CitySceneKC
Rightfully Sewn Shifts to Producing Fabric Masks to Help Healthcare Workers
By Kevin Collison Rightfully Sewn, the Crossroads workshop for training seamstresses, has shifted from making fashion wear to producing protective masks for healthcare workers encountering shortfalls during the Covid-19 pandemic. The nonprofit plans to make 20,000 fabric masks based, in part, on a pattern released by the Deaconess Health System of Evansville, Ind. And while…
Potential River Market Apartment Deal Would Include Affordable Units
(Updated Aug. 12: The city and Port KC have prepared an updated request for proposals for the City Market property where an apartment development is contemplated: By Kevin Collison An approximately 250-unit apartment project that would include affordable housing is being contemplated for a public parking lot northwest of Fifth and Main next to the…
CID Workers on Front Line Sanitizing Public Spaces During Covid Crisis
By Kevin Collison The “bumble bees” who’ve come to symbolize the greater commitment to the safety and maintenance of downtown have taken on a new role–the frontline in sanitizing transit stations and other public spaces during the Covid-19 crisis. “We want our team to be part of the fight against the spread of the coronavirus…
Downtown Apartment Life During Covid, Has Somebody Sneezed in that Elevator?
By Kevin Collison John Pryor has it better than many dealing with the unique living challenges posed for downtown apartment dwellers during the current Covid-19 crisis. “It’s gives us a little more cabin fever,” said the Two Light resident and downtown business owner. “The apartments are extremely nice, but small for a family with a…
Port KC Issues Creative Challenge for Derelict Riverfront Wharf
By Kevin Collison When things got tough for artists during the Depression, Washington hired many to paint murals and take photographs through the New Deal’s Public Works of Arts Project. Now, Jon Stephens, president and CEO of Port KC, is pursuing a similar idea, albeit on a much smaller scale. He’s inviting local artists struggling…
Downtown Homeless Agencies Team to Serve Meals Despite Flooding and Virus Woes
By Kevin Collison First, a broken water pipe in early February forced NourishKC out of its dining room where it served lunch for up to 425 homeless and poor people daily. The agency found temporary refuge with Morning Glory Ministries, which provides breakfast to about 150 homeless each morning at the community center of Cathedral…
New Garment District Concert Series Planned–After Virus Fears Calm
A new monthly concert series at Garment District Place that will feature local musicians and students from the Crossroads Preparatory Academy is in the works once the all-clear is given for public health restrictions prompted by the coronavirus endemic. Organizers of the “Garment District Grooves” concert series had hoped to begin in April, but the…
Revised Waddell & Reed HQ Design Gets Thumbs Down from Neighborhood
By Kevin Collison The designer of the Waddell & Reed headquarters project has returned to the city with a revised plan that adds a small commercial space to the southeast corner of the building in the works for 1400 Baltimore. But it’s not enough for critics who note the project, as previously designed, offered only…
Lightwell Lands Two Tech Tenants
The lightwell office tower, formerly City Center Square, has landed two tech-oriented tenants: the Kansas City Tech Council and PayIt, a digital payment platform founded locally in 2013. PayIt is relocating from 1812 Broadway and plans to lease 23,000 square feet this June in the 30-story building currently being renovated at 12th and Main. The…
New O’Neil Bridge Still May See Occasional Backups for I-35 Traffic
(Updated Feb. 5, 2021. A joint venture that includes Massman Co., Clarkson Construction Co. and HNTB Corp. has been selected to build the replacement Buck O’Neil Bridge, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced this week. Work on the $220 million project will begin this fall and is expected to be completed by late fall of…