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City of Fountains

Kansas City architecture

Kansas City is internationally recognized for its extensive system of fountains, which earned it the nickname City of Fountains. The most populous city in Missouri is also famous for Kansas City jazz and its own style of barbecue.

  • 14Landmarks
  • 1914Oldest · Kansas City Union Station
  • 190 mTallest · One Kansas City Place
  • 13Architects

Before you go

  • Fly intoKansas City International (MCI)

    Kansas City International opened in 1972 as Mid-Continent International Airport and spreads across 10,680 acres about 15 miles northwest of downtown. A brand-new terminal complex completed in 2023 replaced the original one.

  • CurrencyUS Dollar ($)
  • LanguageEnglish

    English is spoken with a relaxed Midwestern accent. Locals often shorten the city's name to 'KC', or 'KCMO' to make clear they mean the Missouri side of the state line.

  • Getting aroundKC Streetcar

    The KC Streetcar opened in 2016 and is free to ride, with its costs covered by a special transportation development district. Extensions in 2025 and 2026 stretched the line to 6.4 miles and 19 stations, from Berkley Riverfront Park in the north to the University of Missouri–Kansas City in the south.

  • Where to stayFind hotels in Kansas City on Expedia Vacation rentals on Vrbo

    Stamped! may earn a commission when you book through these links.

  • Tours and ticketsFind tours in Kansas City on GetYourGuide More tours on Viator

    Skip-the-line tickets and guided tours of the landmarks. Stamped! may earn a commission.

14 landmarks in Kansas City

  1. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
    Photo: Peterspexarth, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

    4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO

    Designed by Kansas City firm Wight and Wight, the Nelson-Atkins opened on December 11, 1933 in a grand Beaux-Arts building six stories tall and 390 feet long. In 2007 Steven Holl added the Bloch Building, a chain of five glass pavilions he called 'lenses', which Time magazine ranked first among its 10 best new architectural marvels. Outside, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen's four giant Shuttlecocks, each 18 feet tall, dot the lawn. Admission to the encyclopedic collection is free.

    Built
    1933
    Architect
    Wight and Wight; Steven Holl (Bloch Building)
    Style
    Beaux-Arts
    Stories
    6
    Today
    Museum
  2. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
    Photo: Rex Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

    1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO

    Moshe Safdie's Kauffman Center opened on September 16, 2011 as two symmetrical half shells of concentric arches that open toward the south. Each shell holds its own acoustically independent venue: the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre and the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall, tuned by acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. The Brandmeyer Great Hall lobby is wrapped in a glass ceiling and sloping glass walls, while 27 steel cables anchor the south facade. It is home to the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

    Built
    2011
    Architect
    Moshe Safdie
    Style
    Modernism
    Today
    Performing Arts Center
  3. Kansas City Union Station
    Photo: John LeCoque, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Kansas City Union Station

    30 W Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO

    Jarvis Hunt's Beaux-Arts station opened on October 30, 1914, replacing a smaller depot from 1878. At its peak in 1945 more than 670,000 passengers passed through, but traffic fell sharply in the 1950s and the station closed in 1985. A $250 million public-private restoration brought it back to life in 1999 with museums and attractions such as Science City. Amtrak trains returned in 2002, and it has been a stop on the KC Streetcar since 2016.

    Built
    1914
    Architect
    Jarvis Hunt
    Style
    Beaux-Arts
    Today
    Railway Station / Museums
  4. National World War I Museum and Memorial
    Photo: National WWI Museum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    National World War I Museum and Memorial

    Penn Valley Park, Kansas City, MO

    Harold Van Buren Magonigle's Liberty Memorial was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on November 11, 1926, after a 1921 groundbreaking attended by the Allied commanders. Its 217-foot tower blends Beaux-Arts classicism with Egyptian Revival, and at night steam lit in red and orange makes it look like a burning pyre. Above the museum entrance, two sphinxes named Memory and Future cover their faces with their wings. Beneath it, a museum completed in 2006 leads visitors across a glass bridge above 9,000 red poppies.

    Built
    1926
    Architect
    Harold Van Buren Magonigle
    Style
    Beaux-Arts / Egyptian Revival
    Height
    66 m (217 ft)
    Today
    Museum / War Memorial

  5. Kansas City City Hall

    414 E 12th St, Kansas City, MO

    Built between 1935 and 1937, City Hall is a soaring Art Deco skyscraper designed by local firm Wight and Wight. Its roof reaches 443 feet, and the tower includes an observation deck open to visitors. In the 1980s One Kansas City Place, now the city's tallest building, was designed as a modern version of it. It remains the official seat of the city government.

    Built
    1937
    Style
    Art Deco
    Height
    135 m (443 ft)
    Stories
    30
    Today
    City Hall
  6. Jackson County Courthouse
    Photo: Kbh3rd, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Jackson County Courthouse

    415 E 12th St, Kansas City, MO

    Inaugurated on December 27, 1934, this 22-story Art Deco courthouse was designed by Wight and Wight. Harry S. Truman, then presiding judge of the Jackson County Court, wanted a design like Edward F. Neild's courthouse in Shreveport, so Neild was hired as consulting architect. The $4 million tower rises 295 feet in downtown Kansas City. A statue of Andrew Jackson greets visitors at the 12th Street entrance.

