Civic Affairs
Mayor Wants Barney Allis Plaza to Be Downtown ‘Focal Point’
By Kevin Collison City officials want a solid proposal to revive the forlorn Barney Allis Plaza and its crumbling garage by this summer, saying the prominent public space should become the “coolest backyard ever.” At a public presentation at Bartle Hall last week where people were invited to offer ideas about the future of the…
Mayor Announces Panel to Study Local Police Control, Gun Violence
(Editor’s note, updated May 13. Mayor Quinton Lucas has announced his appointments to the study group on police local control and gun violence established by the City Council in February. “Two more Kansas Citians lost their lives to gun violence last night, surpassing the horrific number of murders by this point in 2019,” Lucas said…
Mattie Rhodes Plans New Westside Cultural Center
By Kevin Collison The Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center is nearing the completion of a fundraising campaign to build a new facility on downtown’s Westside at 17th and Jarboe. The $3.4 million endeavor will allow the 126 year-old Hispanic organization to consolidate and expand its classroom, meeting and gallery space, and provide more services to both…
Plan Commission Endorses Waddell & Reed Design, Urges Revision to Ground Floor
By Kevin Collison The design of Waddell & Reed’s new headquarters was unanimously endorsed by the City Plan Commission Tuesday after a surprisingly brief hearing that drew no public comment despite ongoing social media angst over the building’s lack of pedestrian appeal. The 18-story building planned for the southwest corner of 14th and Baltimore is…
Nationally-Renowned Ballpark Author Says Timing Right to Bring Royals Downtown
By Kevin Collison Kansas City was “lucky” 15 years ago not to build a downtown ballpark when the Royals lease was last up, but that’s all changed now, according to Paul Goldberger, author of the new book “Ballpark: Baseball in the American City.” The Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic who wrote for the New York Times, the…