FINE 
 NA 
 6253 
 .K2 
 K16 
 1881a, 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 FINE ARTS LIBRARY 
 
CORNELL UNIVERSHY LIBRARY 
 
 3 1924 074 416 532 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924074416532 
 
KANSAS CITY 
 
 Exchange Building Coiiipetition. 
 
 REPORTS. 
 
CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARIES 
 
 ITHACA. N. Y. 14853 
 
 Fine Arts Library 
 S»>IeyHalI 
 
NOTE. 
 
 In view of a generally expressed desire on the 
 part both of architects and of others, to see the 
 drawings sent in in competition for the Kansas City- 
 Exchange, I shall be glad to receive from the several 
 competitors permission to send them presently to 
 Kansas City, to the care of the Kansas City Society 
 of Architects, and later in the season to the New 
 York Chapter of the American Institute of Ai'chi- 
 tects, and elsewhere, if requested, at my discretion. 
 But this would probably involve keeping the draw- 
 in hand$ until the middle or end of October. 
 
 If the several competitors will kindly send me a 
 line giving or withholding tliis permission, I will 
 either return the drawings at once, or retain them 
 for this purpose, as I may in each instance be instruc- 
 ted. In the latter case I will take the liberty of 
 adding to the motto or device by which each design 
 is distinguished, the name of its author. 
 
 A number of the competitors have done me the 
 honor to ask me to give them my opinion of their 
 work in some detail, and to explain in what respects 
 it was not acceptable to the committee and myself. 
 I hope they will not think it discourteous if I take 
 this method of replying, or if I say, Ij^hat as it is 
 impossible for me, with the time at my command, to 
 comply with all these invitations, I beg them kindly 
 to allow me to decline them all. 
 
 WILLIAM E. WAEE. 
 
 New York, July 20, 1886. 
 
lum GitF EicMp Gooneioo. 
 
 In fulfilment of the promise made in the printed 
 Instructions issued to the competitors, we present 
 for their information this account of the results of 
 the Competition. 
 
 Fifty-three designs for the Exchange Building 
 were sent in on the 15th of June. Of these, ten 
 admitted light and air by means of several small 
 areas or wells, twenty-five mainly by a large area at 
 the back, six by a large area at the front, the build- 
 ing occupying three sides of an open court, and nine 
 by a large court in the middle of the building which 
 in two of the designs was covered by a skylight. 
 
 The Large Hall for the Board of Trade occupied in 
 one design the basement, the first, second and third 
 floors ; in three, the first, second and third floors ; 
 in eighteen, the second and third floors ; in seven, the 
 second, third and fourth floors ; in two, the second, 
 third, fourth and fifth floors ; in one, the third and 
 fourth floors ; in twenty, the fourth and fifth floors, 
 and in one, the fifth floor only. 
 
 In twenty-one, the large hall was in the middle of 
 the front ; in eighteen, at the end, upon a side street ; 
 in eight, it faced the front and side street; three were 
 
upon large courts iu the rear ; one upon the coiirt- 
 yard in the middle of the front ; one extended the 
 whole length of the front, and one was in the middle 
 of the rear. 
 
 In thirty-one of these designs the safes were dis- 
 tributed in stacks throughout the building; in 
 eleven they were concentrated in tfie basement ; in 
 ten, they were shown in the basement and first floor, 
 and in one, on the first fioor. 
 
 The Restaurant, in thirty-two designs, was placed 
 in the basement ; in eighteen, at the top of the 
 building, and in three, upon the first floor. 
 
 In respect of style and external treatment six- 
 teen were designed in some variety of Eomun or Be- 
 naissance architecture, nine with a tolerably strict, 
 and nine with a somewhat free use of Romanesque or 
 round-arched medaeval motives, and not a single one 
 in the pointed gothic style, either modern or mediaeval 
 which, twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, was 
 almost universal. There were seventeen designs, two 
 or three of great merit, in which it was difficult to 
 detect any special historical influence. 
 
