Stine & McClure Undertaking/924 Oak

The unique Egyptian Revival style building in the 900 block of Oak Street in downtown Kansas City was built in 1912 for the Stine & McClure Undertaking Company. Prominent Kansas City architect John McKecknie designed the two-story building with its distinctive cornice and columns that accentuate the granite façade and evoke the Egyptian Revival style. Stine & McClure occupied the building until 1928, after which the company rented the building to the General Utilities company and sold it, shortly thereafter, to the Seigrist Engraving Company. Seigrist occupied the building for approximately eight decades until they sold it in early 2016. Throughout that time, engraving equipment filled the main open space on the first floor while offices occupied the second floor. 

In 2016, the Homoly Construction Company, embarked on a project to rehabilitate the Stine & McClure Building with a use more in line with current demand. While the initial proposal was to convert the building to offices and apartments, the project evolved to the final design, which included installing the Homoly Construction Company offices on the second floor and restoring the main room on the first floor as an elegant event space. Homoly Construction could see the potential in the large open space on the first floor that had previously functioned as a work room under the Seigrist Engraving Company.   

Rosin Preservation collaborated with the owner and design team to make this vision a reality using state and federal historic tax credits. Hanging fluorescent light fixtures with surface-mounted conduit and exposed ductwork gave the space a highly utilitarian appearance that obscured the historic plasterwork ornamenting the reinforced concrete beams. With the utilitarian fixtures removed and the mechanical systems concealed as part of this project, the room could once again shine as a formal gathering space. The conversion of the second floor to offices for the Homoly Construction Company retained the historic open space and its more utilitarian appearance while updating it for modern office usage. 

The sensitive rehabilitation of the Stine & McClure Undertaking Company Building has allowed for the continued use of this unique resource and its specialized spaces while providing company office space and meeting a need for boutique event space in downtown Kansas City.