Hallmark Crown Center
105-502: Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood located near Downtown Kansas City, Missouri between Gillham Road and Main Street to the east and west, and between OK/E 22nd St and E 27th St to the north and south. The shopping center is anchored by Halls , a department store which is owned and operated by Hallmark Cards . The neighborhood contains numerous residences, retail establishments, entertainment venues, and restaurants including
210-488: A reservoir or aqueduct, to make the water flow or jet into the air. In addition to providing drinking water, fountains were used for decoration and to celebrate their builders. Roman fountains were decorated with bronze or stone masks of animals or heroes. In the Middle Ages, Moorish and Muslim garden designers used fountains to create miniature versions of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France used fountains in
315-604: A 21-story hotel and garage; however, the hotel portion of the plan did not materialize because of uncertainty about the future redevelopment of downtown. In August 2007, developer Dan Clothier announced he wanted to complete his original plan by adding an 18-story hotel tower atop a three-level garage. The $ 38 million project calls for the structure to house 200 hotel rooms or a combination of 160 rooms along with some residential units. In November, 2006, Barkley Inc. , an advertising and public relations firm formerly known as Barkley Evergreen & Partners, moved its 350+ employees to
420-400: A computer, for dramatic effects. Fountains can themselves also be musical instruments played by obstruction of one or more of their water jets. Drinking fountains provide clean drinking water in public buildings, parks and public spaces. Ancient civilizations built stone basins to capture and hold precious drinking water. A carved stone basin, dating to around 700 BC, was discovered in
525-456: A difference of 130 feet (40 m) in elevation between the source and the fountain, which meant that the water from this fountain jetted sixteen feet straight up into the air from the conch shell of the triton. The Piazza Navona became a grand theater of water, with three fountains, built in a line on the site of the Stadium of Domitian . The fountains at either end are by Giacomo della Porta ;
630-588: A form of theater, with cascades and jets of water coming from marble statues of animals and mythological figures. The most famous fountains of this kind were found in the Villa d'Este (1550–1572), at Tivoli near Rome, which featured a hillside of basins, fountains and jets of water, as well as a fountain which produced music by pouring water into a chamber, forcing air into a series of flute-like pipes. The gardens also featured giochi d'acqua , water jokes, hidden fountains which suddenly soaked visitors. Between 1546 and 1549,
735-617: A fountain in the center of the cross, representing the spring or fountain, Salsabil , described in the Qur'an as the source of the rivers of Paradise. In the 9th century, the Banū Mūsā brothers, a trio of Persian Inventors , were commissioned by the Caliph of Baghdad to summarize the engineering knowledge of the ancient Greek and Roman world. They wrote a book entitled the Book of Ingenious Devices , describing
840-664: A fountain shooting a vertical jet of water for his favorite mistress, Diane de Poitiers , next to the Château de Chenonceau (1556–1559). At the royal Château de Fontainebleau , he built another fountain with a bronze statue of Diane , goddess of the hunt, modeled after Diane de Poitiers. Later, after the death of Henry II, his widow, Catherine de Medici , expelled Diane de Poitiers from Chenonceau and built her own fountain and garden there. King Henry IV of France made an important contribution to French fountains by inviting an Italian hydraulic engineer, Tommaso Francini , who had worked on
945-592: A higher source of water it was not possible to make water flow by gravity, There are lion-shaped fountains in the Temple of Dendera in Qena . The ancient Greeks used aqueducts and gravity-powered fountains to distribute water. According to ancient historians, fountains existed in Athens , Corinth , and other ancient Greek cities in the 6th century BC as the terminating points of aqueducts which brought water from springs and rivers into
1050-854: A large basin, canal and marble pools. In the Ottoman Empire , rulers often built fountains next to mosques so worshippers could do their ritual washing. Examples include the Fountain of Qasim Pasha (1527), Temple Mount , Jerusalem , an ablution and drinking fountain built during the Ottoman reign of Suleiman the Magnificent ; the Fountain of Ahmed III (1728) at the Topkapı Palace , Istanbul , another Fountain of Ahmed III in Üsküdar (1729) and Tophane Fountain (1732). Palaces themselves often had small decorated fountains, which provided drinking water, cooled
1155-412: A lion or the muzzle of an animal. Most Greek fountains flowed by simple gravity, but they also discovered how to use principle of a siphon to make water spout, as seen in pictures on Greek vases. The Ancient Romans built an extensive system of aqueducts from mountain rivers and lakes to provide water for the fountains and baths of Rome. The Roman engineers used lead pipes instead of bronze to distribute
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#17328453065701260-467: A major attraction for residents and visitors, and has had a civic impact on Downtown similar to that experienced by other municipalities, such as Baltimore and San Antonio . The T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center), an 18,500-seat arena, was announced shortly after the launch of the Power & Light District. In 2004, a ballot initiative to fund the proposed arena through a tax on car rentals and hotels
