KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Developers broke ground on a new office building they said will change the skyline of the Country Club Plaza.
The new office building going in at 46 Penn Centre will be a 14-story building made mostly of glass. Developer Ken Block said the building will become an architectural landmark in Kansas City.
A slanted cap Block called “the swoop” will top the building. Block anticipates a “world class” restaurant on the first floor. Office tenants will have access to a rooftop terrace, private balconies and a fitness center.
Block explained having a building of this magnitude will change Kansas City even for people who never set foot inside.
“A city is only as good as the people,” he started. “If we bring more people who want to live and work in Kansas City, Missouri, shop on the Plaza, and enjoy the amenities we're going to provide, that's a good thing.”
The developers, Block Real Estate Services, LLC, plan to move their corporate headquarters to the $93 million project once it’s complete.
Cool time lapse video of @BlockRes making room for its new office building, 46 Penn Centre. pic.twitter.com/fRVvrwQCIA
— Charlie Keegan (@CharlieKeegan41) October 16, 2017
CrossFirst Bank, currently based in Leawood, will relocate its headquarters to the 13th floor of the new building and plans to open a bank branch on the ground floor. The bank will also finance the project.
Bank President and CEO Mike Maddox said his team searched all over the city for a new headquarters before partnering with Block on this brand-new building.
“We feel like the Plaza is the financial district of Kansas City and we wanted to be a great ambassador for Kansas City as a great hometown story of a growing company,” Maddox explained, noting that CrossFirst is the fourth largest bank headquartered in the KC metro.
Kansas City Mayor Pro Tem Scott Taylor said the development is a sign the economy has recovered.
Construction on the building north of 47th Street on Pennsylvania Avenue should be complete by the end of 2019.
Block said it's the first multi-tenant building on the Plaza since 2005.
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