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50-783: Municipal Auditorium was the first building built as part of the "Ten-Year Plan", a bond program that passed by a 4 to 1 margin in 1931. The campaign was run by the Civic Improvement Committee chaired by Conrad H. Mann. Other buildings in the plan included the Kansas City City Hall and the Kansas City branch of the Jackson County Courthouse . The plan was championed by most local politicians including Thomas Pendergast and provided Pendergast with many patronage opportunities during

100-701: A Net, with 15 during a 112–107 win over the Chicago Bulls . Two days later, on November 5, 1983, Dawkins set the Nets' franchise record for blocks in a single game, with 13. In the first round of the playoffs, the sixth-seeded Nets were matched up with Dawkins' former team, the Philadelphia 76ers . The Nets won the first two games in Philadelphia of the best-of-five series, which were the first playoff game victories in team history. After Philadelphia won

150-744: A career-high 8.7 rebounds, helping the Sixers back to the NBA Finals , which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. In the 1981 season , Dawkins produced a .607 field-goal percentage, second in the NBA to Artis Gilmore 's .670. Dawkins averaged 14 points and 7.2 rebounds for the year, but Philadelphia failed to return to the Finals. The club met the Boston Celtics in

200-514: A city block bounded by E. 11th Street, E. 12th Street, Oak Street, and Locust Street, this 29-story structure was designed by Wight and Wight in the Neo-Classic and Beaux-Arts architectural style and built to replace and expand an earlier city hall. It is the third city hall since the incorporation of the City of Kansas in 1853. Construction of the building lasted for 22 months and the concrete

250-548: A comeback in 1994, attending Denver Nuggets training camp, and again in 1995 with the Boston Celtics. Dawkins set an NBA record by committing 386 personal fouls during the 1983–1984 season. He committed one more personal foul during his career than Michael Jordan , despite playing nearly 350 fewer games. In a game against the Kansas City Kings at Municipal Auditorium on November 13, 1979, Dawkins broke

300-569: A seven-year contract worth $ 1 million. Dawkins languished on the Sixers' bench for his first two seasons. In his second season, after playing limited minutes during the regular season, Dawkins was called upon to help the Sixers in their playoff run, to battle Dave Cowens of the Celtics and Moses Malone of the Rockets . The Sixers won both playoff series and advanced to the NBA Finals . Matched up against Portland 's Bill Walton , Dawkins helped

350-685: Is connected to the H. Roe Bartle Convention Center via skywalks over 14th and Central streets. An underground walkway through a public parking garage provides access to the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, and the Holiday Inn Aladdin Hotel. The Arena, nicknamed "Municipal", has hosted the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournament annually, each March since 2003. When Kansas City hosts

400-497: Is the official seat of government for the city of Kansas City, Missouri , United States. Located in downtown , it is a 29-story skyscraper with an observation deck. Completed in 1937, the building has a Beaux-Arts and Art-Deco style with numerous architectural features and ornamentation throughout. One Kansas City Place was modeled as a 1980s version of City Hall, and is the tallest building in Kansas City. Situated on

450-634: The NBA 2K video games as a reserve member of the 1980s Legends East Team. He also appears in NBA Live Mobile as a Legend based on his 1979–80 season with the Sixers. In 2005, Dawkins was one of several former NBA players to audition for an analyst position with ESPN, as part of the network's reality series Dream Job . Dawkins' autobiography Chocolate Thunder: The Uncensored Life and Times of Darryl Dawkins (co-authored with Charley Rosen) chronicles his on- and off-the-court life as an NBA star. In

500-537: The 1982–83 season , Dawkins averaged 12 points and shot .599 from the floor, ranking third in the league in field-goal percentage. The Nets' 49–33 record that year was their best record since the ABA–NBA merger , and remained their best record until the 2001–02 season . The next season, he poured in a career-high 16.8 points per game on .593 field-goal shooting and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per contest. On November 3, 1983, Dawkins grabbed what would be his highest rebound total as

550-402: The 1984–85 season with high expectations. However injuries limited him to just 39 games. Dawkins appeared to return to form the following season averaging 15.3 points and shooting .644 from the floor, but an injury midway through the season kept him out of 31 of the team's final 32 games. He only played six games in the 1986–87 season, after a second back surgery in less than two years. Dawkins

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600-589: The Big 12 Conference tournament, women's games take place here. It is currently home to the NAIA Men's Division I Basketball National Tournament. It was played here from 1937 to 1974 , when it moved into Kemper Arena, and has been home since the Tournament moved back to Kansas City from Tulsa in 2002 . The arena hosted three of the first four Final Fours, and hosted its last NCAA tournament game in 1964. In 2013,