1365-546: A massive boom in renovations and new construction. Since 2000, the estimated cost of these projects has totaled over $ 5.5 billion. The Power & Light District, also known as the Entertainment District, is a nine-block area to the immediate south of the Central Business District. Originally to be named Kansas City Live, Cordish, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland – which developed the area – decided to name
1470-478: A multi-use property of apartments, child care center, and Park University school. H&R Block , Commerce Bancshares , UMB Bank , Kansas City Southern , BNIM , Great Plains Energy , Aquila , DST Systems, J.E. Dunn Construction Group and HNTB are also among the companies headquartered in Downtown Kansas City . The Barney Allis Plaza is a park at the intersection of 12th Street and Wyandotte. It
1575-457: A population of 19,899 residents, 11,790 housing units, and a median household income of $ 61,491. In 2000, the population may have been as low as 10,000 people with 7,330 units. In 2005, the population density was approximately 5,617 inhabitants per square mile (2,169/km ) in its 3.0-square-mile (7.8 km ) area. According to Local Market reports, Downtown houses approximately 20,000,000 square feet (1,900,000 m ) of office space. However,
1680-609: A program of aqueduct and fountain building. The city had previously gotten all its drinking water from wells and reservoirs of rain water, which meant that there was little water or water pressure to run fountains. Cosimo built an aqueduct large enough for the first continually-running fountain in Florence, the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria (1560–1567). This fountain featured an enormous white marble statue of Neptune, resembling Cosimo, by sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati . Under
1785-568: A prominent oval shape, mixed with blue-green reflective glass. This is among newer, glass-walled buildings, also including the Sprint Center and the Kansas City Star printing press across I-670 . Cordish planned four residential towers as part of the project, which include a 25-floor residential tower (One Light), to the immediate north of the H&;R Block headquarters on a lot once occupied by
1890-529: A site formerly occupied by Trinity Lutheran and St. Mary's Hospitals. The bank was based out of a 21-story tower in the Downtown Loop until the Penn Valley Park facility opened in 2008. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has its Kansas City offices just west of Crown Center, which houses up to 6,000 employees. Construction began in 2004 and the building was completed in mid-2006. The IRS was also to occupy
1995-455: A theater, grass-lined rooftop observation deck, open floor plan, and gallery space featuring art from local and national artists. Barkley adopted the rocket ship as its new logo shortly before moving into the renovated TWA space. BNIM Architects moved to the building's third floor in 2014. The Commerce Bank Tower at 9th and Main Streets housed Kansas City's largest bank until it was renovated into
2100-691: A wall fountain where the Trevi Fountain is now located. The aqueduct he restored, with modifications and extensions, eventually supplied water to the Trevi Fountain and the famous baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona . One of the first new fountains to be built in Rome during the Renaissance was the fountain in the piazza in front of the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere (1472), which
2205-557: A worthy capital of the Christian world. In 1453, he began to rebuild the Acqua Vergine , the ruined Roman aqueduct which had brought clean drinking water to the city from eight miles (13 km) away. He also decided to revive the Roman custom of marking the arrival point of an aqueduct with a mostra , a grand commemorative fountain. He commissioned the architect Leon Battista Alberti to build
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#17328453065702310-542: Is Oceanus , the personification of all the seas and oceans, in an oyster-shell chariot, surrounded by Tritons and Sea Nymphs . In fact, the fountain had very little water pressure, because the source of water was, like the source for the Piazza Navona fountains, the Acqua Vergine, with a 23-foot (7.0 m) drop. Salvi compensated for this problem by sinking the fountain down into the ground, and by carefully designing
2415-504: Is a micro transit service partnership between Ford Bridj and KCATA that began on March 7, 2016. Users download the Bridj app and use the service much like a taxi service. The merger and full coordination is expected to be complete by 2019. Fountain A fountain , from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring , is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It
2520-414: Is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were originally purely functional, connected to springs or aqueducts and used to provide drinking water and water for bathing and washing to the residents of cities, towns and villages. Until the late 19th century most fountains operated by gravity , and needed a source of water higher than the fountain, such as
2625-749: Is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas – Missouri state line eastward to Bruce R. Watkins Drive as defined by the Downtown Council of Kansas City; the 2010 Greater Downtown Area Plan formulated by the City of Kansas City defines the Greater Downtown Area to be the city limits of North Kansas City and Missouri to the north, the Kansas–Missouri state line to
2730-568: Is decorated with stone carvings representing prophets and saints, allegories of the arts, labors of the months, the signs of the zodiac, and scenes from Genesis and Roman history. Medieval fountains could also provide amusement. The gardens of the Counts of Artois at the Château de Hesdin, built in 1295, contained famous fountains, called Les Merveilles de Hesdin ("The Wonders of Hesdin") which could be triggered to drench surprised visitors. Shortly after
