Boley Building, commercieel gebouw in Missouri, Verenigde Staten van Amerika
The Boley Building is a six-story commercial structure of steel and glass in downtown Kansas City, designed in 1908 by architect Louis S. Curtiss. Its facade is composed mainly of large glass panels held in a metal frame, with decorative cast-iron and terracotta details in Art Nouveau style.
The building was constructed in 1908 for Charles N. Boley, a former newspaper editor and clothing merchant, and was among the first structures worldwide to use a glass-and-metal curtain wall system. After the retail store closed in 1915, it passed through various tenants until Andrews McMeel Universal occupied it and performed renovations beginning in the 1980s.
The building serves as headquarters for Andrews McMeel Universal, a publishing company known for comics and graphic works. Inside, pages from well-known comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes and Doonesbury are displayed, giving the space a creative feel that reflects the playful nature of the company's work.
The building sits on Walnut Street in the downtown area, with distinctive rounded arches framing both visible entrances in white terracotta. Large windows flood the interior with daylight, while modern staircases, skylights, and LED lighting throughout the floors make navigation straightforward.
The building was among the first in the world to employ a glass-and-metal curtain wall system, a construction innovation that foreshadowed modern architecture and established Louis Curtiss as a forward-thinking designer. The cantilever floors extending outward without visible support columns were a technical novelty that influenced the coming age of skyscrapers.
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