Kanas City, Missouri – Kansas City is getting ready to welcome back a familiar glow. The KCTV5 Tower will soon be a sparkling part of the city’s skyline again, thanks to the Illuminate KC project. It has been dark for 20 years. The decorative lights are almost all up, and testing will happen this month. The official relighting ceremony will be on September 18.
The tower was built in 1955 and was initially the KCMO-TV Transmission Tower. It rapidly became a well-known symbol of Kansas City. At 1,042 feet above Midtown, it used to be one of the tallest broadcast towers in the country. For decades, their blinking red lights were a nightly reminder of how the city was becoming more important in culture and media. When it was finished, it was even taller than the original Eiffel Tower, which was eventually made taller with antennas.
When the lighting system become old and the expense of maintenance grew up, the building fell dark in 2004. Kansas City’s skyline had a noticeable hole where the absence was. Mercer Zimmerman has given the tower energy-efficient LED lights and clever lighting controls, so it will once again be a communication beacon and a visual landmark.
Mayor Quinton Lucas celebrated the project’s progress, recalling how the tower had been a part of the city’s identity for decades.
“Like many Kansas Citians, I remember fondly seeing the KCTV5 Tower shining bright as part of Kansas City’s skyline and identity, beaming memorable events into our homes and standing tall as a landmark, visible over the years to millions across our region,” said Mayor Lucas. “Thanks to the continued success of our Illuminate KC initiative, I look forward to seeing the Tower shine again as an iconic and unifying symbol of our City.”
The project is timed to coincide with the city’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Curtis Miles, General Manager at KCTV5, said the relighting would mark Kansas City’s pride on an international stage.
“We couldn’t imagine a better time to bring back this powerful symbol of our city’s pride and resilience,” Miles said.
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The relighting project is part of a bigger plan called Illuminate KC, which has already brought attention to cultural institutions like Bartle Hall, the 18th and Vine Jazz District, and Waldo Tower. Restoring the KCTV5 Tower is considered the most ambitious of these projects to date.
Kliff Kuehl, President and CEO of Kansas City PBS, described the moment as more than cosmetic. “For decades, this beacon was a fixture in our community, broadcasting important news and entertainment into homes across the region. It’s great to see it shine again, and we are grateful to Mayor Lucas and KCTV5 for making this happen,” he said.
Burns & McDonnell Engineering, Precision Communications, KCTV5, and Kansas City PBS all had to work together to plan the relighting. They worked together to design a system that focuses on visual impact while putting less stress on the environment.
Illuminate KC continues to search for ways to show off other monuments. They are currently looking at possible projects for the Kit Bond Bridge and the old Western Auto sign. For now, though, the focus is back on the KCTV5 Tower, which will once again be a bright beacon of Kansas City’s energy.