2835-523: Is included in the hotel's design as a waterfall. Norman Fletcher designed the first residences. Henry Cobb of the I.M. Pei firm designed 2600 Grand office and Dan Kiley laid out the park in the south area of the complex. Warren Plattner, designer of Windows on the World , designed the interior space at the American Restaurant when it was operated by Joseph Baum (who also operated The Four Seasons and
2940-528: Is located on the eastern side of Crown Center. A century-old tradition , the Mayor 's Christmas tree at Hallmark Cards ’ Crown Center is strung with more than 7,200 white lights during the winter holidays and stands 100 feet tall, which is taller than the famous National Christmas Tree and Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree , and the White House Christmas Tree . A special guest or celebrity "flips
3045-600: Is named after the prominent Kansas City hotelier, and owner of the Standard Theater, Barney Allis. From April 11, 2006 until 2011, it hosted the Kansas City Explorers , the World TeamTennis team. The Kansas City Sports Walk of Stars was constructed at the edge of this park in 1991, and the first three polished granite slabs bore the names of inductees George Brett , Len Dawson , and Tom Watson . The Walk
3150-469: Is officially recognized by the city, and has used its common-law trademark since 1993. The Loop is the north central section of Downtown Kansas City; it is the most dense section of the city, and is surrounded on all four sides by the downtown freeway loop . Altogether, the Loop has an area of nearly one square mile. In 2006, the Downtown Loop had nearly 8,000 residents. The Downtown Loop encompasses Quality Hill,
3255-544: The Alexanderplatz in Berlin (1891). The fountains of Piazza Navona had one drawback - their water came from the Acqua Vergine, which had only a 23-foot (7.0 m) drop from the source to the fountains, which meant the water could only fall or trickle downwards, not jet very high upwards. The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most spectacular of Rome's fountains, designed to glorify the three different Popes who created it. It
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3360-557: The City Council . The arena vote passed decidedly. Construction began on the T-Mobile Center in late 2004. Before this, however, and even before the vote, the city sent out requests to local and national architectural firms – including HOK Sports, Ellerbe Beckett, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects Inc. and the world-renowned Frank Gehry – to bid on the project. The first four of the aforementioned firms, however, collaborated to form
3465-498: The Cortile del Belvedere , was designed by Donato Bramante . The garden was decorated with the Pope's famous collection of classical statues, and with fountains. The Venetian Ambassador wrote in 1523, "... On one side of the garden is a most beautiful loggia, at one end of which is a lovely fountain that irrigates the orange trees and the rest of the garden by a little canal in the center of
3570-565: The Gardens of Versailles to illustrate his power over nature. The baroque decorative fountains of Rome in the 17th and 18th centuries marked the arrival point of restored Roman aqueducts and glorified the Popes who built them. By the end of the 19th century, as indoor plumbing became the main source of drinking water, urban fountains became purely decorative. Mechanical pumps replaced gravity and allowed fountains to recycle water and to force it high into
3675-734: The Kansas City Streetcar Authority – operates and maintains the system. Unlike many similar systems around the U.S., there will be no fare charged. The city is planning to add multiple extensions to the starter line. In 2015, the KCATA, Unified Government Transit, Johnson County Transit, and IndeBus (all separate metro services) began merging into one coordinated transit service for the Kansas City region, called RideKC. The buses and other transit options will be branded as: RideKC Bus, RideKC MAX, RideKC Streetcar, and RideKC Bridj. RideKC Bridj
3780-477: The Kansas City Symphony , Kansas City Ballet , and Kansas City Lyric Opera. By May 2015, more than 1.5 million people had attended the center. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a 16-story office tower with a two-story operations center designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is at Penn Valley Park on the southern edge of Downtown, to the immediate west of Crown Center on
3885-664: The National World War I Museum and Memorial . Union Station and the rest of Crown Center connect via a skywalk called the Link. The River Market is Kansas City's original neighborhood on the Missouri River. The district contains one of the country's largest and longest lasting public farmers' markets, and several unique shops and restaurants. The Arabia Steamboat Museum is next to the City Market. The Town of Kansas Bridge reaches
3990-659: The Neptune fountain to the north, (1572) shows the God of the Sea spearing an octopus, surrounded by tritons , sea horses and mermaids . At the southern end is Il Moro, possibly also a figure of Neptune riding a fish in a conch shell. In the center is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi , (The Fountain of the Four Rivers) (1648–51), a highly theatrical fountain by Bernini, with statues representing rivers from
4095-484: The Palace of Versailles . In this garden, the fountain played a central role. He used fountains to demonstrate the power of man over nature, and to illustrate the grandeur of his rule. In the Gardens of Versailles , instead of falling naturally into a basin, water was shot into the sky, or formed into the shape of a fan or bouquet. Dancing water was combined with music and fireworks to form a grand spectacle. These fountains were
