Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center explained

Hotel Name:Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center
Former Names:Hyatt Regency Kansas City, Hyatt Regency Crown Center
Location:United States
Chain:Sheraton
Coordinates:39.085°N -94.58°W
Developer:Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation
Architect:Edward Larrabee Barnes
PBNDML
Operator:Marriott International
Owner:Hallmark Cards
Number Of Rooms:733
Number Of Suites:39
Floors:45
Height:153.62m (504feet)
Footnotes:[1]

The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center is a 153.62m (504feet), 45-story hotel located in the Crown Center complex in Kansas City, Missouri. It was Missouri's tallest building from 1980 to 1986. It is now the state's sixth-tallest building and Kansas City's third-tallest building.

History

Opening

The hotel opened on July 1, 1980 as the Hyatt Regency Kansas City. It is part of the Crown Center complex, built by Hallmark Cards, adjacent to their headquarters, and southeast of the Downtown loop, where most of Kansas City's tallest buildings are located.

Skywalk collapse

See main article: Hyatt Regency walkway collapse. On July 17, 1981, 114[2] people were killed in the Hyatt Regency when the fourth-floor walkway in the atrium collapsed on the second-floor walkway during a tea dance attended by more than 1,600 revelers. An investigation revealed that tie rods supporting the walkway did not meet Kansas City building codes.[3]

Rebranding and renovations

The hotel went through a $5 million reconstruction following the collapse, replacing the skywalks with one large second floor balcony supported by massive pillars, with local authorities saying in 1983 that the building was now "possibly the safest in the country."[4] The hotel was renamed the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in 1987. Starwood took over the hotel November 30, 2011, renaming it the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center the following day and announcing $30 million in renovations and a $5,000 donation to The Skywalk Memorial Foundation.[5] [6]

Facilities

The hotel has 42860square feet of function space, a 17487square feet ballroom and a dedicated exhibit hall with 15360square feet. It has 733 guestrooms, including 42 suites.

The hotel was formerly topped by a revolving rooftop restaurant, Skies, which closed in 2011 along with the hotel's Peppercorn Duck Club when the hotel became a part of Starwood.[7] The former Skies restaurant reopened as the Sheraton Club Lounge, a private club.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Emporis building ID 121804 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306202746/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/121804 . dead . March 6, 2016 . Emporis.
  2. http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build82/PDF/b82002.pdf
  3. Web site: Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse . School of Engineering, University of Alabama. 14 September 2011.
  4. News: Haskins . Paul J. . COLLAPSE OF HOTEL'S 'SKYWALKS' IN 1981 IS STILL REVERBERATING; IN KANSAS CITY . 17 July 2021 . The New York Times . 29 March 1983.
  5. News: Hawley . Brenna . Sheraton, Starwood will donate to Hyatt skywalk memorial . 17 July 2021 . www.bizjournals.com . Kansas City Business Journal . 13 December 2011.
  6. News: Hyatt Regency Kansas City to become a Sheraton . Danny . King . Travel Weekly . July 20, 2011.
  7. News: Three Crown Center restaurant closings signal changing tastes . Brenna . Hawley . . 12 October 2011.