 On opening the seals it appeared that in two cases 
 two sets of drawings came from the same hands, in 
 another three, and in anolher four. The result serves, 
 however, rather to commend the course of the success- 
 ful competitors, who made numerous diiplicate de- 
 signs for their own use, as a means of study, submit- 
 ting to the Committee only the one they believed to 
 be the best. 
 
The provisions of the printed instructions proved 
 to have been carefully complied with in every case, 
 except that in one design the building had windows 
 on the north side, where the plan furnished showed 
 a party wall, and one design showed a building of 
 eight or nine stories, disguised as mezzanines, instead 
 of five or six. These were accordingly thrown out 
 of consideration at the start, as were also some 
 drawings of- details which accompanied another_o£ 
 the designs. 
 
 A list was then made of fourteen which proved to 
 have the best plans, and another of twenty-one, which 
 had the most acceptable perspectives. Six designs 
 were found upon both lists. To these six ten more 
 were added from those of such marked excellence, 
 in either respect as to deserve further consideration. 
 These sixteen drawings were then critically compared 
 with reference to the provisions made for the general 
 convenience of the public and of the Board of Trade, 
 for lighting and natural ventilation, for ofBce room 
 and rental, and for a suitable architectural character 
 and expression, and the memoranda that accompanied 
 them carefully read. They were then arranged in 
 series under each of these heads, and those that 
 stood highest on the greatest number of lists were 
 then farther considered on their general merits. Five 
 of these were finally selected to send to the Build- 
 ing Committee as being on the whole distinctly 
 superior to the rest, for one reason or another. 
 
 In estimating the area of the small offices, floor 
 space more than twenty-two feet from the windows 
 was not counted, and in estimating their value, those 
 
upon outer walls were considered twice as good as 
 tnose upon enclosed coui'ts and areas. / 
 
 This work, in which the professional adviser oi 
 the Association was aided both in the clerical labor 
 it involved and in the more difficult task of criticism, 
 and judgment by a number of his friends — the value 
 of whose assistance he hereby gratefully acknow- 
 ledges — occupied just a week. He then opened all 
 the envelopes and reviewed his action in the light of 
 the information they furnished, but without finding 
 reason to change his mind. On Thursday, the 24th 
 of June, the five selected designs were sent to the 
 Building Committee in Kansas City for their final 
 judgment, with a written report, containing some 
 comments upon the designs, but without any special 
 recommendations. These reached the Committee on 
 Moudiiy morning, June 28th. This paper is printed 
 below. 
 
 After diligt-nt and almost continuous study, the 
 Comniifctee, on Wednesday, June 30th, came to a 
 unanimous opinion. This they reported to the 
 Exchange Building Association in the following 
 terms : 
 
 "After a careful and detailed examination of these 
 designs, your Committee rejected two as unsatis- 
 factory, because in one instance the office rooms in- 
 tended for renting contained too much floor space to 
 admit of a satisfactory rental from the building, and 
 in the other instance, too large a floor space was 
 given to ante-rooms of little or no rental value. Of 
 the remaining three, no one of which was entirely 
 satisfactory, though each one contained very decided 
 advantages of one character or another, the Committee 
 finally rejected one because the Large Hall of the 
 
Board of Trade was -without windows in the side walls, 
 being lighted and ventilated through the ceiling, 
 which your Committee was persuaded could not be 
 satisfactory to the users of the hall. Of the two then 
 left, your Committee finally selected the one marked 
 'Utillissimus,' which was plainly the best of all for 
 the lighting and ventilation of the offices, giving to 
 the halls the best positions possible, and furnishing 
 the largest number of offices for rent in the best 
 groupings for advantageous use, and on the whole, 
 promising probably the largest returns af income, 
 and admitting ot the correction of all supj^osed de- 
 fects with the least interference with the main fea- 
 tures of the plan." 
 