4200-636: The Piazza Barberini (1642), by Gian Lorenzo Bernini , is a masterpiece of Baroque sculpture, representing Triton , half-man and half-fish, blowing his horn to calm the waters, following a text by the Roman poet Ovid in the Metamorphoses . The Triton fountain benefited from its location in a valley, and the fact that it was fed by the Aqua Felice aqueduct, restored in 1587, which arrived in Rome at an elevation of 194 feet (59 m) above sea level (fasl),
4305-462: The Rainbow Room ). In 2016, the restaurant announced plans to close and to become primarily a special event venue. The original concept for the shops was an international bazaar, part of which was a maze-like area known as West Village. Designed by architects François Dallegret and Joseph Baker, West Village proved unsuccessful and was replaced by a more conventional layout. Western International Hotels
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4410-514: The "Downtown Arena Design Team," and won the contract over Gehry's bid, with the city citing the companies had completed a variety of sports-related projects and were based locally as the reason for their selection. Since construction began, many local minority leaders have protested the construction company and contractors for not putting enough minorities in the construction and contracting teams. The contractors, however, assert they have complied with state and federal requirements and continue to meet
4515-542: The 1st century BC, and in the villas of Pompeii. The Villa of Hadrian in Tivoli featured a large swimming basin with jets of water. Pliny the Younger described the banquet room of a Roman villa where a fountain began to jet water when visitors sat on a marble seat. The water flowed into a basin, where the courses of a banquet were served in floating dishes shaped like boats. Roman engineers built aqueducts and fountains throughout
4620-599: The American Restaurant, the only Forbes Travel Guide four-star restaurant in Missouri. It is home to Hallmark Cards , and the headquarters of Shook, Hardy & Bacon and Lathrop GPM, two of Kansas City's largest law firms . Before the First World War , Downtown Kansas City was heavily populated and bustling. The area today home to Crown Center was an extension of the Union Hill historic neighborhood. Gradually, however,
4725-534: The Central Business District, the Entertainment District, and the Government District. Districts in The Loop are: The Crossroads District , formerly a warehouse district from I-670 in the north up to Union Station in the south, is going through a period of revitalization, like much of the city. Buildings are being redeveloped for office and residential uses. Several restaurants and art galleries are now within
4830-563: The Conference Center, Meeting Rooms, and Barney Allis Plaza. This totals more than 800,000 square feet (74,000 m ). Bartle Hall was opened in 1976, in time for the Republican National Convention. As time passed, the need for more room grew. In 1994, Kansas City-based HNTB and BNIM designed an expansion that spanned over I-670 through downtown. After the project's completion, 388,800 square feet were available for
4935-735: The Garden of Eden was shown with a graceful gothic fountain in the center (see illustration). The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck , finished in 1432, also shows a fountain as a feature of the adoration of the mystic lamb, a scene apparently set in Paradise. The cloister of a monastery was supposed to be a replica of the Garden of Eden, protected from the outside world. Simple fountains, called lavabos, were placed inside Medieval monasteries such as Le Thoronet Abbey in Provence and were used for ritual washing before religious services. Fountains were also found in
5040-690: The Gardens, at the intersection of the main axes of the Gardens of Versailles, is the Bassin d'Apollon (1668–71), designed by Charles Le Brun and sculpted by Jean Baptiste Tuby. This statue shows a theme also depicted in the painted decoration in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles: Apollo in his chariot about to rise from the water, announced by Tritons with seashell trumpets. Historians Mary Anne Conelli and Marilyn Symmes wrote, "Designed for dramatic effect and to flatter
5145-498: The Imperial household, baths and owners of private villas. Each of the major fountains was connected to two different aqueducts, in case one was shut down for service. The Romans were able to make fountains jet water into the air, by using the pressure of water flowing from a distant and higher source of water to create hydraulic head , or force. Illustrations of fountains in gardens spouting water are found on wall paintings in Rome from
5250-405: The Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund, which assists city residents in poverty. 39°04′52″N 94°34′53″W / 39.080995°N 94.581442°W / 39.080995; -94.581442 Downtown Kansas City Downtown Kansas City is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area which contains 3.8% of the area's employment. It
5355-446: The Medicis, fountains were not just sources of water, but advertisements of the power and benevolence of the city's rulers. They became central elements not only of city squares, but of the new Italian Renaissance garden . The great Medici Villa at Castello, built for Cosimo by Benedetto Varchi , featured two monumental fountains on its central axis; one showing with two bronze figures representing Hercules slaying Antaeus , symbolizing
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#17328453065705460-428: The Middle Ages, Roman aqueducts were wrecked or fell into decay, and many fountains throughout Europe stopped working, so fountains existed mainly in art and literature, or in secluded monasteries or palace gardens. Fountains in the Middle Ages were associated with the source of life, purity, wisdom, innocence, and the Garden of Eden . In illuminated manuscripts like the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1411–1416) ,
