Kansas City Southern Railway Headquarters - Landscape

Located on a prominent site in downtown Kansas City, the Cathedral Complex encompasses a full city block and includes two office buildings (one completed, one planned for future expansion), a parking garage, and an expansive outdoor open space.

The site is situated between two landmark cathedrals on the west side of downtown. The tenant, Kansas City Southern, is a well established local railroad company. Key requirements included maintaining a visual pedestrian connection between the two cathedrals, displaying the history of Kansas City Southern Railroad within the landscape, and creating an urban place that was both inviting and could be used by a range of group sizes. The project draws its name from the gold-domed Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to its north and the stone Episcopal Cathedral, Grace and Holy Trinity to the south. The site is laid out to maintain the integrity of its neighbors in scale and material. The primary axis through the site maintains the visual corridor that connects the two cathedrals and also provides a gathering area for the congregation’s joint Easter vigil, a local tradition.

This project has provided an example of what a well-detailed landscape can be in downtown Kansas City. It has a local connection with the railroad history of Kansas City, as well as responds to the surrounding land use in a responsible manner. Elements of an on-site museum were placed into the landscape around the property. The project is an example of site design that is responsive to the existing site conditions, respectful of the history of the region and user-friendly to both intimate groups and large crowds of gatherers.