KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- When the mansion that houses the Kansas City Museum was built, the cooling system was open windows.
Today, those renovating on the 100-year-old building had to figure out a better way to cool it that would preserve artifacts in the museum.
They couldn't just put several air conditioning units in the windows of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The solution: dig a 30-by-26 foot hole and bury a large cooling tower.
Todd Sharbono, managing engineer of the museum, told The Kansas City Star that it was the best solution contractors could devise. He says the cooling tower would be too loud and intrusive above ground.
It's all part of a multimillion dollar renovation being paid for with public money.
Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com