5565-438: The Performing Arts is on the northern edge of the Crossroads Arts District, just south of the Bartle Hall ballroom. Construction began on October 6, 2006, and the facility opened to the public in September 2011. It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie. The 316,000 square foot performing arts center consists of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Theater, Helzberg Hall, and the Brandmeyer Great Hall. Its three resident companies are
5670-413: The Riverfront Heritage Trail which leads to Berkley Riverfront Park , which is operated by Port KC. Launched by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) in July 2005, "MAX" (Metro Area Express) is a bus rapid transit line extending from downtown through the Country Club Plaza to Waldo . The MAX buses include GPS to transmit real-time data on the next pickup time to each station where
5775-590: The Roman Empire. Examples can be found today in the ruins of Roman towns in Vaison-la-Romaine and Glanum in France, in Augst , Switzerland, and other sites. In Nepal there were public drinking fountains at least as early as 550 AD. They are called dhunge dharas or hitis . They consist of intricately carved stone spouts through which water flows uninterrupted from underground water sources. They are found extensively in Nepal and some of them are still operational. Construction of water conduits like hitis and dug wells are considered as pious acts in Nepal. During
5880-453: The Sultan in the gardens of Generalife in Granada (1319) featured spouts of water pouring into a basin, with channels which irrigated orange and myrtle trees. The garden was modified over the centuries – the jets of water which cross the canal today were added in the 19th century. The fountain in the Court of the Lions of the Alhambra, built from 1362 to 1391, is a large vasque mounted on twelve stone statues of lions. Water spouts upward in
5985-443: The Transit Plaza at 10th & Main Streets and Grand Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. On December 12, 2012, a ballot initiative to construct a $ 102 million, two-mile streetcar , to stretch from River Market to Crown Center , was approved by local voters. Construction on the line began in 2013, and the line became operational in May 2016. A new non-profit corporation made up of private sector stakeholders and city appointees –
6090-419: The Younger , Pliny the Elder , and Varro . The treatise on architecture, De re aedificatoria , by Leon Battista Alberti , which described in detail Roman villas, gardens and fountains, became the guidebook for Renaissance builders. In Rome, Pope Nicholas V (1397–1455), himself a scholar who commissioned hundreds of translations of ancient Greek classics into Latin, decided to embellish the city and make it
6195-614: The air, and made a pleasant splashing sound. One surviving example is the Fountain of Tears (1764) at the Bakhchisarai Palace , in Crimea ; which was made famous by a poem of Alexander Pushkin . The sebil was a decorated fountain that was often the only source of water for the surrounding neighborhood. It was often commissioned as an act of Islamic piety by a rich person. In the 14th century, Italian humanist scholars began to rediscover and translate forgotten Roman texts on architecture by Vitruvius , on hydraulics by Hero of Alexandria , and descriptions of Roman gardens and fountains by Pliny
6300-594: The air. The Jet d'Eau in Lake Geneva , built in 1951, shoots water 140 metres (460 ft) in the air. The highest such fountain in the world is King Fahd's Fountain in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia, which spouts water 260 metres (850 ft) above the Red Sea. Fountains are used today to decorate city parks and squares; to honor individuals or events; for recreation and for entertainment. A splash pad or spray pool allows city residents to enter, get wet and cool off in summer. The musical fountain combines moving jets of water, colored lights and recorded music, controlled by
6405-404: The area around the corporate headquarters, and with his new leadership Donald Hall quickly made it known that he wished to renew the area entirely. Hallmark quietly began acquiring all the property surrounding its headquarters, and consulted with urban planning experts about the possibility of creating an experimental "city within a city" on the property. The City of Kansas City formally approved
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#17328453065706510-415: The atrium, or interior courtyard, with water coming from the city water supply and spouting into a small bowl or basin. Ancient Rome was a city of fountains. According to Sextus Julius Frontinus , the Roman consul who was named curator aquarum or guardian of the water of Rome in 98 AD, Rome had nine aqueducts which fed 39 monumental fountains and 591 public basins, not counting the water supplied to
6615-400: The cascade so that the water churned and tumbled, to add movement and drama. Wrote historians Maria Ann Conelli and Marilyn Symmes, "On many levels the Trevi altered the appearance, function and intent of fountains and was a watershed for future designs." Beginning in 1662, King Louis XIV of France began to build a new kind of garden, the Garden à la française , or French formal garden, at
6720-582: The center of population for the metro area moved south, and by the Second World War the area today comprising Crown Center had become dilapidated. Although Hallmark had maintained its headquarters at 26th Street and Grand Boulevard since 1922, the headquarters itself and nearby Union Station comprised the only non- slum in the area. Instead there were old warehouses , used car lots, and vacant buildings. In 1966, Donald J. Hall, Sr. became President and CEO of Hallmark Cards, taking over from his father, Joyce Hall . Joyce Hall had long wished to develop