650-515: The Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. His nickname, "Chocolate Thunder" , was bestowed upon him by Stevie Wonder . He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to him shattering a backboard on two occasions in 1979. Dawkins averaged double figures in scoring nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in

700-469: The Milwaukee Bucks , including leading all scorers with a career playoff-high 32 points in a 106–100 game 1 win, the Nets would lose the series in six games after losing game 6, during which Dawkins scored 29 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, by one point, at a score of 98–97. For the playoffs, Dawkins averaged 18.4 points. With the Nets looking to be a team on the rise led by Dawkins, they entered

750-494: The NBA Finals three times as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He also won an NBA Championship in 1989 with the Detroit Pistons even though he only played 14 games for the team that season. Dawkins set an NBA record for fouls in a season (386 in 1983–84 ). Dawkins was born in Orlando, Florida , on January 11, 1957, to Harriet James and Frank Dawkins. His grandmother Amanda Celestine Jones

800-568: The NBA draft out of high school instead of attending college. He made this decision because he wanted to make enough money to help his grandmother, mother, and siblings to escape poverty. He was the first player to enter the NBA immediately after high school. With the fifth overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft , the Philadelphia 76ers selected Dawkins. He was drafted behind David Thompson , David Meyers , Marvin Webster , and Alvan Adams . He signed

850-466: The Santa Fe Trail , and others To the south of the building are fountains with two ornamental sea horses, dolphins, and seashells. City employees named the sea horses on the west side "Lug" and those on the east side "Cut" after the fountain's dedication. They were named for lugs of the political machine and cuts in pay for city workers in the 1930s. A statue of Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad

900-658: The University of Dayton Arena passed Municipal Auditorium in number of games hosted as that arena hosts the opening round games of the NCAA tournament. The 19,500-seat Kemper Arena was built in 1974 to accommodate Kansas City's professional basketball teams that had been playing at the Auditorium. The Kansas City Kings (known at the time as the Kansas City-Omaha Kings) played their first two seasons at

950-829: The 1995–96 season. During this season, the Skyforce's games against the Florida Beach Dogs were broadcast nationally by ESPN , as the Beach Dogs included another former NBA player, Manute Bol . Dawkins was the head coach of the American Basketball Association 's Newark Express . He was also the player/coach of the Winnipeg Cyclone , a team in the short-lived International Basketball Association in 1999–2000. Dawkins averaged 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 games played with

1000-462: The Auditorium, then returned for the majority of the 1979–80 season after the roof of Kemper Arena caved in on June 4, 1979. On November 13, 1979, Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers completely shattered a backboard during a game vs. the Kings with a thunderous slam dunk . It is home to the University of Missouri–Kansas City Kangaroos basketball team. Since January 2009, it has been

1050-805: The Cyclone. Dawkins was the head coach of the Allentown, Pennsylvania -based Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League (USBL) until they folded. He was selected as the USBL Coach of the Year in 1999. Dawkins appeared in one game with ValleyDawgs during the 2000 season. On August 20, 2009, Lehigh Carbon Community College , located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania , announced Dawkins as head coach of

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1100-713: The Eastern Conference Finals and lost in seven games. The 76ers suffered another postseason disappointment in 1982 when they reached the Finals but lost again to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Frustrated with the team's inability to handle Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Sixers management traded Dawkins to the New Jersey Nets and Caldwell Jones to the Houston Rockets for Moses Malone , who helped Philadelphia win

1150-603: The Great Depression. Municipal Auditorium replaced Convention Hall which was directly across the street and was torn down for parking to create what is now called the Barney Allis Plaza. The streamline moderne architecture was designed by the lead architectural firm of Alonzo H. Gentry, Voskamp & Neville. Gentry later completed the design of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum after

1200-437: The NBA championship the following year. Dawkins was traded to the Nets during the 1982 off-season in exchange for a first-round draft pick. At age 25, Dawkins joined a Nets club that included Albert King , Buck Williams , and Otis Birdsong . His first two seasons with the Nets were successful for both sides, as Dawkins experienced a career renaissance of sorts and the Nets had their most successful seasons to that point. In

1250-920: The Rim Wrecker, the Go-Rilla, the Look Out Below, the In-Your-Face Disgrace, the Cover Your Head, the Yo-Mama, the Spine-Chiller Supreme, and the Greyhound Special (for the rare occasions when he went coast to coast). The 76ers also kept a separate column on the stat sheet for Dawkins's self-created nicknames: "Sir Slam" and "Chocolate Thunder." Dawkins also wore gold chain necklaces during games until

