A Year Later, No Sign of Hy-Vee Arena
By Kevin Collison A year after the Hy-Vee Arena amateur sports center opened in the West Bottoms following a $39 million redevelopment, it’s still invisible when it comes to downtown highway signage. Signs continue to refer to Kemper Arena, which essentially went dark with the opening of the Sprint Center in 2007, and that seriously…
Big Tree “A Living Monument” in Old Northeast
After Ben Jones moved into a house in Northeast Kansas City, he
NorthPoint Plans $60M Apartment Project by Berkley Riverfront Park
By Kevin Collison NorthPoint Development is planning a $60 million apartment development near Berkley Riverfront Park that could begin accepting what’s anticipated to be up to 500 residents as early as late summer 2021. The 348-unit project is proposed for an eight-acre site just east of the Bar K dog park, restaurant and bar, according…
Hey Kansas Taxpayers: Do You Want To Save Nearly A Million Bucks?
Editor’s Note: According to unofficial results available right after the Nov. 5 election, Kansas voters approved the constitutional amendment by a tally of 60% to 40%. That means Kansas will no longer have to adjust its census figures. All the counties in the Kansas City area voted for the amendment. You might be hearing chatter…
New Playground Opens at West Terrace Park
By Kevin Collison Downtown boosters like to say it’s becoming a place where people can live, work and play, and last week a couple hundred kids from Crossroads Academy embraced that concept with joy at the opening of a new playground at West Terrace Park. While the 45-degree temps and wind made for a chilly…
Bringing Out the Dead: The Great Stockyard Fire of 1917
One of the biggest agricultural disasters in Kansas City history occurred in 1917, when a fire scorched the stockyard in the West Bottoms, leaving thousands of dead cattle and hogs charred in its wake.
Avenue Logistics Relocating Office from Kansas to Crossroads
Avenue Logistics is relocating its 30 employees from Overland Park to a renovated building at 18th and McGee in the East Crossroads. The firm will open its new offices in what’s now called the 18McGee building by the end of the year, according to a press release. “When we were looking for our new offices,…
Porchfest KC Returns to Midtown
Midtown will make Martha and the Vandellas proud this weekend, as The Original Porchfest KC returns to the heart of the metro. The local music fest is back for a fifth time following a brief 2018 hiatus, and it’s bigger than ever. More than 150 artists will play from more than 50 front porches across…
Local Pig: Respecting the Meat
The Local Pig butcher shop and Pigwich, its sister restaurant, deal in sustainably raised animals, which are a fine fit with the city’s largest weekly farmers market.
Platform Ventures Plans 2020 Start for 14-Story Downtown Office Project
Platform Ventures plans to begin work early next year on a 14-story office project at 13th and Wyandotte that’s more than doubled in size since it was proposed 16 months ago. The office tower is now planned to be 152,000 square feet and would be built above a 409-space, six-level garage. The original plan introduced…
Platform Ventures Plans Early 2020 Start for 14-Story Office Project
(Editor’s note: Updated May 21. Platform Ventures was approved for a $70 million bond to build its 14-story office project by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority Thursday. The previously approved incentive package remains unchanged. The firm plans to begin demolition soon on a vacant garage on the development site. A groundbreaking for the tower…
Public TV’s Future Will Be a Huge Tote Bag of Cash, If PBS CEO Paula Kerger Has Her Way
Paula A. Kerger is the longtime CEO of PBS, the nonprofit that produces and distributes public TV’s signature shows — “PBS NewsHour,” “Finding Your Roots,” “Masterpiece,” “Nature,” the Ken Burns films, and “Caillou” to name a few. She was in Kansas City this week on a mission, one that could be a game-changer for both…
Weekend Possibilities | Sharks After Dark, Porchfest, And Barktoberfest
Possibilities for October’s second weekend in KC include a night at Sea Life KC, the return of Porchfest and a trio of fall festivals.
Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America Celebrates a Decade
The Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America (GLAMA) has been quietly collecting material documenting the LGBT experience in the region for nearly a decade.
MaRKET ASSEMBLY Launch Pad for Unique Women’s Product Ideas
By Kevin Collison To the casual shopper, MaRKET ASSEMBLY appears to be a typical upscale boutique geared toward women looking for unique clothes, home decor and other items. But there’s a lot more going on behind the shop at 110 Southwest Boulevard in the Crossroads. Literally. The products being sold are where the branding and…