Fidelity National Bank Building

You may have noticed this Fidelity National Bank Building in yesterday's photo of the Kansas City Skyline. This 32 story art deco building at 909 Walnut was built in 1931 at an approximate cost of 2.8 million and has had many lives.  The Fidelity National Bank was liquidated during the Great Depression.  In 1946 under President Harry Truman the building was bought for 3.3 million and became the Federal Office Building.  Harry Truman was from the Kansas City area of Independence, MO and had an office in the former Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City building one block away at 925 Grand.  In 1956 the then Federal Office Building became home Severe and Local Storms Service for the Weather Bureau.  The government abandoned the building in 1995 and it was purchased for 500k by a land investment company and it remained empty until it was purchased by a commercial company from Dallas for 2 million.  (Wish I had the foresight and money for that 1995 investment!)  After 9/11 the address for this building became 911 Walnut and is home to commercial and residential real estate.  The twin spires are two separate high dollar lofts.  A couple of years ago a story ran in the local newspaper about the purchase of one of the tops lofts.  Apparently there is a pool table up in one of the spires.    For more information visit this wiki site.