The Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity, named after the late

Todd Bolender Todd Bolender (February 27, 1914 – October 12, 2006) was a renowned ballet dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director. He was an instrumental figure in the creation and dissemination of classical dance and ballet as an American art form. A ...

, is located in what used to be the

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

Power House in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. It opened on August 26, 2011. Following extensive renovations on the historic building, it became home for the Kansas City Ballet.

Building history

The Union Station Power House was originally designed in 1913 by Union Station architect

Jarvis Hunt Jarvis Hunt (August 6, 1863 - June 15, 1941) was a Chicago architect who designed a wide array of buildings, including railroad stations, suburban estates, industrial buildings, clubhouses and other structures. Biography Hunt was born in Weathe ...

. The Power House which supplied coal powered energy to the Station and other buildings was completed in 1914.

Construction

Ground was broken on November 13, 2009 and was completed in the summer of 2011. The renovations used the of space to create seven studios, including the 180-seat Michael and Ginger Frost Studio Theater. The building design includes areas for production, wardrobe/costume, physical therapy, storage, artist locker rooms and administration.

BNIM BNIM (Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell, Inc.) is an architecture and design firm founded in 1970 in Kansas City, Missouri. BNIM’s notable sustainable projects include the Iowa Utilities Board – Office of Consumer Advocate Office Buildin ...

Architects were challenged with adapting the Power House structure into a new facility. Design elements from the historic building will be incorporated to create unique interior elements, such as coal hoppers and ash chutes as children's dressing rooms. Restoring the abandoned Power House building to the new home for the Kansas City Ballet cost approximately $39 million, which included a $7 million endowment. Of the costs, $11 million came in the form of state and federal historic tax cuts given to the Kansas City Ballet for restoring this near extinct building.

References

Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity BNIMYouTube - KC Ballet's Todd Bolender Center For Dance & Creativity Virtual Tour
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Official Page of the Kansas City Ballet
{{Coord, 39.08374, -94.59020, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-MO Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri Performing arts centers in Missouri Tourist attractions in Kansas City, Missouri Infrastructure completed in 1914 Event venues established in 2011 2011 establishments in Missouri