This tall tower at Unity Village wasn’t just pretty, it had a job to do

At first, Unity Farm was just what the name implied—a 53-acre parcel a few miles north of Lee’s Summit along US 50. A place where members of Unity, the spiritual movement founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in downtown Kansas City, could grow crops and enjoy the outdoors.

By the 1920s, new structures began to appear on the site, most notably the Unity Tower and Silent Unity Building. The Fillmore’s son, Rickert, chose a modified Italian Renaissance design for the tower, which .rose 165 feet above the farm fields around it.

But its exotic looks weren’t the whole story. Along with offices and a radio station, the tower (or campanile as it was called at the time) held a huge water tank to serve the cause in a practical way.

Activity at Unity Farm slowed during the Great Depression, but picked up speed after the end of World War II. In fact by 1949, the church had moved the entire operation there.

With the acquisition of neighboring lands, the tract grew to 1200 acres. And in 1953, Jackson County officially incorporated it as Unity Village.

The new town became home to the Unity School of Christianity, Unity World Headquarters, the Daily Word and “The Word From Unity,” which was broadcast for decades on radio and television stations around the globe.

These days, visitors to Unity Village are met with a worldly blend of architectural styles. Some buildings bear Mediterranean touches, while others resemble cottages found in the English countryside. Elaborate gardens add waves of green, and a large labyrinth made with stones invites quiet meditation.

In 2011, deteriorating conditions at Unity Tower led to a major overhaul both inside and out. It reopened two years and millions of dollars later, with a new prayer garden encircling its base.

And yes, that 100,000 gallon tank between the 7th floor and the old observation deck still holds water.

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