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 Muehlebach Hotel Bar Reopening After 40 Years
By Kevin Collison The former Rendezvous bar in the historic Muehlebach Hotel, a luxurious watering hole where Truman Capote once worked on “In Cold Blood” and bygone businessmen talked deals over whiskeys and cigars, is reopening soon as the Voo Lounge. The old bar at 1214 Baltimore has been largely dormant since 1983, but thanks…
Four Former KC Mayors Talk Shop at Plaza Library Event
By Kevin Collison It was a unique gathering last week when four former KC mayors discussed the perennial issues confronting the occupant of City Hall’s 29th floor including crime, East Side redevelopment, affordable housing and Jefferson City. The executive quartet brought together at the Plaza Library by KCPT-19 and the Citizens Association covered a lot…
Cycle City Opens in River Market
(Editor’s note: This article originally was published March 25, 2022) By Kevin Collison Cycle City has opened at 201 Main St. in the River Market and owner Joe Fox is envisioning a deal you’ll like at the microbrewery next door while waiting for your bike to be serviced. “I’m working on free drink tokens with…
Hall Family Foundation Donates $15M for UMKC Hospital Hill Project
The Hall Family Foundation is donating $15 million toward the construction of the planned medical and dentistry building in the UMKC Health Sciences District on Hospital Hill. “This new building will enable UMKC to expand its important work in equitable and inclusive health care delivery and we are inspired by the collaboration between UMKC, Children’s…
Goodwill Considers $50M ‘Opportunity Campus’ in East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Goodwill Industries has decided to hold onto its former building at 18th and Charlotte in the East Crossroads and is considering demolishing it to make way for a $50 million office, education and social service center. The agency listed the four-story, 78,000 square-foot building for sale three years ago after it relocated…
Aloft Hotel Opens at Plaza; Strang Food Hall Coming Next Door
By Kevin Collison The new Aloft hotel has opened on the north edge of the Country Club Plaza, bringing a contemporary vibe to the venerable shopping district that includes a spacious “re-mix” lobby anchored by the WXYZ Bar. “We very much believe in the unique environment of the Plaza, the experience is unlike anything else…
Fire By Downtown Freeway Latest Flare-up in MoDOT’s Trash Problem
By Kevin Collison The Crossroad district’s frustration with MoDOT’s inability to care for its property, including a recent fire, is the latest flashpoint over the agency’s shortcomings maintaining the downtown freeway right-of-way. “MoDOT is either non-responsive or takes no action,” said Suzie Aron, a past president of of the Crossroads Community Association. “All of us…
Larks Landing Downtown, New ‘Active’ Entertainment Franchise
By Kevin Collison A new “active entertainment” concept that offers affordable, easy social activities including shuffleboard and arcade games with multiple players is planned for a unique location at 11th and Walnut. Dallas-based Larks Entertainment is opening a Larks franchise in the space below the WallStreet Tower condos formerly occupied by The Clubhouse Experience which…
Mac Wins Key Support for Big Apartment Plan at Main and Armour
By Kevin Collison Mac Properties’ ambitious plan for a 10-story apartment and retail complex at Main and Armour received crucial support Wednesday from a City Council committee, one year after its initial proposal for the site was rejected. In a unanimous vote, the Council Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee endorsed what’s now a 300-unit project…
Jim’s Alley Bar Adds Cozy North Woods Vibe to East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Jim’s Alley Bar, the new creation by the owner of King G, is about celebrating family roots and chilling in a cozy North Woods-feeling place with an ice cold yard beer served in a koozie. “It’s demographic is totally mixed at this place,” said Eric Flanagan. “We’ve had everyone from an older…