700 West 31st Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
The 19-story international-style building,
which opened in 1963, rises above Penn Valley Park at 31st Street
and Southwest Trafficway. Built on the highest point of land
in Kansas City, it has commanding views of the city in every direction.
Now known as the Landmark Tower, many still refer to it as the BMA
Tower. The tower was built for, and occupied by, the Business
Men's Assurance company, until its sale in 2002.
The tower was designed by renowned architect Bruce Graham of Skidmore
Owings & Merrill of Chicago. Its frame was built of white Georgian
marble, which was replaced in 1987 when the slabs began to fall.
The building received the First Honor award from the American Institute
of Architects in 1964, one of only two Missouri buildings to be
so honored. The BMA Tower also was featured in an exhibit
on 20th-century American architecture put together in 1965 by New
York's Museum of Modern Art. It was designated a national
landmark in 2002.
Plans call for the tower to contain 106 residential units, ranging
from 1,500 to 15,000 square feet in size. Prices are planned to
start in the mid-$300 per square foot range. Renovation was completed
in 2007.
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