Project Overview
Description: Adaptive reuse and renovation of historic structure into a luxury hotel
Location: Kansas City, MO
Metropolitan Build’s Services: Design Build Renovation
Architect: Wilder and Wight (1905), Tarbet and Gornel (1921), Peace Studio Architects (2024)
Interior Designer: Ross Vincent
Preservation Consultant: Maureen McMillan
Summary
After successfully getting this Kansas City structure placed on the National Register of Historic Places, we are beginning the renovation work to transform it to a luxury boutique hotel. Check back on this page in the coming months to see the project evolve!
This structure, originally commissioned and owned by businesswoman Anna Mason, was built in 1905 as a combination commercial retail, office, light manufacturing, and warehouse space. Originally a four-story building, a fifth and sixth floor were added in 1921. Starting in the mid-20th century, the building was owned by the Borrel company, which manufactured watches and watch parts. The structure, called the Mason Borrel Building, is now owned by an entrepreneur and hotel developer.
Placing of the building on the National Register of Historic Places
When Metropolitan Build became involved with the project, we proposed that the structure be placed on the National Parks Service’s Register of Historic Places to secure the funding necessary for the project to move forward. We worked with the Landmarks Association of St. Louis to achieve this goal, citing the historic architecture, embossed copper facade, and glazed terra cotta elements as the reasons for listing. The Mason Borrel Building was added to the Register in 2021, making the renovation project eligible for historic tax credits.
Building Facade - 1905
Building Facade - 1921
Building Facade - 1970s
Building Facade - 2024
Planned renovation
When completed, the Kindler Hotel will contain twenty large suites, ten junior suites, five additional oversized rooms, and a spacious ground-floor lounge and restaurant. This converted use will require a full renovation of the building including addressing structural deficiencies, remediating environmentally sensitive materials, and installing completely new building systems and infrastructure.
We will perform careful restoration of key historic and character-defining features, such as the embossed copper facade with its white glazed terracotta frame and cornice entablature. Other important historic building interior features will be retained or augmented with new matching materials–all aimed to transform the facility with the amenities of a boutique luxury hotel within the context of this remarkable historic structure. Here are just a few of the renovation projects we’ll embark on:
Infrastructure renovation
In November 2024, we began remediating a severe structural deficiency in the subterranean vault and bringing new utilities into the building.
Facade restoration
The key defining characteristic of the building envelope is a beautiful copper facade, expertly crafted by renowned metal fabrication firm A. Zahner Company for the 1905 construction (the company is still headquartered in Kansas City). This work was extended, likely by Zahner, to the upper floors in 1921. All fixed elements are copper, with the original windows integrated into the facade itself.
To renovate the facade while maintaining its historic character, we will clean it with a chemical and dry ice mixture, implement repairs and replacement components, and then apply the patina with required approvals by the State Historic Preservation Office and National Parks Service. We’ll install new color-matched anodized aluminum windows that conform to current energy standards and are gasketed to prevent galvanic corrosion with adjacent copper materials. Replacement windows will match the originals in scale and detail. We’ll replace the storefronts and copper entry canopy with new elements that reference the original 1905 building’s design character without mimicking. Finally, we’ll repair the terracotta surrounding the facade, restoring damaged blocks where feasible and replacing those beyond repair with mold-cast fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) that exactly matches the historic appearance.
Ground floor amenities
The luxury hotel will feature several ground floor amenities, such as a lounge and piano bar by renowned restauranteur Brian Boitano. An Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, Boitano is now an award-winning chef. He operates Boitano’s Lounge in the Lincoln, Nebraska Kindler Hotel, which was awarded the prestigious Golden Key award for Best Hotel Lobby in 2020.