Visitors look at a large photo of women working in the McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa, during a tour of the renovated building on Tuesday, June 3. The building, now named McKee Plaza, is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
MUSCATINE, Iowa – Angie Lewis looked over the former McKee Button Co. building near the downtown district in this community. The old building is getting a new life as a Kent Worldwide division headquarters, and the Muscatine woman could not be happier about that fact. “I’m just so thankful this building isn’t gone. You know, […]
Already a subscriber? Log in
Want to Read More?
Get immediate, unlimited access to all subscriber content and much more. Learn more in our subscriber FAQ.
MUSCATINE, Iowa – Angie Lewis looked over the former McKee Button Co. building near the downtown district in this community. The old building is getting a new life as a Kent Worldwide division headquarters, and the Muscatine woman could not be happier about that fact.“I’m just so thankful this building isn’t gone. You know, our grandparents probably worked here. … This will now be a staple of Muscatine,” said Ms. Lewis, a longtime Muscatine resident and member of the city council.She was one of about 100 people who toured the old McKee Button Co. building late Tuesday, June 3, during a grand opening celebration. That event was held to honor the $20 million renovation project that has transformed the old building at 1000 Hersey Ave. into modern office space. The building, which overlooks the Mississippi River, is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s Consumer Brands Division headquarters. (Kent, formerly the Kent Corp., is a leader in the manufacture and marketing of ag-based specialty ingredients and many consumer products. It is headquartered in Muscatine.)
1 of 14
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, middle, listens to speeches on Tuesday, June 3, during the grand opening for the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa. It is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is held for the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa. The building is now named McKee Plaza and is home to the KENT Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
This is the exterior of the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa, that is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
People listen to speeches during the grand opening of the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa. The building is now named McKee Plaza and is home to the KENT Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, middle, talks with Gage Kent, chairman and CEO of Kent, and Russell President Caitlin Russell.
Steve Gordon, president of Kent Consumer Brands, gives a speech during the grand opening of the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa. The building is now named McKee Plaza and is home to the KENT Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Gage Kent, chairman and CEO of Kent, gives a speech during the grand opening of the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa. The building is now named McKee Plaza and is home to the KENT Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
These are two "hush pods" in the building.
This is work space in the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa, that is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
This is the reception area in the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa, that is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
This is a meeting room in the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa, that is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
This is an office in the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa, that is now named McKee Plaza and is home to Kent Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Gage Kent, chairman and CEO of Kent, gives a speech during the grand opening of the renovated McKee Button Co. building in Muscatine, Iowa. The building is now named McKee Plaza and is home to the KENT Worldwide’s consumer brands division headquarters. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Starting on Monday, June 9, about 80 Kent employees will be moving into the building and start doing a large variety of jobs, including sales, research and development, marketing, finances and much more.Steve Gordon, president of Kent Consumer Brands, said Monday will be “move-in day” for those employees. “This is our new gathering place,” he added.But on Tuesday, a crowd of business, community and government leaders were at the building to welcome it back to the community, and also praise Kent officials and the many contractors who helped with the massive renovation project.The celebration also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the renovated building.“Look at how much potential this site will unleash. … There will be a new burst of life within its walls,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, during the Tuesday grand opening ceremony. “Once again, it’s ready to play a leading role in the local economy.”Gage Kent, chairman and CEO of Kent, used Tuesday’s celebration to praise and thank the many workers who helped in the building’s transformation. Those workers are from the Russell company, Pella Windows and many other companies.“These people are artists. They make this a great place for the future,” he said.Mr. Kent added that workers deserved much of that praise because of the many unexpected challenges they faced when renovating the building. Some of them included finding a falcon that had made its home inside the old building, finding a wall that had no foundation, and other walls that had three foundations.“We’re really happy to find a good use for it. … This is an interesting building,” he said.The interest in the building can be seen throughout the community. Mr. Kent told the crowd on Tuesday that in the past couple of years, he has received many questions from area residents about the future of the building. “For some reason, this has captured people’s imagination,” he added.During the grand opening, he even joked with the crowd about that attention on the building. He said that Kent is involved with many other big projects – including an $80 million expansion to make more cat litter. But when he tells people about these projects, he gets few comments because they just want to hear about the old McKee building.“What do I get (when I tell them about other projects)? Crickets,” he joked.Mr. Kent and Ms. Reynolds weren’t the only noted officials showing a lot of interest in the building transformation on Tuesday. Some of the other officials at the ceremony included Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen; Joe Murphy, Iowa Business Council executive director; Iowa Speaker of the House Pat Grassley; and Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham.Ms. Durham said the updated building will be a place that will draw people to the community.“You know the importance of place. … You are creating a community that people will want to live in,” she added.Here’s a closer look at that updated building:
The 41,000-square-foot McKee building, a three-story brick structure, was once known as the world’s largest freshwater pearl button factory.
The former McKee Button Company building, a National Historic Site, was built in 1907. Kent bought the building in 2020 and started renovation work about two years ago.
The renamed McKee Plaza will include 27 offices, six meeting rooms, a research kitchen, a presentation kitchen, collaboration and lounge areas and an employee fitness area.
The roof, wood floors and plaster walls have been restored. Fifty-six of the original 211 windows were restored, and the remaining were sourced from another longtime Iowa business, Pella Windows. Many of those large windows overlook the Mississippi River. Many unique aspects of the building were preserved during construction, including a bank vault at the front of the building. “The historical integrity of this building is palpable, from its location parallel to the railroad tracks and river, to its brickwork. More than a century after being built, the building is a strong reminder of Muscatine’s economic prowess,” according to information from Kent.
The updated building has several meeting rooms. They are all named after different varieties of mussels in honor of the building’s button factory days. Some of those names are Mapleleaf Room, Washboard Room, and Mucket Room.
The elevator lobby areas feature large historic photos from the building’s button factory days. For instance, the third-floor elevator area is decorated with a photo that shows a row of women at work in the factory. It appears to be from the 1920s.
The building’s walls are decorated with many old photos and information signs about the history of the structure. For instance, a small sign near meeting rooms on the third floor states: “This space divided into three rooms was originally one large room utilized for sorting finished buttons, which organized them by size and graded them into quality categories. It was divided into and utilized as three office spaces in the 1980s for McKee Button Company during the period they produced plastic buttons and operated McKee Fashions.”
But the new McKee Plaza isn’t just a nod to the past and a reminder of Muscatine’s rich history. The building is also filled with many modern elements for these modern times in the workplace. Some of those items include news lighting fixtures, furniture, work desks with computers and large monitors and another new feature for the modern office – “hush pods.”The building has about nine of these pods that are about the size and shape of old telephone booths. The pods are self-contained, soundproofed spaces designed to provide a quiet and private environment in an open office or other noisy settings. They can be used for phone calls, video conferences and meetings.Mr. Gordon said the pods and other modern features of the building will soon make the building a place where Kent workers will be making innovative products for their customers.He added that he has been impressed that within five years, the structure has gone from a “building without a vision” to a place that will do great business for Kent.For many people in Muscatine, the renovated building will again be a place and source of pride for the community.“We want people to work, play and live in Muscatine. … This building will be one of the reasons they will do that,” said Ms. Lewis.
