Best Government Office Building

Forget government qualifiers -- the Environmental Protection Agency's Region VII offices could easily win best building west of State Line. Standing in its cavernous atrium is like standing in some modern, slightly bureaucratic version of Oz's temple. From the bottom grow trees that stretch up toward an arched glass roof four stories above. All around the sides of the open space are office cubicles, most of which get at least a little bit of sunshine. The best view comes from the top floor. Standing on the east flank of the balcony, a person can gaze off past the blanket of indoor tree tops toward downtown Kansas City and, of greater concern to all the administrators who work there everyday, the spot where the troubled Kansas and Missouri rivers join.