The Advance-Rumely Building
About The Project
Built in 1907, the Advance-Rumely Building has stood in Kansas City’s West Bottoms for over a century. It once served as a distribution center for the Advance-Rumely Thresher Company, a major name in American farm equipment, back when the West Bottoms was one of the country’s busiest industrial districts. Today the building is home to Rex Vintage, and Molzer Development is giving it new life, preserving its character while turning it into something built for the future.
At a Glance
- Built in 1907 as a distribution hub for the Advance-Rumely Thresher Company
- Advance-Rumely got its start in 1848 with a small foundry in La Porte, Indiana, and grew into one of the country’s top farm machinery makers
- Known for the OilPull tractor, a groundbreaking machine that changed farming when it debuted in 1909
- Allis-Chalmers bought the company in 1931, and the building continued on as a tractor division warehouse
- After the Great Flood of 1951, the building passed through various warehouse tenants before sitting empty starting in 1997
- Original details still remain, including exposed brick, hardwood floors, pressed tin ceilings, and heavy timber columns
- Today, it’s home to Rex Vintage and leased for general storage use. With 5 open floors of 8,000 sqft each, its future use is still to be determined.
Project Value: TBD
Partners: TBD