CitySceneKC
Rebranded Buffalo State Pizza Opens Temporary Patio on Wyandotte
By Kevin Collison Phillippe Lechevin, like other downtown restaurant owners, is improvising to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. The owner of Buffalo State Pizza at 1815 Wyandotte, formerly Papa Keno’s, recently received city permission to open a temporary, 20-person patio in the parking lane of Wyandotte in front and his introduced live music on Friday nights…
Plan to Rebuild Barney Allis Plaza Revived by Council
(Updated Sept. 3. Supporters of rebuilding Barney Allis Plaza and its underground garage hope to obtain City Council approval next March to fund the estimated $61.7 million project, the Downtown Council board was told today. The board was presented with a schedule for the proposed Barney Allis project by Bill Crandall, a consultant for the…
Quixotic Performs ‘Twilight Soiree’ on Westin Crown Center Rooftop
By Kevin Collison Quixotic, Kansas City’s premier blend of acrobatic grace and theatrical verve, is returning to Crown Center this weekend for what the troupe hopes will be a series of open-air performances. The “Twilight Soiree” rooftop variety show will be performed on the fourth level sports deck at the Westin Crown Center, an outdoor…
Covid Scuttles Riverfront Mid-Rise Apartment Concept
A big mixed-use project contemplated for the downtown riverfront that would have included two, 10-story apartment buildings has been shelved, at least for now, an apparent victim of the Covid-19 pandemic. An undisclosed local developer had been considering what would have been a project that included apartments, office and retail on a 2.6-acre site near…
Leather Elevator Lobbies? Luxury Digs Bring New Settlers to Old Westport
By Kevin Collison Westley on Broadway, an upscale apartment development so big it prompted a new master plan, has opened, adding hundreds of residents to the evolving, eclectic and sometimes rowdy blend that is Westport. The 256-unit project on the southeast corner of Westport Road and Broadway quietly began accepting tenants in mid-July and is…
Near East Cuisine Meets Westside at Clay & Fire
By Kevin Collison Clay & Fire, the new restaurant specializing in Turkish and other Near East dishes, has one foot on the Westside and the other still in Turkey thanks to hassles related to Covid-19. Chef Brent Gunnels is using FaceTime and WhatsApp to obtain recipes and prepare the menu with his Turkish counterpart, and…
DGX Opens New Urban Living Store in Crossroads
By Kevin Collison The new DGX store, Dollar General’s urban store concept, opened Friday at 1979 Main in the Crossroads and manager Luci Koan is happy to be part of the downtown revival. “I feel honored and so excited for all the people down here,” she said, “and I think they’ll be excited about what…
Plaza Nordstrom Resumes Work Next Summer, Completion Fall 2022
(Updated Nov. 30: Nordstrom has now pushed back the anticipated opening of its Country Club Plaza store to Fall 2023, according to the company website) By Kevin Collison Construction is expected to resume next summer on the Nordstrom store planned for the Country Club Plaza with an opening anticipated in Fall 2022, a year later…
New Combine Restaurant Has Appetite for Troost Revival
By Kevin Collison The Combine, a new restaurant opening at 30th and Troost late next month, is not only a joint business venture, but its owners envision it as a place to bring people together along Kansas City’s longtime racial divide. The restaurant in the historic Wonder Shops + Flats building is the latest investment…
Spark KC Co-Working Space Opening Soon at Two Light
Spark Kansas City, the Cordish Companies long-planned co-working space at the Two Light apartment building, will be opening Aug. 17. The 15,000 square-foot, two-level space located at the southwest corner of Two Light at Truman Road and Walnut will be the latest addition to the co-working office scene downtown. The Spark KC plan was first…