{"id":22147,"date":"2016-10-13T18:45:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T23:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resource-center.hrblock.com\/newsroom\/hr-block-headquarters-celebrates-10-years-downtown\/"},"modified":"2023-03-02T13:51:09","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T19:51:09","slug":"hr-block-headquarters-celebrates-10-years-downtown","status":"publish","type":"newsroom","link":"https:\/\/hrbcomlnp.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/newsroom\/around-block\/about-us\/hr-block-headquarters-celebrates-10-years-downtown\/","title":{"rendered":"H&#038;R Block headquarters celebrates 10 years downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the early 2000s, empty parking lots and vacant buildings pockmarked downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Decades of neglect had taken its toll on the urban core. The area was ripe for revitalization, but it wasn\u2019t going to happen on its own. So area leaders, citizens and businesses came together to spark and ignite a renewed interest and vision to reshape the future of downtown Kansas City.<\/p>\n<p>Spearheaded by this partnership, and driven by a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitkc.com\/visitors\/discover\/kc-overview\/kansas-city-trivia\">$6.5 billion<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/08\/20\/realestate\/commercial\/millennials-going-to-kansas-city-to-live-and-work.html\">downtown investment<\/a>, the landscape of Kansas City began to change.<\/p>\n<p>As public and private investors poured money into dozens of projects, ratty structures were revamped or removed, new buildings went up \u2013 and downtown became a destination, not a detour. Projects included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sprintcenter.com\/home\">Sprint Center<\/a>, a major concert and sports venue<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kauffmancenter.org\/about\/\">Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.powerandlightdistrict.com\/\">Kansas City Power &amp; Light District<\/a>, an entertainment area of more than 500,000-square-feet \u2013 filled with clubs, theaters, shops and restaurants, and a full-service, downtown grocery store<\/li>\n<li>The continued growth of the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/kccrossroads.org\/\">Crossroads Arts District<\/a>, Kansas City\u2019s eclectic enclave of boutique shops, one-of-a-kind restaurants, creative businesses, studios and art galleries<\/li>\n<li>The restoration of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Midland_Theatre\">Midland Theatre<\/a>, a 3,573-seat historic theater built in French and Italian Baroque in 1927<\/li>\n<li>A spate of upscale lofts and apartments, some new and some converted from historic buildings, like the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/kcur.org\/post\/kansas-citys-iconic-power-light-building-reborn-downtown-luxury-apartments\">Kansas City Power &amp; Light Building<\/a>,<\/li>\n<li>The updated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/drafthouse.com\/about\">Alamo Drafthouse Cinema<\/a>, which sports modern conveniences in a vintage setting<\/li>\n<li>New business operations, including a multistory, glassed-in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kansascity.com\/customer-service\/about-us\/#2000\">printing plant<\/a>\u00a0for The Kansas City Star<\/li>\n<li>KC Streetcar, a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/08\/20\/realestate\/commercial\/millennials-going-to-kansas-city-to-live-and-work.html\">$100 million<\/a>\u00a0electric streetcar system line that zips shoppers, workers and residents to their destinations and has sparked more than\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/kansascity\/news\/2015\/01\/29\/kc-officials-1b-has-gone-downtown-since-streetcar.html\">$1 billion<\/a>\u00a0of new development nearby<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>In the heart of it all stands the H&amp;R Block Center, the H&amp;R Block headquarters<\/h2>\n<p>Founded in 1955, the company celebrates 10 years in its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Architecture_of_Kansas_City#\/media\/File:H%26R_Block_World_HQ_and_part_of_the_Power_%26_Light_District.JPG\">downtown location<\/a>\u00a0at 13<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0and Main streets on Oct. 13. Now an anchor in the Power &amp; Light District, H&amp;R Block was among the first companies to take a chance on revitalizing downtown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been in Kansas City for more than half a century, since Henry and Richard Bloch founded the company in midtown on Main Street,\u201d said H&amp;R Block CEO and President Bill Cobb. \u201cIt was important to H&amp;R Block to stay on Main Street and to take a leadership role in partnering with the community to revitalize downtown Kansas City.