Holiday Inn Express Opens in Historic Interstate Building

By Kevin Collison

The historic Interstate Building at 417 E. 13th St. has reopened as a 73-room Holiday Inn Express, a $9.5 million project that took four years to complete.

The seven-story building was built in 1915 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

It opened for business last month, according to General Manager Michele Torres, adding the economy hotel already taken advantage of its location a half block east of the Sprint Center.

“Concert goers are a big part of the attraction,” Torres said. “This weekend, we also expect a lot of Chiefs fans, which will be exciting.”

The project was done by developer Mark Patel, who purchased the mostly-vacant building in late 2014.

Michele Torres, general manager of the new Holiday Inn Express.

Patel also redeveloped the historic Gumbel Building at 801 Walnut St. into a Hampton Inn, and is planning to renovate the historic Palace Clothing Building at 12th and Grand into a Canopy by Hilton hotel.

“This building is over 100 years old and that’s something we embrace,” Torres said. “Kansas City is rich in history with the Underground Railroad and boot-legging…if those walls could tell stories.”

The Inter-State building, its original spelling, was designed by James C. Sunderland in the Chicago style, according go its National Historic Register application. One of its first major tenants was the federal Interstate Commerce Commission.

Four years after the Inter-State opened, the similar looking Mutual Building was completed in 1919 immediately to the west.

The new hotel features a fitness center, breakfast nook where a full breakfast is served guests, a business center and a small conference room. The base rate for a room is $169, but when vacancies are high, rooms are available for as low as $119.

When full staffed, it will employ 25- to 30 people. A 70-space valet parking lot is located behind the hotel, and additional spaces are available to guests depending on the demand.

The Sprint Center is visible a half block away from the hotel’s rear entrance.

The Holiday Inn Express lobby includes a business center and free breakfast room for guests.