be the main office for the Bell Telephone Co.'s new Southwestern System.
Contents
Building History and Design
Work on Oak Tower began in 1917 at Eleventh and Oak Streets. However, construction was slowed down because of World War I. There weren't enough workers or materials available. Because of these delays, the building wasn't finished until 1920.
When it was first built, Oak Tower served as the main headquarters for Southwestern Bell. But after only a year, the company moved its main office to St. Louis. After that, the tower became the main office for Southwestern Bell's operations in Missouri.
Growing Taller
Originally, Oak Tower was only 14 stories tall, reaching about 185 feet. It didn't have any setbacks, which are steps back in the building's shape. But the telephone company was growing very fast and soon needed more space.
So, in 1929, a big addition was completed. This addition doubled the tower's height! It made Oak Tower the tallest building in Missouri for a short time. It held this record until the Kansas City Power & Light Building was finished in 1931.
A Special Material
The top half of Oak Tower was built using a special material called Haydite. This was the first modern type of lightweight concrete. It was a new invention, created and patented in Kansas City by Stephen J. Hayde.
The 1929 expansion of Oak Tower was the first major project to use Haydite. This new material allowed them to add fourteen new stories. That was six more stories than they could have added if they had used regular concrete!
The Builders
The company that built Oak Tower was Swenson Construction Co. They also built many other famous buildings in Kansas City. Some of these include the Kansas City Power & Light Building, 909 Walnut, the Jackson County Courthouse, Kansas City City Hall, the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange, and the Western Auto Building.
An Unusual Event
On January 11, 1965, during a snowstorm, something very unusual happened. A small, single-engine airplane crashed into the 28th story of the building. This happened at the corner facing Oak Street and 11th Street. Sadly, all four people on board the plane died in the accident.
Changing Looks
Oak Tower originally had a facade (the outside covering) made of terra-cotta. Terra-cotta is a type of baked clay. But in 1974, when the building was sold, this original facade was covered in white stucco. Stucco is a type of plaster used for coating walls.
Modern Use: A Data Center
Today, Oak Tower is a very important building for internet connections in Kansas City. It's one of the main places where fiber optic cables meet. These cables carry internet data very quickly.
The building also has a large data center. A data center is a place that houses many computers and servers. These servers store and process information for different companies. In 2013, this data center was about 9,000 square feet. By September 2018, it had grown to 11,000 square feet!
The data center is operated by a company called Netsolus. It's home to several major internet and phone companies. These include Cogent, Verizon, and Zayo. Netsolus, which started in 2000, also runs data centers in other cities like Phoenix, Denver, and Omaha. Their office in Oak Tower is in Suite 1640.
See also
- In Spanish: Oak Tower para niños