6825-408: The cities. In the 6th century BC, the Athenian ruler Peisistratos built the main fountain of Athens, the Enneacrounos , in the Agora , or main square. It had nine large cannons, or spouts, which supplied drinking water to local residents. Greek fountains were made of stone or marble, with water flowing through bronze pipes and emerging from the mouth of a sculpted mask that represented the head of
6930-471: The deadliest non‑deliberate structural failure in American history. Because of the Barnes' firm's relationship to the developers, he was tapped to redesign the lobby of the hotel. Today, the shopping and entertainment complex features three levels of shops and restaurants, a set of grand open air fountains , live theaters, an ice skating rink and over-street walkways leading throughout the complex and to Kansas City's Union Station . The Halls department store
7035-417: The district after the historic art deco Power & Light Building. The present headquarters of the Kansas City Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy , is also on the district's northern side. Instead, a one-block area near the new H&R Block headquarters tower – devoted to live music venues – was named Kansas City Live! . The H&R Block building, which opened in mid-2006, has
7140-412: The district, and the area has a monthly event known as First Fridays. They feature pop-up art galleries, food trucks, live music, and shopping deals. Crown Center is a district developed by Hallmark . Within Crown Center, families can enjoy an aquarium, Legoland, and Kaleidoscope. There are several mid to upscale stores, and hotels include the Sheraton and the Westin. The district is a short walk from
7245-478: The enclosed medieval jardins d'amour , "gardens of courtly love" – ornamental gardens used for courtship and relaxation. The medieval romance The Roman de la Rose describes a fountain in the center of an enclosed garden, feeding small streams bordered by flowers and fresh herbs. Some Medieval fountains, like the cathedrals of their time, illustrated biblical stories, local history and the virtues of their time. The Fontana Maggiore in Perugia , dedicated in 1278,
7350-432: The exhibition hall. The expansion also included a grand ballroom, conference center, and meeting rooms. The facilities include Municipal Auditorium , an Art Deco venue built in 1934. It features an arena that seats 10,700; a music hall that seats 2,400; and a little theater suited for more private events. The auditorium connects via parking garage and skywalk to the rest of the convention center. The Kauffman Center for
7455-413: The flagship store of the Jones Store Company. Groundbreaking on the complex began in March 2006. As of 2023, One and Two Lights are complete, and Three Light is under construction. The Entertainment District practically shares a border with I-670. Enclosed between the residential towers and H&R Block's new building will be many shops and restaurants new to the Kansas City area. The new district has become
7560-435: The former TWA world headquarters at the district's southern edge. The building had been empty for two decades and cost over $ 30 million to renovate. Barkley also reconstructed the famous Walt Disney -designed three-story rocket ship that stood atop the building during TWA's tenure. The Moonliner signified one-time TWA majority shareholder Howard Hughes ' desire to guide the airline into space travel. Other renovations included
7665-569: The fountains of the villa at Pratalino, to make fountains in France. Francini became a French citizen in 1600, built the Medici Fountain, and during the rule of the young King Louis XIII , he was raised to the position of Intendant général des Eaux et Fontaines of the king, a position which was hereditary. His descendants became the royal fountain designers for Louis XIII and for Louis XIV at Versailles . In 1630, another Medici, Marie de Medici ,
7770-567: The four continents; the Nile , Danube , Plate River and Ganges . Over the whole structure is a 54-foot (16 m) Egyptian obelisk , crowned by a cross with the emblem of the Pamphili family, representing Pope Innocent X , whose family palace was on the piazza. The theme of a fountain with statues symbolizing great rivers was later used in the Place de la Concorde (1836–40) and in the Fountain of Neptune in
7875-455: The king, the fountain is oriented so that the Sun God rises from the west and travels east toward the chateau, in contradiction to nature." Besides these two monumental fountains, the Gardens over the years contained dozens of other fountains, including thirty-nine animal fountains in the labyrinth depicting the fables of Jean de La Fontaine . There were so many fountains at Versailles that it
7980-620: The kings of the Artuqid dynasty in Turkey commissioned him to manufacture a machine to raise water for their palaces. The finest result was a machine called the double-acting reciprocating piston pump , which translated rotary motion to reciprocating motion via the crankshaft - connecting rod mechanism. The palaces of Moorish Spain, particularly the Alhambra in Granada, had famous fountains. The patio of
8085-462: The line stops; all buses have dedicated lanes during rush hour and stoplights can automatically change in their favor, if needed, if buses are behind schedule. A second MAX route opened on January 1, 2011 ( Troost Avenue MAX, or "Green Line"), which shares some downtown stops with what is now called Main Street MAX (or "Orange Line"). Most other KCATA routes have stops throughout downtown, centered on
8190-588: The loggia ... The original garden was split in two by the construction of the Vatican Library in the 16th century, but a new fountain by Carlo Maderno was built in the Cortile del Belvedere, with a jet of water shooting up from a circular stone bowl on an octagonal pedestal in a large basin. In 1537, in Florence , Cosimo I de' Medici , who had become ruler of the city at the age of only 17, also decided to launch
