Construction company happy to be in its new headquarters

J.E. Dunn Construction Co. has moved into its new headquarters at 1001 Locust St. — and at least one key occupant is pleased with all the glass covering the sleek structure.

“I was at the other space for 60 years and never had a window,” said Bill Dunn Sr., chairman emeritus of Kansas City’s biggest construction company. “Everyone that comes in wants to say ‘wow,’ and the employees are happy.”

The six-story building borders the east side of Ilus W. Davis Park between 10th and 11th streets, and helps fulfill the original vision of the civic mall — at least when it comes to framing the eight-year-old park. Before the J.E. Dunn building, most of the east side opened to a vacuum of dreary parking lots.

The company headquarters may not be the government edifice once contemplated — civic leaders had once hoped for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City — but it is a handsome complement to the UMB Technology Center across the park. The 204,000-square-foot headquarters and adjoining 780-space public garage was designed by BNIM and 360 Architecture.

From the inside, the $41 million building takes advantage of having Ilus W. Davis Park as its front yard. The full effect is dramatically on display from the fifth floor board room as frp grating. The sweeping panorama outside the floor-to-ceiling window begins with the towering art-deco grandeur of City Hall and concludes with the Charles E. Whittaker U.S. Courthouse.

Inside, the look is a combination of construction chic and attractive artwork, video displays and graphics. A substantial share of the interior walls and ceilings are bare concrete, designed to remind visitors about the nature of the firm occupying the place.

“Because we do construction, we want to show what we do,” said Dan Euston, president of J.E. Dunn’s Midwest Region.

The most striking exception to the cooler industrial feel is the warm wood floor on the main level. It was built with planks salvaged from old barns in southern Missouri. The recycled floor materials, and many other features in the building, could earn the structure a Gold LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

There was one other change order as well.

The senior Dunn insisted the interior finish of the lobby be a bit more refined, observing that raw concrete might send the wrong message to prospective clients.

“It might make people think contractors didn’t have money to finish the building,” he said.

Another unique design factor is that each employee is no more than 23 feet from one of the large windows. The offices in the building are in two parallel wings, each only 45 feet wide.

Employee amenities include a 2,000-square-foot fitness center with dressing room and showers, and a recreation room that includes a mini-basketball court and video arcade machines. Topping the perks is a full-service cafeteria that offers free lunches on Mondays through Thursday, $5 on Fridays.

Randy Bredar, senior vice president for corporate development, said the building design makes company operations more efficient — employees had been scattered at five locations previously — and also is a great recruitment tool.

“As you look to hire the best and brightest, especially young people, it’s not just about a paycheck, it’s the quality of the environment,” he said.

There are about 500 employees in the new building with substantial room for expansion.

“We built more space than we needed to have space to grow to become the national presence we’re looking for,” Euston said.

The new J.E. Dunn headquarters received significant financial help from the city, and is intended to ultimately be the anchor of the 12-block East Village redevelopment plan.

The city dedicated $12 million for blight elimination, which included the acquisition and demolition of several buildings, including the old Greyhound bus terminal at 11th and Holmes streets. The city also backed the bond for the $18.3 million garage. The bonds will be repaid through city and state tax-increment financing.

The remainder of the East Village calls for 600 residences and commercial space to be developed by Swope Community Builders, but progress on that portion has stalled.