Baker-Vawter Building - Kansas City, Missouri - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Baker-Vawter Building, located at 915-917 Wyandotte, Kansas City, Missouri, was designed by the prominent local architectural firm of Holt, Price and Barnes and built by Long Construction Company in 1920. The six-story, reinforced concrete, two-part vertical block commercial building is rectangular in plan and measures approximately 50 feet by 142 feet, totaling 42,600 square feet. Yellow terra cotta veneers the primary or west facade of the building and divides it into three distinct bays. Emphasis is on the vertical created by the terra-cotta piers. The primary facade is further defined by two distinct zones, where the "lower zone rises two stories and serves as a visual base for the dominant shaft or upper zone." Decorative elements are relegated to the cornice and entrance bays. Secondary facades display a concrete structural grid.

Located in the central business district, the Baker-Vawter Building shares its north wall with a one-and-one-half story building, constructed ca. 1915. Large surface parking lots are located to the south and west, while early twentieth century commercial buildings of the central business district are sited to the east of the Baker-Vawter Building.

With the exception of slight modification to the entrance doors, the primary or west facade has retained all of the elements of the original, historic exterior vocabulary as specified by Hoit, Price and Barnes in their original drawings. Consequently, the Baker-Vawter Building has maintained the majority of its historic features to convey its significance. Its integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association has been retained.

ELABORATION

West or Main Facade
The primary facade of the Baker-Vawter building is divided into three bays; the central bay is wider than the two end bays. Each end bay contains a recessed entrance crowned by a wide, molded terra-cotta entablature. The entrance located at the far north bay has been modernized with aluminum-framed plate glass transom, sidelights and doubleleaf door. The south entrance bay is original and features a terra-cotta projecting pediment surround, sidelights and wide transom. Supporting the pediment, that displays a depiction of an open book in relief at its center, are voluted consols embellished with acanthus leaves at either end. The original double-leaf door has been replaced with a modern, aluminum-framed unit.

A wide storefront plate glass display window, now covered by a sign, is flanked by the two entrances and rests below a multipaned industrial sash transom with three Symmetrically placed awning units.

Fenestration above the first story, separated from the central bay by a metal transom and at the end bays by the terra-cotta entablatures, is multipaned, industrial sash with awning units placed at the center. A wide terra cotta band separates the second story level from the upper stories. Fenestration of the second through sixth stories duplicates that of the second story and is separated at each level by spandrels of terra-cotta (end bays) and metal (central bay). The upper zone of the building terminates in a wide cornice with contrasting geometric patterning set in-between depictions of open books in high relief placed at the apex of each pier. Crowning the whole is a shaped parapet, embellished at the center with a cartouche displaying the letters "B-V".

South Facade
The south facade of the Baker-Vawter Building exhibits a stepped parapet wall with tile coping. Fenestration of the third through sixth stories of the central bays repeats that of the primary facade. Additional fenestration includes segmental arched, three-over-three double-hung, sash units with stone sills at the seventh through ninth bays (moving west to east), sixth story. Vents are scattered at the fourth and fifth floors while two located at the first story have been infilled with concrete. Basement openings have also been infilled. A large neon sign with the words "BAKER-VAWTER COMPANY" is placed at the western end of the sixth story.
(Since Removed, iconions)

North Facade

Fenestration of the north facade, typically in pairs, is segmental arched, three-over three and two-over-two, double-hung sash with brick sills. Moving east to west, the first, second, seventh through ninth bays of the top story displays the three-over-three unit. Additional floors that feature this window configuration include the third and seventh bays of the third through sixth stories. Two-over-two units are located at the third, fifth and seventh bays of the upper story, and the fifth bay of the third through sixth stories.

East Facade

Located adjacent to an alley, the east facade displays, at the basement level, original openings that have been infilled with concrete block at the south and central bay. The original freight door at the far north bay has been replaced with a metal overhead door. The upper stories of the east facade feature the same metal sash industrial fenestration as exhibited at the primary facade. The unit located at the central bay of the second story has been removed and is currently covered with plywood.

Additional features of the Baker-Vawter Building include a large metal fire escape located at the south bay of the east facade, wrapping to the first two stories of the east bay of the south facade. A stone foundation and flat roof with parapet further characterize the industrial facility.