8295-618: The merchants of Paris built the first Renaissance-style fountain in Paris, the Fontaine des Innocents , to commemorate the ceremonial entry of the King into the city. The fountain, which originally stood against the wall of the church of the Holy Innocents, as rebuilt several times and now stands in a square near Les Halles . It is the oldest fountain in Paris. Henry constructed an Italian-style garden with
8400-530: The nearby Kansas City Main Post Office building (the Post Office having moved across the street to a building next to Union Station ). The historic Freight House building in the Crossroads Arts District was built in the 1880s; it was renovated in the late 1990s, and it is now home to Grunauer, Lidia's Kansas City, and Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue . The original plan for the redevelopment included
8505-746: The new Baroque art, which was officially promoted by the Catholic Church as a way to win popular support against the Protestant Reformation ; the Council of Trent had declared in the 16th century that the Church should counter austere Protestantism with art that was lavish, animated and emotional. The fountains of Rome, like the paintings of Rubens , were examples of the principles of Baroque art. They were crowded with allegorical figures, and filled with emotion and movement. In these fountains, sculpture became
8610-669: The plans for Crown Center (named after the Hallmark corporate symbol) by the end of 1967. The master design was prepared by Edward Larrabee Barnes . Ground was broken for the complex in September 1968. Construction of the hotel, designed by Harry Weese in the Brutalist style, began in 1971. It opened in May 1973 as the Crown Center Hotel , managed by Western International Hotels . Signboard Hill
8715-458: The principal element, and the water was used simply to animate and decorate the sculptures. They, like baroque gardens, were "a visual representation of confidence and power." The first of the Fountains of St. Peter's Square , by Carlo Maderno , (1614) was one of the earliest Baroque fountains in Rome, made to complement the lavish Baroque façade he designed for St. Peter's Basilica behind it. It
8820-514: The requests of local citizens. The T-Mobile Center opened in 2007; as of June 2011, the arena does not have an NBA or NHL tenant. However, the arena has served as the venue for events such as concerts and since March 2008, the Big 12 Basketball Tournament . The Kansas City Convention Center consists of several buildings, either connected to or adjacent to each other: Bartle Hall, the Grand Ballroom,
8925-478: The ruins of the ancient Sumerian city of Lagash in modern Iraq . The ancient Assyrians constructed a series of basins in the gorge of the Comel River, carved in solid rock, connected by small channels, descending to a stream. The lowest basin was decorated with carved reliefs of two lions. The ancient Egyptians had ingenious systems for hoisting water up from the Nile for drinking and irrigation, but without
9030-453: The spread of Islam, the Arabs incorporated into their city planning the famous Islamic gardens . Islamic gardens after the 7th century were traditionally enclosed by walls and were designed to represent paradise . The paradise gardens , were laid out in the form of a cross, with four channels representing the rivers of Paradise , dividing the four parts of the world. Water sometimes spouted from
9135-497: The story of how the peasants of Lycia tormented Latona and her children, Diana and Apollo , and were punished by being turned into frogs. This was a reminder of how French peasants had abused Louis's mother, Anne of Austria , during the uprising called the Fronde in the 1650s. When the fountain is turned on, sprays of water pour down on the peasants, who are frenzied as they are transformed into creatures. The other centerpiece of
9240-427: The switch" each year. For example, in 2010 Chef Celina Tio (owner and chef of Julian in K.C. , Missouri ) on Food Network 's The Next Iron Chef , joined Kansas City's Mayor Mark Funkhouser to light the tree. The lighting ceremony is held the day after Thanksgiving and the annual Country Club Plaza Lighting Ceremony . After the holidays, the tree is cut into commemorative ornaments and sold to benefit
9345-564: The syphon (called shotor-gelu in Persian, literally 'neck of the camel) to create fountains which spouted water or made it resemble a bubbling spring. The garden of Fin , near Kashan, used 171 spouts connected to pipes to create a fountain called the Howz-e jush , or "boiling basin". The 11th century Persian poet Azraqi described a Persian fountain: Reciprocating motion was first described in 1206 by Arab Muslim engineer and inventor al-Jazari when
9450-682: The vacancy of this space was at about 15%. Downtown has about 12,800,000 square feet (1,190,000 m ) of Class A&B office space, with a vacancy rate of 15.9%, and over 100,000 employees. Downtown has a total of 5,606 hotel rooms, accounting for 22.5% of the total amount of hotel rooms in the metropolitan area. The average occupancy of these rooms is about 56.5%. As of 2007, about 2,800,000 square feet (260,000 m ) of office space are under construction in Downtown Kansas City. Current investments into downtown redevelopment have exceeded $ 6 billion. Downtown Kansas City has been undergoing
9555-654: The vasque and pours from the mouths of the lions, filling four channels dividing the courtyard into quadrants. The basin dates to the 14th century, but the lions spouting water are believed to be older, dating to the 11th century. The design of the Islamic garden spread throughout the Islamic world, from Moorish Spain to the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent . The Shalimar Gardens built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1641, were said to be ornamented with 410 fountains, which fed into
9660-427: The victory of Cosimo over his enemies; and a second fountain, in the middle of a circular labyrinth of cypresses, laurel, myrtle and roses, had a bronze statue by Giambologna which showed the goddess Venus wringing her hair. The planet Venus was governed by Capricorn , which was the emblem of Cosimo; the fountain symbolized that he was the absolute master of Florence. By the middle Renaissance, fountains had become
