CitySceneKC
Ripple Glass Celebrates with Street Art Recycling Containers
Nine years after providing environmentally conscientious residents the opportunity to recycle their glass, Ripple Glass is jazzing up their big collection bins with street art. The first bin of the series features Boulevard Brewing Company, the downtown Kansas City company that gave birth to the unique, private Ripple Glass program, according to a recent release…
The Campground Pitching Tent in Former Genessee Royale Space
By Kevin Collison Less than a week after the Genessee Royale Bistro closed in the West Bottoms, The Campground is leasing the space and plans to open a new restaurant there in early September. Chris Ciesiel and Cristin Llewellyn, the couple who own The Campground, said the opportunity to open in the former Royale space…
Three Downtown Sites Pitched for UMKC Conservatory, Westport H.S. Also Candidate
By Kevin Collison At least three downtown locations are being pitched for the proposed UMKC Conservatory, including Barney Allis Plaza, according to Downtown Council officials, and the former Westport High School also has emerged as a potential midtown site. “It’s a beautiful facility,” said David Brain, a partner in KC Sustainable Development Partners, the owner…
Union Station Evolves with Imaginative Dinosaur Exhibit
By Kevin Collison It’s a matchup display any dinosaur-crazy kid would enjoy and 125 million years later, part of a major, new exhibition that heralds an imaginative programming approach by Union Station. In this corner, weighing in at 4,000 pounds and stretching 15 feet long, Kosmoceratops, a fancy- shielded omnivore. And the challenger, at 2,200…
Former Mayor Kay Barnes, Downtown Champion, Honored for Legacy
By Kevin Collison Former Mayor Kay Barnes now has the Convention Center Grand Ballroom named after her, but her lasting legacy was on display beyond the windows of the ballroom lobby where the event was held last week. From its vantage point above the South Loop freeway, the Sprint Center, H&R Block office tower and…
Sequence Climb Bringing ‘Bouldering’ to Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Graham Hess has seen how light rail galvanized Salt Lake City’s downtown, and when Kansas City started its streetcar, he knew downtown was the place to pursue his business dream. He and his wife, Dara, are planning to open Sequence Climb, a “bouldering gym” and cutting-edge fitness center in a West Crossroads…
CID Renewed, ‘Bumble Bees’ Remain Downtown’s Ambassadors Through 2034
By Kevin Collison Those downtown “bumble bees” you see daily cleaning, tending landscaping and helping you feel safe will be buzzing for another 15 years thanks to the recent renewal of the Downtown Council Community Improvement District. The 60 men and women wearing the distinctive black and yellow CID uniforms, referred to as Ambassadors, may…
Union Apartments Celebrates Riverfront Opening, New Projects Planned
By Kevin Collison The Union Berkley Riverfront apartments, the first new project on the downtown riverfront since a push to clean up and redevelop the area began in the 1970s, had its grand opening recently. Mayor Sly James, members of Port KC, formerly the port authority, and dozens of others saluted the culmination of decades…
Kobi-Q Korean Barbecue Finds Fun Home on Resurging Stretch of Grand
By Kevin Collison Kobi-Q, the new Korean barbecue place that’s risen from the ashes of the former Czar Bar, already has found its place in the hearts–and appetites–of the local Asian community. “Our Asian clientele is particularly strong here, which surprises me,” said manager Mila Geisler. “I’m also surprised at a lot of people ordering…
Crossroads Westside Finds Success in Tight Quarters
By Kevin Collison It may be a site only a developer could love, but the 221-unit Crossroads Westside project is finding success attracting tenants with 40 percent of its apartments already leased before its formal opening. “We are the connection between two great neighborhoods, the Crossroads and the Westside,” developer Jim Thomas of Indianapolis-based Cityscape…