 Upon being assured by their professional adviser,, 
 who had meantime been summoned from New York, 
 that the alterations suggested could easil^^ be made, 
 and that the author of the plan in question was en- 
 tirely deserving of their confidence, the Committee 
 formally voted to accept this design. The envelope 
 containing the names of the five selected competitors 
 being then opened, they found the selected design 
 to be the work of Messrs. Buinham <fe Boot, of 
 Chicago, the other four, in the order of their prefer- 
 ence by the Committee, coming from Messrs. Ed- 
 brooke & Bnrnham, of Chicago ; Messr.^. Weston & 
 Tuckerman, of New York ; Mr. John L. Faxon, of 
 Boston, and Mr. W. "W. Clay, of Chicago. 
 
 Although only these five designs were submitted 
 to the Committee for consideration, all the perspec- 
 tives were sent to them for their information, and to 
 gratify a reasonable curiosity. 
 
 The Committee took no steps towards determining 
 the relative or absolute cost of the buildings 
 
shown, believing that this was largely within their 
 own control, being determined by the special mate- 
 rials or methods of construction they might adopt. 
 These points they could most profitably consider ia 
 consultation with the author of the selected plan. 
 
 The course of this competition has thrown some 
 light upon several questions which, in discussions 
 upon this subject, have been much debated. It 
 has been questioned, for instance, whether it is 
 desirable to have drawings made in perspective, 
 the impression being a prevalent one that such 
 drawings are likely to be misleading and decep- 
 tive, giving a much more favorable impression of 
 a design than it deserves. However this may be 
 with perspectives finished in water colors, the con- 
 trary seems to be conspicuously the case with draw- 
 ings in line, such as were asked for in this instance. 
 The perspectives tejiave in this case served mainly 
 to bring into prominence defects of design that were 
 not noticeable in the elevations, only those designs 
 that presented a plane surface, almost unbroken by 
 reo.sses and projections, seeming to be secure against 
 a very serious disparagement when thus presented. 
 In other cases, the composition of wall and window, 
 plain and decorated surfaces, which in elevation 
 looked all right, would often, when put into perspec- 
 tive, fall into shapeless disorder. Such drawings 
 seem, then, especially where the point of view is 
 taken as near the building as in this case was neces- 
 sary, rather to bring out the latent defects of a de- 
 sign than to invest it with fictitious merits. 
 
It has been a matter of debate, also, whether the 
 practice of concealing the identity of competitors 
 under a fictitious name was of any value, the opinion 
 obtaining that it was always easy to penetrate the 
 disguise. The contrary has been the case, however, 
 in this instance, the most confident convictions of 
 half-a-dozen tolerably experienced architects having 
 been ludicrously set at nought when the real authors 
 of these designs became known. Only one or two 
 correct guesses were made at all, and these took the 
 form rather of surmise than of definite recognition. 
 
 This incognito has, moreover, proved to be of great 
 practical convenience in judging the designs. Al- 
 though, as was distinctly set forth in the paper of 
 Instructions, the Committee intended to be guided in 
 their final choice by personal and other business 
 considerations, as well as by the relative merit of 
 the designs submitted, they were very glad in exam- 
 ining the five sets of designs that came before them, 
 as their professional adviser had been in selecting 
 these five, to keep the two questions apart, and to be 
 able to discuss the drawings solely upon their 
 merits, leaving other matters to be considered when 
 their time came. It was felt that to have enter- 
 tained both questions at once would have been 
 greatly to complicate and embarrass the discussion. 
 