    Built
    1934
    Style
    Art Deco
    Height
    90 m (295 ft)
    Stories
    22
    Today
    Courthouse
  7. Kansas City Power and Light Building
    Photo: User:Charvex, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Kansas City Power and Light Building

    1330 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64105

    Completed in 1931, this 34-story Art Deco tower was built by Kansas City Power and Light president Joseph F. Porter to create jobs downtown. At 481 feet it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until Seattle's Space Needle arrived in 1962. Its lantern crown has become a symbol of the city, appearing on promotional materials for the Power & Light District. The architects were Hoit, Price & Barnes, and the tower has since been converted to residential use.

    Built
    1931
    Architect
    Hoit, Price & Barnes
    Style
    Art Deco
    Height
    147 m (481 ft)
    Stories
    34
    Today
    Residential
  8. 909 Walnut
    Photo: User:Charvex, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    909 Walnut

    909 Walnut St, Kansas City, MO

    Built in 1931 as the Fidelity National Bank & Trust Building, this 35-story Art Deco skyscraper is crowned by distinctive twin spires. Hoit, Price & Barnes, the same firm behind the Power and Light Building, designed it for $2.85 million. Later known as the Federal Office Building, it now holds apartments and was Missouri's tallest apartment building until the Power and Light Building was converted. It rises 471 feet to the roof.

    Built
    1931
    Architect
    Hoit, Price & Barnes
    Style
    Art Deco
    Height
    144 m (471 ft)
    Stories
    35
    Today
    Residential
  9. One Kansas City Place
    Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    One Kansas City Place

    1200 Main St, Kansas City, MO

    Completed in 1988, One Kansas City Place is the tallest building in Missouri, reaching 623 feet to the roof. Patty Berkebile Nelson & Immenschuh designed it as a modern version of the city's famed Art Deco City Hall, five blocks to the east. The 42-story tower cost $140 million and is served by 22 elevators. At night its top glows red, white and blue on all four sides.

    Built
    1988
    Architect
    Patty Berkebile Nelson & Immenschuh
    Height
    190 m (623 ft)
    Stories
    42
    Today
    Office
  10. Country Club Plaza
    Photo: User:charvex, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Country Club Plaza

    Between 46th St and Brush Creek, Kansas City, MO

    Developer J.C. Nichols opened the Country Club Plaza in 1923, hiring architect Edward Buehler Delk to design it. Considered the first planned large outdoor suburban shopping center in the United States, it was among the first built for shoppers arriving by car. Its Baroque Revival and Moorish Revival buildings echo Seville, including a half-sized copy of the Giralda tower, the tallest structure on the Plaza. Every Thanksgiving evening its holiday lights, a tradition dating to 1925, are switched on.

    Built
    1923
    Architect
    Edward Buehler Delk
    Style
    Baroque Revival / Moorish Revival
    Today
    Shopping District
  11. Kansas City Convention Center
    Photo: Lee Turner, Walton Construction. Cropped version(s) were uploaded by Basilicofresco., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

    Kansas City Convention Center

    Downtown Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

    Originally known as Bartle Hall, the convention center opened in 1976 and was dramatically expanded in 1994, a structure that sits right above Interstate 670. The expansion's roof hangs from steel cables suspended from four tall Art Deco-inspired concrete pylons that have become part of the skyline. The project also added the Sky Stations, aluminum and steel sculptures designed by artist R.M. Fischer. Inside, 388,800 square feet of column-free exhibit space spreads across a single floor.

    Built
    1976
    Architect
    Helmut Jahn; HNTB & BNIM (1994 expansion)
    Style
    Art Deco-inspired
    Today
    Convention Center
  12. Christopher S. Bond Bridge
    Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Christopher S. Bond Bridge

    I-29 / I-35 over the Missouri River, Kansas City, MO

    Opened in 2010 to replace the old Paseo Bridge, this single-tower cable-stayed bridge carries Interstates 29 and 35 and U.S. Route 71 across the Missouri River. Its pylon is 260 feet tall and rises 316 feet above the river. Designed by Parsons with bridge architect Bradley Touchstone, it is often called the New Paseo Bridge. It is named after Christopher 'Kit' Bond, a former Missouri governor and U.S. senator.

    Built
    2010
    Architect
    Parsons Corporation
    Style
    Cable-stayed
    Height
    79 m (260 ft)
    Today
    Road Bridge
  13. Western Auto Building
    Photo: Caleb Zahnd from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Western Auto Building

    2107 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO

    Built in 1914 as the Coca-Cola Building for owner Asa Griggs Candler, this 12-story Chicago School tower later became headquarters of the Western Auto Supply Company. Its multi-story lighted rooftop sign is a beloved fixture of the skyline and was relit after refurbishment on July 13, 2018. In the early 21st century the building was converted into residential loft condominiums. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

    Built
    1914
    Architect
    Arthur C. Tufts & Company
    Style
    Chicago School
    Stories
    12
    Today
    Residential
  14. Community Christian Church
    Photo: User:Charvex, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Community Christian Church

    4601 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64112

    Frank Lloyd Wright was hired in April 1940 after a fire destroyed the congregation's earlier church, and his Usonian design was dedicated on January 4, 1942. The plan is based on a parallelogram. In 1994 the church gained the Steeple of Light, designed by artist Dale Eldred and completed by his partner Roberta Lord after his death. Four xenon lamps send 1.2 billion candlepower into the sky on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

    Built
    1942
    Style
    Usonian
    Today
    Church

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