9765-401: The water throughout the city. The excavations at Pompeii , which revealed the city as it was when it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, uncovered free-standing fountains and basins placed at intervals along city streets, fed by siphoning water upwards from lead pipes under the street. The excavations of Pompeii also showed that the homes of wealthy Romans often had a small fountain in
9870-409: The west, 31st Street to the south and Woodland Avenue to the east. However, the definition used by the Downtown Council is the most commonly accepted. In March 2012, Downtown Kansas City was selected as one of America's Best downtowns by Forbes magazine for its rich culture in arts, numerous fountains, upscale shopping, and local cuisine such as barbecue . In 2013, the Downtown Council reported
9975-591: The widow of Henry IV, built her own monumental fountain in Paris, the Medici Fountain , in the garden of the Palais du Luxembourg . That fountain still exists today, with a long basin of water and statues added in 1866. The 17th and 18th centuries were a golden age for fountains in Rome, which began with the reconstruction of ruined Roman aqueducts and the construction by the Popes of mostra , or display fountains, to mark their termini. The new fountains were expressions of
10080-604: The work of the descendants of Tommaso Francini , the Italian hydraulic engineer who had come to France during the time of Henry IV and built the Medici Fountain and the Fountain of Diana at Fontainebleau . Two fountains were the centerpieces of the Gardens of Versailles, both taken from the myths about Apollo, the sun god, the emblem of Louis XIV, and both symbolizing his power. The Fontaine Latone (1668–70) designed by André Le Nôtre and sculpted by Gaspard and Balthazar Marsy, represents
10185-422: The works of the 1st century Greek Engineer Hero of Alexandria and other engineers, plus many of their own inventions. They described fountains which formed water into different shapes and a wind-powered water pump, but it is not known if any of their fountains were ever actually built. The Persian rulers of the Middle Ages had elaborate water distribution systems and fountains in their palaces and gardens. Water
10290-406: Was built beginning in 1730 at the terminus of the reconstructed Acqua Vergine aqueduct, on the site of Renaissance fountain by Leon Battista Alberti . It was the work of architect Nicola Salvi and the successive project of Pope Clement XII , Pope Benedict XIV and Pope Clement XIII , whose emblems and inscriptions are carried on the attic story, entablature and central niche. The central figure
10395-401: Was carried by a pipe into the palace from a source at a higher elevation. Once inside the palace or garden it came up through a small hole in a marble or stone ornament and poured into a basin or garden channels. The gardens of Pasargades had a system of canals which flowed from basin to basin, both watering the garden and making a pleasant sound. The Persian engineers also used the principle of
10500-489: Was designed by Paul László . The complex includes the 45-story Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center (which was Missouri's tallest building when built), a Westin hotel, and two upscale residential apartment skyscrapers . Kansas City's three largest law firms maintain their headquarters in other skyscrapers in the neighborhood. The neighborhood's grounds include parks, fountains, green spaces, and unique sculptures . The global headquarters campus for Hallmark Cards
10605-427: Was effectively passed by area voters. The project raised some controversy as Enterprise Rent-A-Car , whose owner is known for supporting a possible NBA franchise in the company's headquarters of St. Louis , lobbied against the tax and tried to sway public opinion against the arena. Some city officials, and citizens against the increased tax, also fought the project. One of the most prominent was Sandra McFadden-Weaver of
10710-573: Was fed by water from the Paola aqueduct, restored in 1612, whose source was 266 feet (81 m) above sea level, which meant it could shoot water twenty feet up from the fountain. Its form, with a large circular vasque on a pedestal pouring water into a basin and an inverted vasque above it spouting water, was imitated two centuries later in the Fountains of the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The Triton Fountain in
10815-582: Was impossible to have them all running at once; when Louis XIV made his promenades, his fountain-tenders turned on the fountains ahead of him and turned off those behind him. Louis built an enormous pumping station, the Machine de Marly , with fourteen water wheels and 253 pumps to raise the water three hundred feet from the River Seine , and even attempted to divert the River Eure to provide water for his fountains, but
10920-406: Was placed on the site of an earlier Roman fountain. Its design, based on an earlier Roman model, with a circular vasque on a pedestal pouring water into a basin below, became the model for many other fountains in Rome, and eventually for fountains in other cities, from Paris to London. In 1503, Pope Julius II decided to recreate a classical pleasure garden in the same place. The new garden, called
11025-692: Was rebranded as Westin Hotels in 1981, and the hotel was renamed The Westin Crown Center soon after. In addition to the Westin, the Crown Center complex includes the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center , opened July 1, 1980 as the Hyatt Regency Kansas City. The roof had collapsed during construction, and then the hotel suffered the walkway collapse on July 17, 1981, killing 114 people in
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