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UMKC Rejects Downtown Options for Conservatory
(Editor’s note: Updated with reaction from the Downtown Council and City Manager Troy Schulte) By Kevin Collison The seven-year quest by civic leaders to bring the UMKC Conservatory to downtown Kansas City ended abruptly Tuesday when university officials issued a statement that rejects any downtown location. Instead, Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal said that UMKC will only…
Crossroads Prep Opens Downtown in Historic Thayer Building
By Kevin Collison Six years after launching Crossroads Academy in downtown with 190 elementary students, Dean Johnson and his colleagues welcomed another 190 students, this time at a new high school in the historic Thayer building. Johnson, executive director, said the charter school has grown to 800 students since opening in a former office building…
Our Daily Nada Opening in River Market, Joins Growing Cafe Scene
By Kevin Collison Our Daily Nada, the anticipated new River Market bookstore and cafe, expects to open this week, featuring the welcoming escape envisioned in its namesake short story by Ernest Hemingway. “We want it to be a comfortable place for people to relax and enjoy a drink,” said co-owner Andrea Baca. “There will be…
Just in Time for Dog Days, Bar K Opening Soon on Riverfront
By Kevin Collison Brooke Laws and her pal Gatsby had been at a loss since July 22. Their favorite hangout, Bar K, had closed its West Bottoms pilot operation and it wasn’t until this week its new riverfront location was ready for a sneak preview. “During the two weeks without this, we thought ‘what are…
Drury Wants to Raze Historic Board of Ed Building, Replace with $50M Hotel
(Editor’s note: Updated with image of a proposed 21-story Drury Hotel in downtown Nashville) By Kevin Collison Drury Hotels wants to demolish the vacant Board of Education building at 1211 McGee and replace it with a 242-room hotel and parking garage. The St. Louis-based hotel chain has submitted a proposal to the Kansas City Tax…
Ambitious $95M Redevelopment Plan for Former KC Star Includes New Marketplace, Underground Parking
By Kevin Collison (Update: The development agreement was approved unanimously by City Council Thursday) A $95 million redevelopment plan for the former Kansas City Star property that includes renovating the historic structure, and building a boutique grocery store and marketplace above a 500-space underground garage has cleared its first hurdle at City Hall. Developer Vincent…
West Bottoms Flats Starting Soon, First Major Renovation Project in Historic Warehouse District
By Kevin Collison Construction is expected to begin soon on the $68 million West Bottoms Flats apartment development, the first major renovation project in the downtown warehouse district that fueled Kansas City’s economic growth in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. MCM Company plans to renovate three historic buildings on the north side of…
New 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City Wraps Hospitality Around Art
(Updated July 31: AccorHotels, a French firm, has acquired 21cMuseum Hotels, paying $51 million to purchase 85 percent of the firm. 21c founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson will retain a 15 percent ownership share. AccorHotels owns 4,000 hotels throughout the world making it the largest hotel group outside the United States.) By Kevin…
Bird Arrives Downtown, ‘Lil Lectric’ Scooters Not Without Controversy
By Kevin Collison The Bird quietly scooted into downtown Kansas City Wednesday, a new smartphone-based personal transportation method that like its predecessors Lyft and Uber, is not without controversy elsewhere. The dock-free electric scooters, which are rented using a smartphone app, are billed as an ideal way for people to roll that last few blocks…
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…