Ceremony Salutes Start of 24-Story Convention Hotel Project

By Kevin Collison

Kansas City’s long quest to build a downtown convention hotel culminated Thursday on a sparkling morning at a formal groundbreaking by the construction site at 17th and Baltimore.

More than 200 people celebrated the construction start of the 800-room Loews Kansas City Convention Center Hotel, a $322.7 million project that’s expected to be completed by late April 2020.

“We want this building to be part of the vibrant community you’ve spent generations creating in Kansas City,” said Jonathan Tisch, CEO and chairman of Loews Hotels.

“The history of this project is legendary, so many men and women spent years to make sure this would happen.”

It was 30 years ago that Texas billionaire Ross Perot Jr. first pursued a convention hotel project for the area where the new 24-story Loews is being built. The current effort led by attorney Mike Burke began in 2011.

“There were were roadblocks, people saying you couldn’t do it,” said Mayor Sly James. “Every single time, Mike was there to help us get over the hump.”

Tisch also praised the mayor’s role in bringing the project to fruition.

“Your leadership has been extraordinary,” he said. “You had a vision and didn’t let any hurdle get in your way.”

Work actually began a month ago at the 3-acre site which is across Wyandotte Street from the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom.

The American Hereford Association building has been demolished and a tower crane loomed above the white tent were the formal ceremony was held.

The ceremonial first shovel included attorney Mike Burke, foreground.

New York-based Loews is promising a four star-plus star hotel that will elevate the city’s opportunities to land large conventions.

“Kansas City is very much in our plans to grow in American cities with a bright future,” Tisch said.

“If you look at our 75 year history, we’ve used our connections to the convention industry as a way to grow our business. We know who the groups are, how to serve them and they like doing business with Loews.”

The Shriners already have scheduled an convention for July 2020 that will draw 20,000 attendees.

CiCi Rojas, chairwoman of Visit KC, said the American Association of Laboratory Science was the first group to book Kansas City solely based on the new hotel. It will draw 4,500 attendees in October 2021.

“This new property dramatically impacts how we market our city,” Rojas said.

Loews currently owns 24 hotels in North America with six more under construction. It’s investing $50 million in the Kansas City project. The total private equity in the deal is $59.7 million.

Other funding sources are a $220 million in financing by Wells Fargo Bank and Scotiabank, $35 million in cash from the city that will be repaid by the hotel bed tax and and a city land contribution valued at $7 million.

The hotel will include 75,000 square-feet of meeting space, 15,450 square-feet of restaurant, bar and retail, a 450-space garage, 9,913 square-feet of recreational facilities and a 4,500 square feet terrace.

The hotel is expected to create 600- to 650 permanent jobs and another 1,500 construction jobs. Locally-based J.E. Dunn Construction is the contractor and Atlanta-based Cooper Carry is the architect.

“This is a really, really cool day,” James said. “It will mark a new chapter in downtown Kansas City.

“For everyone who said it couldn’t happen, shouldn’t happen, you were wrong.”

This article originally appeared on the KCUR public radio website.