1300-474: The Sixers take the first two games before the Trail Blazers won the next four to win the series in six games. In the second game of the series, Dawkins got into a fight with Maurice Lucas , resulting in both players being ejected. Dawkins took his anger out on the 76ers locker room by tearing a toilet out of the wall and dislodging a locker stall and barricading the door with it. Dawkins' role in helping

1350-477: The Sixers win the Eastern Conference championship established him as one of Philadelphia's top players, on a team that included Julius Erving , George McGinnis , Lloyd Free , and Doug Collins . At 20 years old, Dawkins averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in nearly 25 minutes per game, while ranked second in the league in field goal percentage at .575. For the second straight year, the Sixers earned

1400-433: The age of 58. The Lehigh County coroner's office announced that an autopsy would be performed on August 27, but according to a statement released by Dawkins' family, the cause of death was a heart attack . Over 600 people attended his public casket viewing. Among them were former boxing heavyweight champion Larry Holmes , former 76ers teammate Billy Cunningham (who also coached Dawkins for five of his seven seasons with

1450-645: The backboard , sending the Kings' Bill Robinzine ducking. Three weeks later he did it again, this time at home against the San Antonio Spurs at the Spectrum . A few days after that the NBA created a new rule that breaking a backboard was an offense that would result in a fine and suspension. Dawkins named the first backboard-breaking dunk "The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam." He named other dunks as well:

1500-477: The basketball team. He served in that role from 2009 to 2011. On April 7, 1986, he appeared at WrestleMania II as a guest judge for a boxing match between Mr. T (with Joe Frazier , The Haiti Kid ) versus Roddy Piper (with Bob Orton and Lou Duva ). In 1989, Dawkins appeared as himself (credited as "The Basketball Star") in the documentary The Big Bang . Dawkins appears in NBA Ballers and

1550-490: The book, Dawkins chronicled some of the racism he encountered during his NBA career, playing alongside 76ers superstar Julius Erving , and his off-the-court experiences with drugs, partying, and women. In September 1986, Dawkins eloped with Kelly Barnes of Trenton, New Jersey . The following autumn, the two were planning to divorce when she committed suicide on November 1, 1987, at her parents' home in New Jersey; Dawkins

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1600-455: The building, windows are replaced with a frieze of relief sculptures depicting the early settlement and growth of the Kansas City area. Sculptures on the exterior of the building include those by C. Paul Jennewein , Ulric Ellerhusen , and Walker Hancock . Images in the panels of the building include Senator Thomas Hart Benton , Benoist Troost , Lewis and Clark , the Chouteau trading post,

1650-413: The building. The entrance interior has elaborate marble stairways and bronze architectural features honoring the history of Kansas City. Myriad interior details include sculpted brass elevator doors depicting the four major modes of transportation that serve Kansas City, elaborate light fixtures in the lobby and elsewhere, and custom brass doorknob plates. At the top of the six story base on the exterior of

1700-427: The building’s interior design, including Pyrenees marble from southwestern France, travertine marble from Tivoli, Italy , and Verde antique marble from Vermont . Some of the woods are oak and walnut. The total cost of construction was approximately $ 6 million, which far exceeds the $ 4 million bond monies allotted for the project. The building has Art-Deco details and ornamentation. This is particularly evident within

1750-411: The choice of Tom Pendergast and other Democratic leaders to be City Manager, announced on January 5, 1932, that the architectural services for Municipal Auditorium would be divided between the firm of Gentry, Voskamp & Neville and the firm of Hoit, Price & Barnes. In addition, Gentry's firm would take the lead. The decision was controversial and led to lengthy contract negotiations. Gentry's firm

1800-443: The death of the original architect, Edward F. Neild. Homer F. Neville was the lead designer for Municipal Auditorium. Hoit, Price & Barnes , the associated architects were responsible for the design of the mechanical work (HVAC, electrical, plumbing). William L. Cassell directed that design effort. Cassell went on to start his own firm in 1933 which is still in business as W. L. Cassell & Associates, Inc. Henry F. McElroy ,

1850-419: The end of the 1980 NBA Finals when the NBA banned players from wearing them on court. One gold chain had a cross while the other featured one of his nicknames "Sir Slam" in gold script. He also had a similar necklace that has another nickname "Dr. Dunk" in gold script. Sometimes, Dawkins would also shave his head and have it oiled along with wearing an earring. At one point, Dawkins claimed to be an alien from

1900-585: The home of the Kansas City Roller Warriors roller derby league. The 2013 $ 5 million renovation included new video boards, LED scorer's table, sound system, lighting, electrical upgrades, and lower-level seating. The Kansas City Music Hall is a large proscenium theatre with a striking Streamline Modern interior that seats an audience of 2,400 patrons. The hall presents touring Broadway shows , as well as visiting symphony orchestras , opera and ballet companies, and other events. It

