CitySceneKC
Huge Global Audience Views Dramatic Time-Lapse Video of Downtown Kansas City During Eclipse
By Kevin Collison What started as a brainstorming session at the World War I National Museum and Memorial has been seen by almost 1.3 million people on Facebook, a 48-second time-lapse video of downtown Kansas City during last week’s total eclipse. The dramatic video taken from the top of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas…
Quality Hill Residents Tired of Being in the Dark
By Kevin Collison When the Quality Hill neighborhood first opened in the mid-1980s on the west side of downtown, among its charms were the old-fashioned black street lamps that complemented its quiet, leafy streets and brick residences. These days however, many of the original 120 street lamps have gone dark, leaving residents upset and confused…
New Development Site in River Market Considered Potential Location for Mid-Rise Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison A massive industrial plant at First and Grand that opened in 1904 to supply electricity to the old Kansas City streetcar system may wind up capitalizing on the popularity of its revival. Veolia energy, the French firm that began operating the five-story behemoth in 2008, has begun marketing a nearby four-acre site…
Beyond the Loop Offers Alternatives for O’Neil Bridge and North Loop Freeway
By Kevin Collison The public got their first look at a menu of ideas for reimagining the North Loop freeway in downtown Kansas City and the aging Buck O’Neil Bridge at an open house Tuesday. The Mid-America Regional Council hosted a study process that’s being being called “Beyond the Loop.” It’s considered an opportunity to…
Historic Kansas City Club Expected to Reopen in December as ‘Urban Resort’
By Kevin Collison The historic Kansas City Club at 918 Baltimore Ave. is being renovated to become an “urban resort” by the Denver investor who bought the property at a bankruptcy auction two years ago. Craig Slawson is spending about $500,000 to restore many of the interior spaces of the four-story building, which opened in…
Made Urban Apparel Wears Its Hometown Pride at Flagship Retail Space in Downtown x KC x
Kansas City has picked up some swagger since the Royals won the World Series two years ago and Made Urban Apparel is providing the look to go with it. Launched by several friends with a shared passion for style as an online retail outlet four years ago, it’s chill caps with the simple KC lettering…
Ambassador Hotel Gets Incentive Nod for $14.9 Million Expansion, Work to Begin Soon
By Kevin Collison The owner of the Ambassador Hotel at 1111 Grand plans to break ground on a nine-story addition this fall after receiving approval for tax incentives last week. The $14.9 million project will add 70 rooms to the 43-room boutique hotel that opened in the historic Gate City National Bank Building in 2012….
Joe’s Kansas City Teams with Back Napkin to Open ‘County Line Ice House’ in Power & Light District
By Kevin Collison Kansas City’s top-ranked barbecue joint, Joe’s Kansas City, is collaborating with the creators of the Westport Ale House to open an all-star, Southern-style “ice house” food and beer joint in the downtown Power & Light District. Just two weeks after Gordon Biersch, a national brewpub chain, pulled out of its 8,500 square-foot…
‘Bird’ Celebration Takes Wing This Week in Downtown Kansas City, Elsewhere
By Kevin Collison The Fourth Annual Charlie Parker Celebration, an event that honors both the music legend and boosts Kansas City’s current jazz scene, begins today (Thursday) with a reception at the American Jazz Museum at 6 p.m. in the 18th & Vine District. It’s the start of a 12-day festival, described as the largest…
City Club Apartments Begins Marketing Its New $76.8 Million Crossroads Project
By Kevin Collison City Club Apartments has begun a marketing campaign for a $76.8 million development that’s expected to transform a desolate block along the streetcar line in the Crossroads District into a dynamic mixed-use project. The suburban Detroit-based developer is planning to renovate the historic Midwest Hotel at 1925 Main St. and combine it…