From the National Register application:
(
visit link)
"The West Ninth Street/Baltimore Avenue Historic District, located in the Central Business District of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, encompasses two full and portions of three additional city blocks. The area is situated in the general vicinity of Main, West Eighth, Central and West Tenth Streets. The district is bounded on the east by the midline of Main Street from West Tenth extending north to West Eighth Street. The north boundary thence extends west along the midline of West Eighth Street to the midline of the alley between Baltimore Avenue and Wyandotte Street, thence south to the rear property line of the New England Building on the north side of West Ninth Street, thence west to the midline of Wyandotte Street. The boundary extends south to the midline of West Ninth Street, thence west from this point to the midline of the southern portion of Central Street. The west boundary extends south along Central Street to the rear property line of the Savoy Hotel on the south side of West Ninth Street, thence east to the midline of the alley between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue, thence south to the midline of West Tenth Street. The south boundary extends from this point east to the midline of Main Street.
The West Ninth Street/Baltimore Avenue Historic District is a financial/commercial area. Of the twenty-three structures situated in the District, fourteen buildings are included for nomination, because of architectural and historical prominence. These buildings line sections of two major arteries in the downtown urban fabric, Ninth Street and Baltimore Avenue. Their ages span some fifty years of architectural design and usage, from the period of 1880 to 1931. Originally, the area contained many Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth century commercial structures. In recent times, however, demolition of many buildings and replacements consisting only of parking lots, multi-level parking structures and some modern office buildings have seriously altered the character of this area. The buildings placed in nomination to the Register of Historic Places constitute the last of the surviving structures which are centered around the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and West Ninth Street.
West Ninth Street, like similar numbered streets in the city, runs east-west. The topography of the thoroughfare begins from a low depression at the junction of Delaware, Main and Ninth Streets. The street builds to a gradual incline and continues as such for several blocks further west. Baltimore Avenue, like similar named streets, runs north-south. The street, intersecting West Eighth Street, is on near level grade and slopes in a gradual incline as it reaches West Ninth Street. Baltimore Avenue jumps several feet to the east and continues in a gradual incline for several blocks further south. Other thoroughfares in the district are basically oriented at right angles.
These buildings vary in size from two stories to twelve stories in height. All are flat roofed surfaced with built-up tar and gravel with the exception of the New York Life Building, which is hip roofed and covered with red Spanish clay tiles. Where visible, the foundations consist of two types: uncoursed native stone and reinforced concrete. Basically building foundations constructed before the turn of the century use uncoursed stone walls. Those built around approximately 1905 and afterwards begin to use reinforced concrete. Exceptions are for those smaller commercial structures which still retain rubble stone for their foundation walls (LaRue Printing Company and 906-908 Baltimore Avenue Commercial Buildings).
The primary building material used in construction is brick, interspersed or surfaced in part with either brownstone, white building stone and/or terra cotta. Only the First National Bank Complex uses marble in large quantities for its wall surfacing material. The ornamentation of the buildings occurs along the street facades. The remaining inner block facades usually share common walls either in part or totally with neighboring structures, or have access to alleys. These facades are usually devoid of any ornamentation. It is the diversity of architectural modes, exterior and interior designs and embellishments of these buildings which are worthy of individual mention."