Kemper Arena Tickets Information
Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena is named for R. Crosby Kemper Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial clan who donated $3.2 million for the arena.
Kemper Arena was constructed in 18 months in 1973-74 on the site of the former Kansas City Stockyards, west of downtown in the West Bottoms to replace the 8,000-seat Municipal Auditorium to play host to the city's professional basketball and hockey teams.
The arena was the first major project of German architect Helmut Jahn who was to go on to become an important architect of his era.The building was revolutionary in its simplicity and the fact it did not have interior columns obstructing views. Its roof is suspended by exterior steel trusses.
The nearly windowless structure contrasts to Jahn's later signature style of providing wide open glass enclosed spaces. Kemper's exterior skeleton style was to be used extensively throughout Jahn's other projects. The building cost $22 million and is owned by the city of Kansas City, Missouri. Financing came from seven sources:
$1.5 million dollars donated by the American Royal Association
Land provided by the Kansas City Stockyards Company
$10 million dollars from revenue bonds in conjunction with the Jackson County Sports Authority
$5.6 million dollars from general obligation bonds
$3.2 million dollars donated by R. Crosby Kemper Sr.
$575,000 dollars from bond interest
$2 million dollars in federal grants for street work
The arena won architectural awards in the 1970s and had three very prominent tenants:
1974-1976 - Kansas City Scouts of the NHL
1974-1985 - Kansas City Kings of the NBA
1976 Republican National Convention (where Gerald Ford defeated Ronald Reagan for the nomination)
On June 4, 1979 at 6:45 p.m., a major storm with 70 mph winds and heavy rains caused a portion of Kemper Arena's roof to collapse.
Since the Arena was not in use at the time, no one was injured.
The collapse -- three years after the hall had hosted the 1976 Republican National Convention -- along with another Kansas City structural failure -- the 1981 Hyatt Regency walkway collapse -- shocked the city and the architecture world.
The American Institute of Architects had given the building an "Honor" award in 1976[1] and thousands of its members were at its annual national conference there less than 24 hours before the 1979 collapse.
Further, the collapse coupled with the January 18, 1978, collapse of the Hartford Civic Center from heavy snow in the early morning hours just after a University of Connecticut basketball game prompted architects to seriously reconsider computer models used to determine the safety of arenas.
The arena was one of the first major projects by influential architect Helmut Jahn who was to take over the Murphy/Jahn firm founded by Charles Murphy (architect).
Steel trusses that hung from three huge portals supported the reinforced concrete roof. Design elements had called for compensating for winds that caused the roof to swing like a pendulum. The exterior skeleton design had been considered revolutionary in its simplicity (it was built in 18 months).
Two major factors came together on June 4, to cause the collapse.
First, the roof had been designed to gradually release rainwater as the sewers in the West Bottoms could not adequately handle the rapid runoff at the nearby confluence of the Missouri River and Kansas River. This caused the downpour to "pond" (where water fills in as the roof sagged) adding to the weight.
Second, there had been a miscalculation on the strength of the bolts on the hangers when subjected to the 70 mph winds while supporting the additional rainwater weight as the roof swung back and forth.
Once one of the bolts gave way there was a cascading failure on the south side of the roof. Although the bolts were enormous, the media was to make much of the fact that "one broken bolt caused the collapse."
Approximately one acre, or 200 × 215 ft of roof collapsed. The air pressure, increased by the rapidly falling roof caused some of the walls to blow out. However, the portals remained undamaged.."
An investigation was conducted, and the issues were addressed and the arena reopened within a year. Kemper Arena has always had a special and close relationship with the University of Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. The team has traditionally played at least one home game a year in Kemper.
As there are many Kansas alumni in the Kansas City metro area, and Kansas's usual home venue of Allen Fieldhouse is itself approximately 40 miles away, the crowd favors the Jayhawks heavily. As a result, opposing coaches (notably Billy Tubbs, whose team lost the 1988 NCAA champiohship to Kansas there) have often referred to Kemper as "Allen Fieldhouse East".
The Jayhawks have compiled an 80-24 record at Kemper, including wins in the 1988 national championship game and the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Big 12 championships. With the opening of the Sprint Center in 2007, Kansas is slated to play its Kansas City games there instead. Kansas won its likely final game at Kemper Arena by a score of 68-58 over Toledo on December 9, 2006.
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