Kevin Collison, CityScene

Kevin Collison

Publisher

Flatland contributor Kevin Collison is the founder of CityScene KC, an online source for downtown news and issues.

Stories by Kevin Collison

Troostapalooza Street Fair Celebrates Unity and Creativity on Troost

By Kevin Collison The second annual Troostapalooza, a street festival celebrating “makers” of all kinds and encouraging community spirit along Kansas City’s historic racial divide, is happening tomorrow (Saturday) at 30th and Troost from noon until 7 p.m. The event is a benefit for the Troost Market Collective, an organization aimed at promoting artists, crafts…

Divided City Council Delays Vote on $133M Strata Office Plan

By Kevin Collison Updated Sept. 19: The City Council voted 6-5 Thursday to give the developers of the proposed 25-story Strata office tower another week to return with a plan that substantially reduces or eliminates the city’s credit risk.  While several Council members, including Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilwoman Kathryn Shields, wanted to kill the…

‘Lest We Forget’ Holocaust Exhibit Opens Friday at World War I Museum

“Lest We Forget,” a traveling Holocaust exhibition that opened in Germany in 2015, is arriving at the National World War I Museum and Memorial at a time anti-Semitism is increasing in the U.S. and white nationalists are fanning intolerance. The outdoor exhibition will feature 70 large portraits of Holocaust survivors, including seven living in Kansas…

‘Lest We Forget’ Holocaust Exhibit Now at World War I Museum

By Kevin Collison “Lest We Forget,” a traveling Holocaust exhibition that opened in Germany in 2015,has arrived at the National World War I Museum and Memorial at a time anti-Semitism is increasing in the U.S. and white nationalists are fanning intolerance. The outdoor exhibition features 70 large portraits of Holocaust survivors, including seven living in…

The historic Board of Education building at 1211 McGee was demolished in 2020.

Historic Board of Ed Building Sold to Copaken Brooks, Demolition Likely

By Kevin Collison The former Board of Education building at 1211 McGee has been sold by the school district to downtown real estate powerhouse Copaken Brooks in a transaction that closed last week. Jon Copaken, principal of the firm, said that while there are no immediate development plans for the 2.5-acre site next door to…

Historic Scarritt Building and Arcade Slated as $50M Luxury Hotel

By Kevin Collison One of downtown’s most historic and architecturally impressive buildings, the Scarritt, has been purchased by a Florida developer who plans to renovate it as a 193-room Wyndham Grand hotel. The 11-story Scarritt office tower at 818 Grand and its adjoining four-level Arcade, which has its entrance at 819 Walnut, were completed in…

Académie Lafayette Opening IB High School at Armour Campus Next Fall

By Kevin Collison Académie Lafayette is opening an International Baccalaureate high school at 201 E. Armour in Midtown, accomplishing a goal the French-immersion charter school program established when it started 20 years ago. “This is the fulfillment of a dream, our vision,” said M. Elimane Mbengue, head of the school. “Every year, our parents had…

Low-Income Housing Project to Serve Homeless, Young Adults with HIV/AIDS

By Kevin Collison A 50-unit apartment project that will set aside one-fourth of its units for homeless, young adults diagnosed with HIV/AIDS is planned for 31st and Harrison streets, about a block west of a reviving stretch of Troost Avenue. The $8.5 million project, called Alhaven, is being developed to serve low-income residents by SAVE,…

Sponsored Post: Whether Renting or Buying, Boveri Realty Represents Your Interest

The following article was produced and paid for by Boveri Realty Group: Why is using a Realtor important when it comes to buying or renting a place? First of all, you want someone representing your interests. When you’re looking for place to live, whether to rent or own, it’s smart to be represented by a…

Virtual Animation Released of Future Streetcar Ride from Downtown to UMKC

By Kevin Collison Planning for the proposed Main Street extension of the streetcar to UMKC calls for a multi-modal stop near the Country Club Plaza that would allow transfers between streetcar and bus riders. The proposed stop at Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard would serve both southbound and northbound streetcar riders, and connecting bus routes.  Northbound…