Kansas City Municipal Courthouse

When planning renovations for the Kansas City Municipal Courthouse, judges requested the design help re-establish a respectful, honorable and calming environment for those involved in the judicial process. The Brutalist architecture style of the building, with its exposed interior concrete and delicate detailing, had layers of grime and staining, leaving the public with a dark experience for their day in court. These judges, understanding a visit to the courthouse may be the first interaction a citizen may have with the court of law, wanted to use design to help reduce any anxiety they might feel and make their visit a positive experience. Another high priority was improving security.

Improvements included eliminating one of the existing two entrances and creating one secure entrance to the building. The new, secure entrance was placed on the north side of the building near parking lots and bus stops. The court requested a layout that was intuitive for the public to understand and use. To achieve this the first floor was completely gutted and rearranged with a central marque and lobby. The central elevator core became a focus element that the lobby flows around. A wall of monitors helps to direct the public once they pass through security. Highly visible counters were provided for the Violations Bureau and Probation. Both counters direct the public to the large lobby with a three-story atrium that ascends to courtrooms on the second and third floors.

The curvilinear counters were designed to contrast the strong, angular concrete interiors flowing around exposed concrete walls and columns. The counters have a concrete base with a bronzed textured finish. The upper portions of the counters are full height glass to allow light to flow through the 1st floor. The counter tops are a custom poured concrete panel. The original terrazzo floors were polished and replicated in the new portions of the lobby.

The wood paneling located in the back of the original Violations Bureau was refurbished and applied to the lobby spaces, helping to soften the concrete surfaces. The doors of the courthouse were salvaged due to their unique design where the veneer of the door continued up through the face of the tall transom panel above. The doors are in a narrow frame 10 feet tall with a reveal between the frame and wall material. The original woodwork was in good shape, and up to 80 percent of the interior doors and frames were reused. The remaining doors were sent to a city re-purposing center.100 percent of the windows and wall paneling were reused.

The lobby design was such a success that the client was able to do away with the information desk and repurpose the space. Lobbies on the 2nd and 3rd floors were refinished to include new wall coverings on the fronts of the courtrooms, new ceilings and LED lighting, and polished concrete flooring. When the flooring was removed, it was determined the concrete could be polished, not just to save money, but to continue the use of concrete finishes. The polished concrete floors add contrast to the concrete walls and reflect the light coming through the tall windows of the space.

A larger courtroom was added in the center of the courthouse, utilizing public spaces that were no longer accessible to the public. The Judge’s bench, gallery seating and vintage clock were refurbished from another courtroom and reused in the new courtroom. New wood paneling matches the design of the original paneling in other courtrooms.