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe growth, energy and rebirth of the downtown area surrounding H&amp;R Block Center has helped us attract and retain the best and brightest people as our associates, so we can better serve our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Sumptuous surroundings<\/h2>\n<p>H&amp;R Block Center brought together 1,600 company associates from a half-dozen former<\/p>\n<p>locations in the metropolitan area. The 525,000-sq. ft. complex includes a 17-story high-rise tower and a three-story low-rise structure of glass and stone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe knew we needed one place where we could continue to grow together, and this is the perfect spot,\u201d said Karen Orosco, currently senior vice president, H&amp;R Block US Retail Sales and Service, who served as project lead for the H&amp;R Block headquarters building. \u201cThe building, work spaces and meeting rooms at H&amp;R Block Center enable and support H&amp;R Block\u2019s culture of collaboration, teamwork and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But H&amp;R Block\u2019s new location did more than reinvigorate our own business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBuilding H&amp;R Block Center helped revitalize downtown and allowed H&amp;R Block to become part of something bigger than ourselves, which spoke to the heritage of giving back to the community. That\u2019s something our founders always instilled,\u201d said Orosco.<\/p>\n<h2>Design features of H&amp;R Block Center include:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A distinctive elliptical shape<\/strong>\u00a0for the high-rise tower sheathed in green glass for maximum light and a bright, open atmosphere<\/li>\n<li><strong>A dramatic two-story atrium<\/strong>\u00a0connecting high- and low-rise structures. Features include an 18-foot natural stone \u201cwater wall,\u201d a floating staircase leading to a state-of-the-art Knowledge Center for meetings and training, and a diversity of art by local and\u00a0regional artists. All of the atrium and lobby art is open for public viewing, and\u00a0rotating exhibits including student and associate art are also displayed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A year-round tax office<\/strong>\u00a0tucked beneath the low-rise building, with entry from the street<\/li>\n<li><strong>A 319-seat theatre\/auditorium<\/strong>\u00a0in the low-rise structure, shared by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre and H&amp;R Block in a unique partnership<\/li>\n<li><strong>More than 160 conference rooms<\/strong>\u00a0of various shapes and sizes<\/li>\n<li><strong>An open floor plan<\/strong>\u00a0that puts managers with their teams, and movable work stations\u00a0that foster interaction and teamwork<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amenities for associates,<\/strong>\u00a0including free covered parking, a game room, dry cleaning\u00a0services, and a cafeteria that\u2019s also open to the public<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The company broke ground for H&amp;R Block Center in October 2004, less than a year after announcing site selection in December 2003. The first associates relocated to the new main building in July 2006 and all moves were completed by October 2006. Construction on the cafeteria and Knowledge Center were completed in 2007. JE Dunn Construction Group served as general contractor, and 360 Architecture designed the structure and inside spaces; both are based in Kansas City.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cH&amp;R Block and our associates are extremely proud to celebrate 10 years of being part of the progress of the amazing turnaround happening all around our headquarters building,\u201d said Cobb, \u201cand we look forward to helping drive continued growth for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the early 2000s, empty parking lots and vacant buildings pockmarked downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Decades of neglect had taken its toll on the urban core. The area was ripe for revitalization, but it wasn\u2019t going to happen on its own. So area leaders, citizens and businesses came together to spark and ignite a renewed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":418,"featured_media":26965,"menu_order":0,"template":"","tags":[19283],"news-categories":[23376,23377],"class_list":["post-22147","newsroom","type-newsroom","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-corporate-news","news-categories-around-block","news-categories-about-us"],"acf":{"post_rest_thumbnail_alt_id":null},"yoast_head":"<title>H&amp;R Block headquarters marks decade downtown | H&amp;R Block Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, stands the headquarters of H&amp;R Block.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hrbcomlnp.hrblock.com\/tax-center\/newsroom\/around-block\/hr-block-headquarters-celebrates-10-years-downtown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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