- TWA Corporate Headquarters' Building
Infobox_nrhp | name =TWA Corporate Headquarters' Building
nrhp_type =
caption =
location=Kansas City, Missouri
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 05
lat_seconds = 32.55
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 94
long_minutes = 35
long_seconds = 4.15
long_direction = W
locmapin = Missouri
area = 124,000 sq ft
built =1955-1956
architect= Raymond E. Bales, Jr. and Morris Schechter
architecture= Mesian
added =November 20 ,2002
governing_body = Private
mpsub=
refnum=The TWA Corporate Headquarters' Building was thecorporate headquarters ofTrans World Airlines until1964 when the airline moved its headquarters toNew York City . The building was located at 1735 Baltimore Avenue in downtownKansas City, Missouri , although the area is now known as theCrossroads Arts District .The selection of Kansas City for the headquarters for TWA (initially via
Transcontinental Air Transport ) was said to be done byCharles Lindbergh . The building was designed by architects Raymond E. Bales, Jr. and Morris Schechter and constructed by the Long Construction Company of Kansas City. Site work began in May 1955, and construction was completed on October 31, 1956. The building was constructed in TWA's red and white corporate colors. The three-story L-shaped commercial facility is dominated by aluminum panels and corrugated concrete paneling. It was constructed using the Youtz-Slick construction method, in which steel support beams were first erected and then concrete slabs were poured at ground level and lifted into place by hydraulic jacks. The slabs were then bolted and welded onto the beams. This method allowed for a reduction in construction cost and construction time.By 1964, TWA had become a major international figure in aviation, which prompted a move of the executive offices to New York. The building at 1735 Baltimore remained headquarters for the accounting department, ticket office, credit department, and cargo department until
1969 . TWA also continued to use the building for training for its flight attendants until opening theBreech Academy in suburbanOverland Park, Kansas in1969 .In
2002 it was added to theNational Register of Historic Places . It had been vacant for several years although plans as late as2003 called for the building to be converted to residential condominiums under the names of TWA Lofts LLC. Instead the building was purchased by the Kansas City based advertising agencyBarkley Inc. . The company moved into the facility onNovember 14 ,2006 .TWA Moonliner II
During TWA's heyday, the building was easily identified by the 32-foot TWA Moonliner II rocket ship that stood on the roof. The TWA Moonliner II was modeled after the 80-foot tall
TWA Moonliner fromTomorrowland atDisneyland . The original Moonliner II was removed from the roof in1962 . The original Moonliner eventually fell into disrepair while sitting near a rest area inConcordia, Missouri for 25 years. It was since restored and is now on loan to theAirline History Museum at theCharles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport . Fabrication of the new Moonliner II replica began September 2006, and the rocket was completed and installed at 18th and Baltimore on September 29 of that year.External links
* [http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2005/05/02/story5.html Bizjournals on loft conversion]
* [http://bradleyosborn.com/a_walk_through_the_crossroads.pdf Crossroads neighborhood tour (pdf)]
* [http://www.kclibrary.org/guides/localhistory/index.cfm?article=read&articleID=407 KCPL Library on Selection of KC for TWA]References
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