1950-700: The leaders of the team. Dawkins was often inactive for games as he was still recovering from his back injuries and dealing with the death of his estranged wife. In his final season in the NBA, the Pistons won the NBA championship , and Dawkins finally earned a championship ring. Dawkins received a training camp invitation from the Orlando Magic for their inaugural season in 1989, but he opted to play in Italy. He spent several seasons in Italy, playing for Torino, Olimpia Milano and Telemarket Forli. He attempted

2000-412: The next two games, the Nets won a decisive game 5 when Dawkins' defense on reigning MVP Moses Malone helped New Jersey overcome a late deficit to win their first playoff series. The Nets' playoff series win over the defending NBA champions was ranked as the seventh-greatest playoff upset by Sports Illustrated. Despite Dawkins averaging 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the following series against

2050-671: The planet Lovetron, where he spent the off-season practicing "interplanetary funkmanship" where his girlfriend Juicy Lucy lived. Musician Stevie Wonder , who frequently attended Sixers games, gave Dawkins the nickname " Chocolate Thunder ". Following his NBA career, Dawkins had a brief stint with the Harlem Globetrotters , followed by a season spent with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association in

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2100-642: The top seed in the Eastern Division and advanced to the conference finals, but they were defeated by the Washington Bullets in six games. Prior to the 1978–79 season, Philadelphia traded McGinnis to the Denver Nuggets , clearing the way for Dawkins to be a permanent frontcourt starter. Over the next three seasons, Dawkins and Caldwell Jones split time at the center and power forward positions. In 1979–80, he averaged 14.7 points and

2150-425: Was fond of the young Darryl and personally raised him. As a 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) senior at Maynard Evans High School in Orlando, Florida , Dawkins averaged 32 points and 21 rebounds to lead his team to the state championship. He was heavily recruited by Division I colleges across the country, and he narrowed his choices to Florida State , Kansas , and Kentucky . Dawkins opted to directly enter

2200-654: Was in Utah with his team at the time. In 1988, Dawkins married a former Nets cheerleader, Robbin Thornton; they divorced after 10 years. Dawkins later remarried; he and his wife, Janice, had three children: Nick, Alexis, and Tabitha, a daughter from Janice's previous relationship who has Down syndrome . In 1999, Saturday Night Live named Dawkins the "Man of the Millennium" in a Weekend Update sketch. Dawkins died on August 27, 2015, in Allentown, Pennsylvania , at

2250-564: Was much smaller, while Hoit, Price & Barnes were known for their work in designing the Kansas City Power and Light Building , an Art Deco skyscraper completed in 1931; the 32-story Fidelity Bank Building at 909 Walnut ; Corinthian Hall ; and many more Kansas City buildings and residences. Municipal Auditorium, however, was a public project and Gentry, whose father had been a prominent Democratic politician in Independence,

2300-494: Was sculpted by Lorenzo Ghiglieri . The top floor features an observation deck. Darryl Dawkins As coach: Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association 's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets , although he also played briefly for

2350-496: Was supplied by then-political boss Tom Pendergast . Its location has served as the center of city government since 1937. When it was completed, it was the tallest building in the city. It is currently the third-tallest building in the city and one of the tallest city halls in the United States. The exterior features Indiana limestone. An underground parking garage extends under the south lawn. Several types of marble enhance

2400-642: Was the main hall of the Kansas City Philharmonic for several decades. It's also the home of the 1927 Robert-Morton Theatre Pipe Organ that originally was in the Midland Theatre . The organ is owned and maintained by Kansas City Theatre Pipe Organ, Inc. The Little Theatre is an elegant octagonal ballroom with a capacity for 400, or banquet seating for 225 available for catered events, and a private balcony room for up to 36 guests. Kansas City City Hall Kansas City City Hall

2450-615: Was the preference of the Pendergast machine. According to Neville, there was little interference with the building's design. When the building opened in 1935, the Architectural Record called it "one of the 10 best buildings of the world that year". In 2000, the Princeton Architectural Press called it one of the 500 most important architectural works in the United States. Municipal Auditorium

2500-533: Was traded to the Utah Jazz in a seven-player, three-team trade during the 1987 offseason. His tenure with Utah lasted just four games before the Jazz traded him to the Detroit Pistons for a pair of second-round draft picks and an undisclosed amount of cash. Dawkins' personality was a natural fit on the " Bad Boys " Pistons team, and despite being limited to 14 games over two seasons, he was considered to be one of

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