West Bottoms
The Livestock Exchange Building
You may not realize it from the outside, but this building is home to 475 offices, almost entirely filled with a pretty diverse pack of entrepreneurs. We range from artists and designers (including myself), to attorneys and livestock-associated businesses. This building is just cool, come by and wander around. It was built in 1910 during the heyday of the Kansas City Stockyards, which were the 2nd largest in the country behind Chicago. The original character has largely remained intact in the building. On the ground floor is the original “tote” board, which was like the Dow for livestock sales. On the second floor is a small plaque noting the height of the water during the 1951 flood, which is considered to be the beginning of the end for the Stockyards.