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
Historic Palace Clothing Co. Building Finding New Future as Boutique Hotel
By Kevin Collison The historic Palace Clothing Co. building at 12th and Grand is slated to become a 110-room Canopy by Hilton boutique hotel, the latest entry to the booming downtown hospitality market. The planned $30 million renovation is being done by Mark Patel, a developer who also redeveloped the historic Gumbel Building into a…
New YMCA Coming Downtown After 37-Year Absence, Work Starts Friday
By Kevin Collison A new downtown YMCA, a huge civic endeavor in the making for seven years, is scheduled to kickoff construction Friday in the former Lyric Theater building with completion expected in spring 2021. The $35 million Y will incorporate the front facade and lobby of the historic theater at 1029 Central and build…
The Grand Adds Sixties Modern Cool to Downtown Living
By Kevin Collison The Grand, one of downtown’s biggest historic preservation projects ever, opens this week following a $65 million renovation that’s transformed a 1962 office tower into a stylish “Sixties Modern” living environment. The 201 apartments in the former Traders National Bank Building at 1125 Grand are 20 percent pre-leased and interest has been…
Folk Alliance Welcomed to New Crossroads Digs
By Kevin Collison The Folk Alliance dedicated its new home in the Crossroads Arts District Thursday and the international music organization was welcomed by Mayor Sly James for its contribution to Kansas City’s cultural scene. “We appreciate the rich artistic and cultural history of this city,” the mayor said. “One of the great things to…
Mulberry Lofts Opens in Historic Garment District Building
By Kevin Collison Mulberry Lofts, the latest downtown historic renovation project at 905 Broadway, has come to fruition with half of its 25 apartments already leased two weeks after the first residents began moving in. Developer Andrew Bolton, a New Yorker who relocated to Kansas City while pursuing the $8 million project, has blended the…
Dinosaurs a Huge Hit at Union Station, Attendance Breaks 100,000
(Editor’s note: Union Station announced Wednesday (Jan. 2) that “Dinosaurs Revealed: Journey Across America” will extend through the 2019 Spring Break season. It was originally scheduled to close Sunday and will now remain open until March 24.) By Kevin Collison Dinosaurs Revealed!, Union Station’s first foray into creating its own major exhibition, has torn through…
Historic Board of Education Building Listed as ‘Place in Peril’ by State Preservation Group
By Kevin Collison The former Board of Education building at 1211 McGee, slated for demolition under a now-withdrawn Drury Hotel proposal, has been listed as one of 15 “Places in Peril” in Missouri by a prominent state historic preservation group. The Board of Ed building, completed in 1960, is the only Kansas City building included…
Hospital Hill Construction Boom Continues with $70M University Health 2 Project
By Kevin Collison The building boom at what’s now being branded the “UMKC Health Sciences District” aka Hospital Hill is continuing with the kickoff of the $70 million University Health 2 project. The 80,000 square-foot facility will accommodate women’s care and primary care services currently in Truman Medical Center, freeing hospital space to expand its…
End of River Market Era, Pioneering Developer Dana Gibson Sells Holdings
By Kevin Collison Dana Gibson, who along with Mel Mallin began developing residential projects in the River Market in 1984, has sold his holdings, the final chapter in a downtown revival story that began in the rubble of what was once known as the River Quay. Gibson recalled the area was a wasteland when they…
Made in KC Artisan Cooperative Pulling Into the River Market
By Kevin Collison Made in Kansas City is pulling into the River Market, occupying the vintage streetcar permanently parked at the corner of Fifth and Delaware. The new outlet, the cooperative’s third downtown location, is expected to open in January and include the eclectic mix of locally-made products that has made the venture a success…