10th Street, East from Baltimore

Downtown Kansas City was once a series of clay hills dotted here and there with homes. On Baltimore Avenue the topography was particularly irregular. A chapter, The Newer Kansas City, in Whitney's 1908 History of Kansas City tells of the first development on 10th Street: The transformation on 10th Street began in 1906 when the First National Bank began the erection of its elegant new building at the northeast corner of 10th Street and Baltimore Avenue. This bank building is said to be the finest exclusive bank building in the West. There are buildings in Kansas City that are more elegant, but they are not used exclusively for bank purposes. The building was erected at a cost of $350,000. The property has a frontage of 90 feet on 10th and 114 feet on Baltimore. It was purchased for $90,000. The main entrance is on 10th Street and a side entrance is on Baltimore. The Exterior of the building is of pure white selected Georgia stone and six magnificent columns stand on the 10th Street side. The interior is finished in white marble.The building is three stories high and built on the steel skeleton plan. Bronze doors 13 feet in height guard the entrances. The counters are made of marble and the cages of bronze. The president's and directors' rooms are finished in mahogany and a mantle of marble over the fireplace in the president's room denotes comfort. Draperies and carpets are in green.The building is fireproof and each desk is provided with a fireproof locker to protect important papers and letters. First National continues operation in this building today but has greatly enlarged its quarters by additions to the building on the north side and on the east. The post card was made in 1907, the year the bank moved into its new quarters at 10th and Baltimore from a location just north of 9th and Main. Kansas City Times, May 19, 1973.