History
The Historic Firestone Building
The Firestone Building was constructed in 1915 on the southeast corner of 20th and Grand Blvd. It represented the largest investment in one city by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. At the time of its construction, Union Station's construction had just been completed and many new manufacturing buildings were being built in the area. With new roads and rapid development in the surrounding area, Harvey Firestone took the opportunity to further his company and invested an estimated $300,000 in 1915 to construct the building.
Architectural Information
The Firestone Building was designed by Smith, Rea, & Lovitt (1910-1920). The firm of Smith, Rea, and Lovitt practiced architecture for ten years and designed other notable building in Kansas City such as the Jenkins Music Company Building, the Rialto Building, The Ridge Arcade, Ivanhoe Temple, and The Rothenberg & Schloss Company Building. Architectually significant due to its contemporary style cues with a combination of white terra cotta piers and mullions, the building stood contrast to other buildings which featured grand Gothic-inspired motifs. The building was cast using reinforced concrete, considered cutting edge technology at its time, which allows for unprecedented load capacity for the structure. The building was put into the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Photo of the Firestone Building dated 1945-
Photo of the Firestone Building in 1984
Photo of the Firestone Building in 1984.