Jackson County Missouri (Page 8) has 50 places on the National Register of Historic Places including 5 places of National significance and 4 places of Statewide significance. Significant places include TWA Corporate Headquarters' Building, Temple Site, Truman, Harry S, Historic District, Union Station and Ward, Seth E., Homestead.
Several famous people are associated with these Jackson County historic places including Dr. Johnston Lykins, Harry S Truman, Harry S. Truman and William Volker.
Some of the country's most noteable architects helped create the Jackson County places including Raymond E. Bales, Jarvis Hunt, Asa Beebe Cross, Schecter, Morris, et al., Marietta Manufacturing Company, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, John Hubbard Sturgis, Col. Harvey M. Vaile, Sturgis & Brigham and Louis S. Curtiss. Prominent architectural styles found in Jackson Country are Renaissance, Classical Revival and Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals.
Historic Significance:
Event
Area of Significance:
Transportation, Commerce
Period of Significance:
1950-1974
Historic Function:
Commerce/Trade, Transportation
Historic Sub-function:
Air-Related, Professional
Current Function:
Vacant/Not In Use
The Trans World Airlines (TWA) Corporate Headquarters Building, located at 1735 Baltimore Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, is historically significant for its association with the rapid postwar expansion of commercial aviation and its role as the national hub for one of the world's premier airlines. Completed in 1956, the building served as the executive headquarters for TWA during a pivotal era of growth under the control of legendary aviation tycoon Howard Hughes. From this location, corporate executives managed TWA's transition into the jet age, coordinating global operations and cementing Kansas City's status as a major epicenter of the mid-twentieth-century transportation industry.
Architecturally, the building is an exceptional local example of the mid-century Corporate Modern style. Designed by the Kansas City architectural firm of Bales & Schecter, the three-story structure features a sleek, streamlined exterior accented by red and white porcelain-enameled metal panels that proudly displayed TWA's corporate colors. The building's most famous feature was the "TWA Moonliner," a 30-foot-tall model rocket ship installed on the roof's southwest corner, which symbolized the airline's forward-looking optimism and its collaboration with Walt Disney's Tomorrowland. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, the building remains a highly visible monument to Kansas City's corporate heritage and the romantic era of early commercial flight.