 Some light has also been thrown upon the vexed 
 ■question whether the final choice among the com- 
 petitors should lie with a building committee or with 
 the experts whom they may bring into their coun- 
 sels. It is certainly best that a committee should 
 put the chief labors of examination and inspection 
 
10 
 
 into the hands of professional inspectors, if for no 
 other reason than this, that in no other way can they 
 so effectually inspire confidence, and prove them- 
 selves to be above partisanship and intrigue as by 
 putting the exercise of favoritism out of their power. 
 But it is not necessary to this end that they should 
 have no voice in the selection, and (]uestious may 
 well arise, as in the case in hand, which demand for 
 their solution an act of absolute and arbitrary choice 
 which only the proprietors, or the committee re- 
 presenting them, are in a position to exercise. What 
 relative importance to attach to rental, convenience 
 and general architectural expression and character and 
 what, on the whole, convenience will require, are not 
 questions for a professional expert, but for his clients. 
 In the present case, the professional adviser of the 
 Association was able to select five designs with a 
 certain confidence that each was, on its own ground, 
 superior to the remaining forty-eight. But tbe 
 differences between these five were differences rather 
 of kind than of degree, raising questions, as is 
 shown in the Committee's report to the Associa- 
 tion, which ouly the owners could answer. It would 
 have been impossible and improper, in this case at 
 least, for any professional adviser to make their 
 choice for them. 
 
 This Competition has demonstrated, also, what 
 there has been too much reason to doubt, that if 
 proper regulations are made, it is possible to carry 
 on such a contest and bring it to a conclusion with- 
 out the exercise of any personal influence whatever 
 on the part either of the judges or of the contest- 
 
11 
 
 ants. The Committee and their adviser had, in this 
 case, no knowledge or intimation of the authorship 
 of any of the designs until after their judgment was 
 formed. The competitors, also, with one or two 
 insignificant exceptions, abstained absolutely from 
 any attempts to exert any outside pressure upon 
 them, and in these cases were signally discomfited. 
 
 The designs sent in have not been seen by the 
 successful competitor nor by any persons except 
 those mentioned above as having been specially in- 
 vited to inspect them, and they will be forthwith 
 returned to their owners, unless they otherwise direct. 
 
 Edwaed H. Allen. 
 
 William E. "Wabe. 
 
12 
 
 REPORT. 
 
 Edward H. Allen, Esq., Chairman of the Building Com- 
 mittee of the Kansas City Exchange Building As- 
 sociation : 
 
 Dear Sir — In fulfilment of the task intrusted to me 
 by the Exchange Building Association, I have examin- 
 ed the fifty-three designs for the Exchange Building 
 which have been sent in to me, and herewith enclose 
 to yon, in accordance with the provisions of the 
 printed instructions, those which I find to be the 
 best among them, five in number, with the follow- 
 ing comments : 
 
 These five designs are, in my judgment, distinctly 
 to be preferred, for one reason or another, to any 
 of the remaining forty-eight. Any one of them, if 
 carried out substantially as shown in the sketches, 
 would give the Association an excellent and satisfac- 
 tory building. This being so, it is for the Commit- 
 tee to decide which, on the whole, best meets their 
 wishes as promoting their own convenience, or as 
 furnishing a good business investment, or as possess- 
 ing a suitable architectural character. 
 
 I. — The design designated by a Corinthian Capital 
 offers the largest number of offices to be let for busi- 
 ness purposes — one hundredandfive in all, besides four 
 
13 
 
 railroad offices. Of these one hundred and five, eighty 
 are upon external walls, and look into the streets, and 
 tuxnty-five are lighted from an interior court. This 
 court is, however, of exceptional size. The safes are 
 concentrated in the basement, where the Bestaurant 
 also is placed. 
 
 The Large Hall for the Board of Trade is on the 
 second story, and is lighted entirely from the ceiling, 
 being under the large court. This leaves the main 
 part of the building for offices, which accounts for 
 their exceptionally large number. 
 
 The exterior of the building is dignified and monu- 
 mental, without affectations of any kind, and in. 
 general expression and character is entirely suited 
 to the purpose for which it is designed. 
 
 II. — The design marked Utilissimus is second in 
 number of offices, having, besides eight railroad 
 offices, ninety-eight smaller offices. All but six of 
 these are upon external walls, and thirty of them are 
 connected with secondary rooms in the rear. If 
 these are counted separately, the total number of 
 small offices is one hundred and fourteen. 
 
