909 Walnut Apartments vs Kansas City Power and Light Building

Comparing the 909 Walnut Apartments and the Kansas City Power and Light Building is especially interesting because they share much in common. Both rise in Kansas City, MO both were designed by Hoit, Price & Barnes, and they were completed in the same year.

This overlap gives us a unique opportunity to understand how Hoit, Price & Barnes approached different commissions in the same urban context and historical context during a short period.

These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The Kansas City Power and Light Building rises higher at 482ft (147m), while the 909 Walnut Apartments reaches 453ft (138m). However, the 909 Walnut Apartments accommodates more floors with 35 levels above ground, compared to 34 floors in the Kansas City Power and Light Building.

This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The Kansas City Power and Light Building has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 4.3m, while the 909 Walnut Apartments has more compact floors averaging around 3.9m each.

These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.

Both the 909 Walnut Apartments and the Kansas City Power and Light Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So Hoit, Price & Barnes followed what was in many ways expected at the time, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms rather, than breaking with convention.

Both the 909 Walnut Apartments and the Kansas City Power and Light Building are primarily residential towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

However, both of them have shifted purpose since their completion. The 909 Walnut Apartments evolved from commercial to residential, while the Kansas City Power and Light Building moved from commercial to residential.

In terms of capacity, the 909 Walnut Apartments offers 161 apartments, while the Kansas City Power and Light Building provides 210 units.

The 909 Walnut Apartments also provides 323 parking spaces.

Both the 909 Walnut Apartments and the Kansas City Power and Light Building rely on a Frame structural system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

They also employ the same type of facade, a Masonry facade.

A masonry facade gives the building a heavier, more traditional appearance. It often conceals a frame structure behind it, creating the look of solid walls without carrying the main loads.