KANSAS CITY, Mo. – HNTB Corporation is marking the 105th anniversary of its Kansas City office opening. The firm’s heritage in Kansas City dates back to its founding in 1914. That year, John Harrington, Ernest Howard and Louis Ash formed the civil engineering partnership Harrington, Howard & Ash in Kansas City, which later became HNTB. 

Today, HNTB occupies a large office space at 715 Kirk Drive in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. In addition, the firm has offices in Overland Park, Kansas, and Mission, Kansas. HNTB employs more than 600 professionals representing expertise in engineering, architecture and business services in the area, and plans to fill open positions in design-build, aviation, civil and highway design, architecture and more. 

“HNTB is incredibly proud of our accomplishments and history in the region,” said Tim Morgan, PE, HNTB Kansas City office leader and vice president. “Our engineers and planners are passionate about providing transportation solutions to our clients and giving back as active members of the communities where we live and work.” 

The Kansas City metropolitan area is growing, resulting in mobility challenges. HNTB’s expertise in architecture, aviation, transit planning, highways, bridges, tolls and rail helps transportation agencies address and better manage congestion as the region tops 2.1 million people.

In the past 105 years, HNTB has been privileged to contribute to hundreds of transportation projects in the area. Evidence of HNTB’s work and commitment to shaping the region, past and present, touches nearly every corner of the metro area. 

Some of the firm’s earliest projects in the region include the 12th Street Trafficway in downtown Kansas City, which opened in 1926. The ASB Moveable Bridge spanning the Missouri River, completed in 1912, was designed by Ernest Howard and Henry Tammen, the “H” and “T” in HNTB. Ernest Howard served as resident engineer on Kansas City’s 8,400-foot Intercity Viaduct, which opened in 1906.

As America’s Interstate system began to grow, so too did HNTB’s work on highways and toll roads. The 236-mile Kansas Turnpike was completed in just 24 months, opening to traffic in 1956. HNTB served as general engineering consultant to the Kansas Turnpike Authority at its beginning and continues to provide engineering and planning for its most important projects. 

The firm’s recent work on the Missouri side of the state line includes serving as prime consultant for the reconstruction of 3-Trails Memorial Crossing interchange; teaming with Clarkson Construction Co. to construct two four-lane bridges on I-70 over Manchester Trafficway; providing planning, alternative analysis, environmental and design services for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s MAX Bus Rapid Transit projects, including the Prospect Avenue MAX, opening fall 2019; designing the 40,000 square-foot, LEED® Silver certified Bartle Hall ballroom expansion and Kansas City Convention Center expansion as well. In downtown, HNTB contributed to the city skyline with designs for the 1201 Walnut Building and Town Pavilion office towers. 

The firm provided final design for the Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension and on-call engineering services for Kansas City International Airport.

HNTB served as architect of record for the massive LEED Gold certified National Nuclear Security Administration’s National Security Campus which opened in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2013. The project earned multiple design and construction excellence awards, including a top honor from The American Institute of Architects Kansas City – Allied Arts and Craftsmanship.

On the Kansas side of the state line, HNTB’s projects include serving as project manager consultant on the Johnson County Gateway Interchange, the Kansas Department of Transportation’s first-ever design-build project; lead designer for Phases I and II of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s South Lawrence Trafficway Project; and designer for the Kansas Turnpike Authority’s Open Road Tolling conversion. 

As part of its evolution, HNTB began growing its architecture practice in the mid-1970s. Spotting an opportunity to serve communities in a new way, HNTB acquired Kivett & Myers, a prestigious Kansas City architecture firm specializing in sports facilities and airport terminals. K&M’s most prominent projects included designs for three drive-up terminals and control tower at Kansas City International Airport; and Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums at Harry S. Truman Sports Complex, home of the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs. 

“HNTB’s talented architects continue to design and advance a multitude of complex sports, aviation and transit projects in the region and across the U.S.,” said Chris Migneron, AIA, HNTB architecture office leader and senior vice president. “The Kansas City office is one of the firm’s largest architecture studios, employing a diverse range of professionals whose designs ensure that communities across the country have access to world-class amenities in public spaces that serve as landmarks and key economic engines.”

Today, HNTB’s architects help airports and airlines marry design and functionality to better serve passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport, to name a few.

HNTB has built a reputation for its award-winning sports architecture work, including a variety of collegiate and professional stadiums, arenas and related facilities. In Lawrence, Kansas, the firm recently completed a master plan to modernize University of Kansas Memorial Stadium, construct a new indoor practice facility.

In Wyandotte County, Kansas, HNTB is proud of its work on the Kansas Speedway, opened in 2001, and home to more than 200 NASCAR and other events annually.

Publications such as Architectural Record, Architect, Building Design & Construction, Sports Business Journal, and Stadia seek HNTB’s insights about trends and best practices.

HNTB’s employees support numerous civic groups and local chapters of industry organizations, including chambers of commerce across the region, the Women’s Transportation Seminar, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, Missouri Society of Professional Engineers, Kansas Society of Professional Engineers, American Institute of Architects, and many more. 

In addition, the firm actively supports and encourages employees to volunteer where their passion is. Employees actively support organizations including Greater Kansas City United Way, Harvesters, Lead to Read KC and American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, to name a few. 

Click here to see historical photos from HNTB’s 105-year history in the region. 

About HNTB
HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm serving public and private owners and construction contractors. Celebrating 105 years of service in the United States, HNTB continues to grow in size and service offerings to clients from three office locations in greater Kansas City, currently employing approximately 600 full-time professionals in the region. HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients’ most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals nationwide deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management. For more information, visit www.hntb.com, or follow HNTB on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.