 In this design, besides the safes accumulated in 
 the basement, a considerable number are distributed 
 through the building. The Bestaurant and most of 
 the water closets are in the fifth story. 
 
 The large and small halls occupy the fourth and 
 fifth floors in the northern wing of the building, and 
 the offices connected with them the southern wing of 
 the fourth floor. 
 
 Light and air are introduced into the interior of 
 the building by a large court open to the street upon 
 
14 
 
 tlie soutli side. At the back of this court is an ex- 
 cellently designed tower giving the building an effec- 
 tive and striking individuality. The rest of the design 
 however, seems to leave something to be desired in 
 point of architectiiral character and expression. 
 
 III. — The design marked with a T-Square and 
 Triangle is the third in respect of the number 
 of offices and the first in the amount of floor space 
 given to them. Besides four large railroad offices, 
 there are eighty-nine small offices, of which sixty 
 are on external walls and hcenty-seven on an area. 
 Thirty-nine of these upon the outside walls are 
 connected with twenty-three interior rooms. If 
 these are counted as separate offices, the whole 
 number amounts to one hundred and ten. 
 
 The Bestaurant is in the basement, and the safes 
 are distributed in stacks through the building. 
 
 The Large Hall occupies the fourth and fifth stories 
 at the east end, the offices attached to it, with the 
 Small Hall, filling all the rest of the fourth story. 
 
 The exterior is treated in the Eomanesque, or 
 round-arched medieval, style now coming into vogue, 
 and is, perhaps, more agreeable in itself and more 
 suitable for a building of this kind than any of 
 those designed in this manner. It is quite free 
 from extravagance and eccentricity. 
 
 IV. — The design marked Anti-Cyclone shows .five 
 railroad offices, all doiible, thirty-nine exterior offices, 
 of which twenty are double, and seventeen on a court, 
 of which twelve are double, making fifty in all. If 
 the extra rooms are counted separately, the whole 
 number amounts to eighty-eight. 
 
15 
 
 A few safes are shown, distributed through the 
 building. The rest are in the basement. 
 
 The Large Hall occupies the second, third and 
 fourth stories at the west end, the offices at- 
 tached to it and the Small Hall being in the second 
 story. 
 
 The external aspect of this design, though not 
 following the prescriptions of any special historical 
 style, presents a simple and dignified architectural 
 composition, eminently adapted to the important 
 place this structure is meant to take among the pub- 
 lic buildings of the city. 
 
 This is one of the few designs submitted which 
 appears as well in perspective as in elevation. The 
 tower with which it is adorned is unusually well 
 composed, simple and elegant. It is to be noticed, 
 also, that the two external courts on the rear, though 
 not so wide as they well might be, not only give light 
 and air to the rear offices and water closets, but 
 serve to detach the building from the rest of the 
 block, to the great advantage of its appearance — 
 making it virtually an isolated structure. 
 
 V. — The scheme marked with a pair of compasses 
 and a carpenters square, gives five railroad offices and 
 sixty-one others, all single, of which forty-seven are 
 exterior, nine on a small area, and five on an interior 
 well. 
 
 The Large Hall is larger and higher than in most 
 of the others, occupying the whole of the second, 
 third and fourth floors in the eastern end of the 
 building. The offices attached to it, and the Small 
 Hall occupy the rest of the second floor. 
 
16 
 
 In many of the designs submitted, the Large Hall 
 was planned in the middle of the front, either upon 
 the second and third, or in the fourth or fifth stories. 
 But none of the competitors who adopted this ar- 
 rangement succeeded, in my judgment, in giving it a 
 satisfactory architectural treatment. 
 
 Tours, respectfully, 
 
 William E. Wabe. 
 
 New York, June 24, 1886. 
 
17 
 
 JIessrs. Bubnham & Root's Memorandum. 
 
 Begarding tlie design for the Kansas City Board of 
 Trade Building, placed in competition by Utilissimus. 
 
