Oak Tower, Skyscraper in Downtown Kansas City, United States
Oak Tower is a 28-floor skyscraper in downtown Kansas City featuring white stucco walls that rise about 185 feet above street level. The building served originally as a telecommunications hub and continues to house important infrastructure for the region's communication networks.
Construction started in 1917 but faced material shortages during World War I, delaying completion until 1920. The building opened as the headquarters for Bell Telephone Company's regional operations.
The architectural firm Hoit, Price & Barnes designed this structure, which represented the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in the American Midwest.
The building now functions as a data center and houses telecommunications equipment serving multiple providers in the region. The interior is not open to the public, so the main focus for visitors is appreciating the exterior architecture from the street.
A 1929 expansion added six floors using Haydite, a lightweight structural concrete developed locally in Kansas City. This innovation allowed the building to reach greater heights than conventional concrete would have permitted.
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