Hyde Park Apartments

by Elizabeth on February 15, 2011

SCOPE OF WORK: Federal & Missouri Historic Tax Credit Applications
CLIENT:Dalmark Group
INVESTMENT: $7,700,000
COMPLETED: Fall 2009

The Hyde Park Hotel is an 8-story Classical Revival apartment building at the northeast corner of Broadway and 36th Street in Kansas City’s Mid-town neighborhood. It is located in the National Register-listed Ambassador Hotel Historic District. The concrete structure is clad in red brick with limestone and terra cotta accents. A two-story recessed entrance is graced by Doric columns supporting an entablature inscribed “HYDE PARK HOTEL.” On the interior, an elegant public lobby occupies the first floor. A graceful marble stair rises from the lobby to an open mezzanine with decorative iron railings. Apartments occupy the upper floors.

 Designed by Kansas City architect Robert F. Gornall, the Hyde Park Hotel was constructed in 1925. It was one of several large-scale hotel buildings in the mid-town area that accommodated long and short-term guests. By the middle of the twentieth century, the Hyde Park Hotel, along with the other hotels in the area, was converted into residential apartments for long-term tenants. The Hyde Park Hotel was again renovated in the 1970s and most of its historic configuration and materials were demolished to create new apartment layouts for low-income tenants. A dropped ceiling was installed in the lobby, concealing the ornate plaster ceiling. All of the historic windows were removed and replaced with poor-quality aluminum-framed windows.

Hyde Park Exterior before restoration

Hyde Park Exterior After restoration

Our client, the Dalmark Group, began a rehabilitation of the building in early 2008. As historic tax credits were part of the financing for the project, Rosin Preservation collaborated with the architects, Architect One, and owner to ensure that all work respected the building’s historic character. The rehabilitation retained the majority of the existing apartment configurations. The ornate plaster ceiling in the lobby was restored, bringing back some of the building’s former grandeur. The apartments were updated with new finishes, cabinetry, and appliances. New double-hung aluminum windows that matched the historic window configuration (gleaned from historic drawings), including multi-light sashes, were installed. Historically, a terra cotta balustrade graced the second story above the main entrance but it had been lost. A new balustrade was manufactured out of GFRC and installed to restore the building’s historic appearance.

Hyde Park Lobby Before restoration

Hyde Park Lobby After restoration

The rehabilitated Hyde Park Hotel offers a comfortable and attractive residence for elderly tenants and is an elegant and stately presence in one of Kansas City’s most eclectic historic neighborhoods.

Hyde Park Restored plaster ceiling