 This competitor began a study of the problem by 
 laying out all plans he could devise as feasible for 
 such a building and lot. Their value as to exterior light 
 and air was then compared ; and the one herewith 
 submitted giving the bestresultSjWas therefore chosen. 
 
 It depends but little on interior courts, and 
 opens well to the south, from whence comes most of 
 the sunshine and the summer bi'eezes. 
 
 The plan, therefore, suggests the motto, which lat- 
 ter represents the practical design, and is not intend- 
 ed to refer to the maker of it. 
 
 Following out this scheme of looking first and 
 only to practical utility in the consideration of all 
 main questions, the outside of the building is to be 
 almost entirely of red brick and red semi-glazed 
 terra cotta. 
 
 First — Because these materials alone are fire-proof. 
 
 Second— Because they are always bright and warm 
 in their glowing monotone. 
 
 Third — Because they keep clean and do not grow 
 dingy with age. 
 
 Fourth — Because, most especially, good effects are 
 obtainable by these materials more cheaply than by 
 any other known to your designer. 
 
 Some quality of dark brown sandstone is intended 
 for the basement, but the faces of the piers, even 
 here, between water tables, will still be simply red 
 
18 
 
 brick in order to prevent the piers giving way at this 
 point under a fire, which would be extremely disas- 
 trous. 
 
 The use of the different stories is as directed by 
 you, but the necessary height of the great trading 
 room, dictates an attic on the right wing. This is 
 fortunate, as it gives ample space for the house and 
 elevator tanks, their various connections, circulating 
 pipes, etc. Also for ventilating machinery, and 
 for rooms for the engineer and janitor. The tower is 
 placed at the rear end of the great south court where 
 it will command the mass from the only available 
 point of view one ever gets in our narrow city streets, 
 namely: from directly in front of the building looking 
 up this space. 
 
 A tower would be of little or no value on any street 
 frontage, and therefore it was with gladness that your 
 designers found they could avail themselves of the 
 shape of the plan for this purpose. Late observa- 
 tions of this arrangement have satisfied us of its 
 stately effect. 
 
 However, a tower may be dis)iensed with for 
 economy's sake and a different and lower treatment 
 devised in its place, which will fitly end the perspec- 
 tive at this point. Indeed, any tower will probably 
 have to be left out of the actual building, in view of 
 the small appropriation made for the same. But if 
 it remains, such a position as designated would un- 
 doubtedly be the best place for it. 
 
 Please notice that the elevators are placed where 
 most convenient for all three entrances and where 
 the light is of least value for offices. Please note also, 
 
19 
 
 that each wing has a court up through it, illuminated 
 in one case by skylights in the roof and in the other 
 by Hyatt lights in the floor of the great trading hall. 
 
 The main entrance is domed with Hyatt lights. 
 The water closets are principally located in the up- 
 per floors, where most approved by late experience 
 in New York and Chicago. • 
 
 Fire proof vaults are built up through as shown 
 because, 
 
 First — They are cheaper than any competent 
 safety deposit made by itself would be. 
 
 Second — Because oflEices rent with them more 
 readily than without. 
 
 Third — Because they add greatly to stability in 
 the construction. 
 
 Finally — Because the building will be stronger, 
 more economical and more remunerative with them 
 than without. 
 
 The plan lends itself to these vaults perfectly. In 
 several cases in the city in which your designer lives 
 it has been found by agents having charge of build- 
 ings that massed vaults, although in each story, are 
 almost useless, and that the absence of regular 
 vaults is a bar to renting in many cases, even when 
 public vaults in each story are offered in lieu of them. 
 
 It is not deemed necessary to more minutely de- 
 scribe this design, as the author of it has full confi- 
 dence in the professional adviser, and feels that un- 
 der his investigation everything of Aialue will be 
 brought out without tediously calling his attention 
 to the same herein. Respectfully submitted, 
 
 Utilissimus.