Civic Affairs
Barney Allis Plaza Looks to Washington to Fund $70M Overhaul
By Kevin Collison A plan to revive Barney Allis Plaza from crumbling civic embarrassment to a showcase for the 2023 NFL Draft is moving ahead with anticipation that Washington will help finance the estimated $70 million undertaking. The City Council voted last week to approve funding a final design plan to have the project “shovel-ready”…
KC Symphony Moving to Webster House, New Movement for Old School
By Kevin Collison The historic Webster House at 17th and Wyandotte will be the new headquarters of the Kansas City Symphony, returning music and life to the building closed by philanthropist Shirley Helzberg last summer because of the Covid pandemic. “We are delighted that our Symphony will have a new home and will be able…
Waddell’s New Owner Makes it Official, No Downtown HQ
By Kevin Collison Waddell & Reed and 900 employees won’t be occupying the office tower designed for the firm at 14th and Baltimore after all, dashing downtown’s hopes for a corporate headquarters but opening the door to a long-sought speculative office project. The company’s new owner, Australia-based global financial firm Macquarie, made it official Tuesday…
Finalists Named in Prestigious ULI East Village Design Competition, Ballpark in Mix
By Kevin Collison Four teams of graduate students from top universities throughout North America are finalists for a prestigious design competition that tasked contestants with proposing concepts to redevelop the East Village area of downtown. Two of the submissions include locating a ballpark on the redevelopment site that’s been frequently mentioned as a top candidate…
MoDOT O’Neil Bridge Design Slammed as ‘Hunk of Concrete’
By Kevin Collison When it comes to the new design for replacing the downtown Buck O’Neil Bridge, mighty MoDOT has struck out, at least on social media. While the alignment and basic description of the $220 million replacement project was publicized a year ago, it took MoDOT’s release of architectural renderings and a virtual flyover this…