Playing Downtown
It wasn’t long ago that “play” and “Downtown Kansas City” were mutually exclusive terms. Nightlife in the area was seen as nonexistent. Even “day-life” was not world class. At best, downtown was just a place to work.
Although that judgment is harsh, the situation is changing dramatically. The Kansas City Live! entertainment district and the downtown arena are major reasons, but so is an unprecedented level of urban design that promises to create one of the most unique areas in the Midwest.
Entertainment District/South Loop
The centerpiece of all this is the South Loop area from Bartle Hall east to the new Sprint Arena, with Cordish Company’s entertainment district anchoring the center. Within two years, this area will begin to resemble nothing previously imagined in Kansas City, a virtual Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz.
A convergence of three major projects: H&R Block’s World Headquarters, the Sprint Arena and Cordish Company’s entertainment complex.A rare combination of bold planning and imaginative architecture are key reasons. The entertainment complex may have outgrown its Kansas City Live! label with features such as 50-foot glass towers and a clear, dome-covered courtyard.
That is only the start, however. An equally dazzling theme is planed by the revised H. Roe Bartle Hall on the west, the Sprint Arena on the east and the H&R Block Headquarters in the middle. With a
similar motif in the nearby Performing Arts Center, the area will glitter day and night.
Even the details are appealing. Within the entertainment district, Cordish is planning a series of land-scaped pedestrian areas and “human-sized” buildings of brick and stone. This rebuilt area will resemble a modern expansion of Westport, River Market or even the Plaza. Tenants will include national names, small retailers, upscale restaurants and intimate cafes.
One of the most dramatic examples of the area’s synergy involves the entertainment district’s main east-west corridor, 14th Street. This urban boulevard aligns with the entrance of both the arena and the new entrance planned for Bartle Hall: a giant lobby enclosed by a transparent cube three stories high.
Perfectly planned for the opposite end of 14th Street, the $250 million arena will also feature expanses of glass and high-tech outdoor electronic displays. Nearby, the equally glittering Performing Arts Center and the new Kansas City Star building complete a new downtown area that will be unlike anything in the Midwest.
None of this is speculation. The first phase of the entertainment district will include 425,000 sq. ft. of retail and entertainment space representing $280 million in total investment. With completion of the second phase, the district will total $835 million in construction and also include one million square feet of office space and 1,000 residential units.
Convention District
The $140 million Bartle Hall expansion and renovation includes a new 40,000 sq. ft. ballroom, a new outdoor plaza, exterior and technological improvements. The project’s second phase will begin next summer. The ballroom, expected to open in early 2007, will accommodate 5,700 people. The existing 23,900-square-foot ballroom will continue to be used for smaller events.
One of the most dramatic proposals to come from recent urban planning discussions includes partial decking of the nearby I-670 south freeway loop. This artificial canyon has long separated the South Loop from the adjacent Crossroads District. The proposal would move Truman Road to decks atop the freeway and create a broad access linking these growing areas of downtown.
Crossroads District
Fundraising continues on the $304 million Performing Arts Center that will feature a 2,200-seat opera/ballet theater, 1,350-seat concert hall, and 500-seat theater and 500-seat banquet facility just southof Bartle Hall.
Although funding and design are still being finalized, the facility is planned to open in 2008 as a performance home for the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. It will also provide performance space for many other organizations and have space available for community functions. Moshe Safdie, known worldwide for his dramatic and practical work, is providing the design.
Nearby, the Kansas City Ballet’s new center for dance and creativity is scheduled to cost $16 million at 17th and Wyandotte. The facility will provide the company with a permanent home for education and professional rehearsals. The structure will be named the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity.
Library District
The recently opened Kansas City Public Library is a stunning testament to one of the community’s most successful collaborative projects. The converted First National Bank building at 14 W. 10th Street cost approximately $50 million to renovate and redesign into the 170,000-square-foot main library facility. The result features a stunning combination of high-tech services and historic beauty. The work also included construction of a 5th floor and a 485-space parking garage.
Freight house District
With restaurants, art galleries and other attractions, the Freight House District is one of the biggest surprises in Downtown Kansas City. Perhaps most impressive, this unique re-use of former industrial space is market driven and privately initiated.
The biggest project is the ongoing, $136 million conversion of multiple buildings from industrial and warehouse uses by Levitt Enterprises, Inc. The conversions have brought a number of businesses, including some of the most exciting new recreation and entertainment activities in the city. These include art galleries, restaurants, and boutiques, as well as office and residential uses.
One of the most unusual of the area’s newcomers is the Screenland Theater, now open at 17th and Washington. A luxurious, 150-seat auditorium showing commercial movies and hard-to-find films, Screenland Theater even boasts 11 red recliner leather chairs for those who arrive early to theart deco theatre.
River Market/Riverfront
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is being developed from Kansas City, Kan., to the River Market. Following the Lewis and Clark Celebrations held this summer, several sections of the trail are already complete through Berkley Riverfront Park, itself a $20 million amenity that opened in 1998. The trail has already seen extensive use and is driving plans for completion of additional sections of the project ahead of schedule.
Plaza/Brush creek
The $200 million Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art expansion is underway. The museum, ranked among the top art museums in the nation, is in the midst of the first expansion since opening in 1933. Completion of the expansion is expected by 2006.
