Independence City Hall is a classical revival-style building that serves the municipal functions of Independence for just over 100 years. It was designed in 1915 by Rose and Peterson Architects, from Kansas City, Kansas, to gather all the City departments into one structure. The building housed the city administration offices, city clerk, municipal court, city commission, and the fire and police departments. Constructed in the Beaux-Arts style, the building consists of three-story masonry load-bearing exterior walls with a concrete frame and floors inside. Exterior character-defining detailing consists of Carthage Marble limestone foundation veneer, bands of glazed architectural terra-cotta ornament, an overhanging terra-cotta cornice, and an elaborate terra-cotta arched awning over the main entry door on the west side. Located prominently facing West at the corner of North 6th Street and East Myrtle, Independence City Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Part of the Independence Downtown Historic District.
Over the years, the City made many modifications to the building’s interior, including the addition of an elevator in the central core, the subdivision of spaces into smaller offices, and the installation of suspended ceilings below the historic plaster ceilings in many areas of the basement, first, and second floors. On the exterior of the building, changes include the addition of a radio tower to the roof, the addition of a third vehicle bay at the rear (east side), and multiple repointing campaigns to the terra cotta, brick, and limestone. The City vacated the building in the summer of 2016 due to concerns about its environmental condition. The City commissioned a feasibility and master plan in 2017. The master plan included a historic conditions assessment, and the subsequent project was approved for Kansas rehabilitation tax credits.
An example of good stewardship, the City decided to renew the Beaux-Arts style building to continue housing City offices and police department functions. TreanorHL planned and designed the two-phase project rehabilitation.
Phase 1, completed in 2021, restored and repaired the historic dark brown brick and Carthage Marble exterior with terra cotta ornamental detailing. This phase included replacing roofing material, removing rooftop radio/emergency warning equipment, removing non-historic windows, installing compatible new windows, restoring exterior masonry, and selective demolition of non-historic interior features and finishes.
One of the significant contributors to the moisture infiltration and environmental concerns was the non-historic windows installed during a previous project. Those windows leaked and allowed water into the masonry walls. During Phase 1, we installed new aluminum windows to match the historic profile of the original wood windows.
Phase 2 renovated City Hall’s interior for the City Administration, City Clerk, Code Enforcement, Municipal Court, Police and Independence Housing Authority departments. This phase patched and restored original plaster walls and ceilings, retained marble wainscot and terrazzo in public corridors, and restored historic wood door casing and trims. We replaced all mechanical/HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. During this phase, a one-story addition was constructed to house the Independence Police Department’s 911/dispatch center. The simple modern addition displays brick veneer detailing reminiscent of the historic City Hall and compatible with the existing 1960s apparatus bay addition. Phase 2 construction was completed in 2023.