OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

trailerkid
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by trailerkid »

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My answer is a resounding NO!!!
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCPowercat »

Take out the HRC sign and I'm fine with it.....

suburban people would say yes...because we all know that's how you really know if you're downtown has made it, if you have theme restaurants...right??? oh maybe not
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trailerkid
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by trailerkid »

What about the arena in the background that looks like a Costco?
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCPowercat »

OK, not that exact arena design...didn't look that closely, just saw an arena and got excited.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by Good2Great »

As gaudy as it is, a GIANT NEON Hard Rock sign would be a shining symbol of some type of life downtown. If nothing else it would single-handedly increase the population by millions (of moths, that is).
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCPowercat »

if you need a neon HRC sign to show there is life, that makes me sad.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by dangerboy »

I think eventually we will need some themed chain restaurants and such to attract some segments of the population into downtown. They are one of the things on the "checklist" that many people look for in a major city. It would be OK as long as we kept these things in the convention center area and saved the Crossroads, Quality Hill, River Market, etc. for unique local establishments.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by QueSi2Opie »

KC wrote:if you need a neon HRC sign to show there is life, that makes me sad.
Alright fellas, you need to all take a trip to the American Jazz Museum and watch the 15 minute movie. Kansas City use to be covered in neon signs in it's hay-day representing the many jazz clubs in the city. If you want to talk about gaudy neon signs, look at the Western Auto Building.

Now that I have ya'lls attention, I actually like the Western Auto Sign and I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with a big Hard Rock neon sign that they have at the vast majority of there downtown restuarants. Now if the Hard Rock Cafe was on the Plaza, I'd reject to such an idea of gaudiness.

As far as the arena, that particular arena is pretty ugly if you ask me.

Anyhow... I LOVE NEON SIGNS! Look at the French Quarter in New Orleans. Those buildings pre-date anything in KC, but it wouldn't be the same without those beautiful glowing signs!
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Hard Rock Cafe

Post by FangKC »

In most large cities where there is a Hard Rock Cafe, they are frequented by visitors more than residents. Locals visit them one time for the novelty, and then return to their former hangouts.

In the 10 years I lived in New York City, the only time I went to HRC was to take visiting relatives who wanted to go.

I know that HRC's do add some cache for visiting tourists, so I don't have any problem with having one here. HRCs are okay, but I'd rather see some live music venues. HRC hardly ever has live acts. They just play recorded music.

I think it's important to have local enterprises that aren't found elsewhere. Something like "Kansas City Jazz Jubilee," "Kansas City Juke Joint," "Kansas City Blues Bar," and something named after native sons like Charlie Parker: "The Bird Sanctuary," or "The Birdcage." New York City has a jazz club in Harlem called "Birdland." Perhaps they could open a place here as well. One could buy the rights to the name of the famous old New York City nightclub, "Max's Kansas City," and open a supper club here under that name. I'd also like to see Grand Emporium, The Hurricane, and The Beaumont Club downtown.

The entertainment district could also have an area with several of our famous barbeque places: Gates, Arthur Bryant's, KC Masterpiece, Zarda's, etc.

Perhaps a Chubby's downtown would provide a local diner type of atmosphere with music. Since Kansas City was once a French settlement, one could have a nice French restaurant and call it "Chez les Canses"--incorporating our city's original French name. Another name for a restaurant could be Francois Chouteau's.

It would also be cool to bring back some of the names of old-time Kansas City clubs like Hey-Hay Club, Harlem Nite Club, Reno Club, The Spinning Wheel, Chesterfield Club, The Gay Nineties, Dante's Inferno, The Drum Room, and Antler's Club. Another cool name would be a nightclub called Annie Chamber's Brothel--honoring our most famous madame.

Neon signs do create some sense of excitement in entertainment districts. The are considered an artform by many. When visitors staying in downtown hotels ask me where they can go for entertainment, I direct them to 10th and Broadway: "Look for the neon signs in the windows of The Quaff and Tanners." Every city needs someplace that is ablaze with neon and implies "bawdy fun." Neon signs certainly make the Uptown Theater distinct.

The new entertainment district should also be festooned with some sort of advertising signs that light up at night. When one looks at photos of "The Junction" in downtown around 1906, one sees a whole lot of advertising on the buildings and it gave the area a sense of activity.

Many of the downtown buildings used to have large lit signs on their roofs (like Commerce Bank and the President Hotel). All the former Katz Drug Stores had large neon signs and that wonderful old cat face in neon.

Others were the Westgate Hotel, the Folly Theater (then known as the Century), the Boley Building, the Kansas City Electric Light Co., the Victor Building, The Firestone Building (now Abdiana), old Signboard Hill (where the Westin Crown Center is now), the Sweeney Trade School Building (now Pershing Building), The Kansas City Journal-Post newspaper building, Clemons Clothing (on 12th & Grand; aka Bonfils Building), Browning, King & Co (at 11th and Grand), The Palace Clothing Co., the Empress Theater, Traders National Bank, and the Mark Twain Building.
Last edited by FangKC on Mon Aug 18, 2003 3:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hard Rock Cafe

Post by QueSi2Opie »

FangKC wrote:HRCs are okay, but I'd rather see some live music venues. HRC hardly ever has live acts. They just play recorded music.
Maybe a Hard Rock Jazz Edition...featuring live music. Either way, HRC does good enough business to keep on constructing new restuarants. The food was far better than Planet Hollywood. HRC would be a good draw for visitors from Topeka, Wichita, Des Moines, Omaha and rural Kansas & Missouri. I've seen morons walk around with Hooter's Kansas City shirts, so I know Hard Rock could be a novelty.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCPowercat »

I'm fine with neon, I'm fine with some gaudy tourist district downtown in a small space (that would still not lose the unique areas that we already have downtown..ie. quality hill, river market, crossroads) my problem is somebody thinking we NEED a HRC neon sign to signify life.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by trailerkid »

Guys, I wasn't really trying to imply that neon would ruin downtown. Although I think suggesting we become the next New Orleans isn't really what most people envision for the future.

You guys are admitting that you don't want HRC in the Plaza because it's too tacky, but it's fine for downtown? Where do you draw the line...Dollar General? Downtown needs to rival or supass the Plaza in terms of appeal. Let's not build Anyplace, U.S.A. If something is not up to Plaza standards then why the hell would we want it anywhere else?

Theme restaurants are the last thing we need downtown. Tourists aren't as stupid as they were 10-15 years ago. They've been there done that. There's a reason why Planet Hollywood went bankrupt years ago. Maybe we should get a Woolworth's in the entertainment district too, or maybe Ward's. People want something unique, something they can't get in Phoenix, D.C., or Denver. I just think it's a mistake to put guady signs from national chains all over our city's epicenter.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCDevin »

KC used to have lots and lots of Neon signs, but that was long ago... :( We need them back :)
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCgridlock »

I don't have a problem with the big national theme places. As somebody pointed out, they cater to tourists and give them a place to go as they recognize them instantly. They also tend to spur the local places we like to patronize and are just another part of the urban puzzle.

I never go into Hard Rocks or Planet Hollywoods, but can't count how many times people have asked me why KC doesn't have them.
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Ruining Downtown

Post by FangKC »

Trailerkid, I think at this point it would be hard to ruin downtown. :P :lol:
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by trailerkid »

Fang...Are you implying that downtown is so bad that nothing can ruin it?

The theme restaurants are the oversized piece of the puzzle that you have to jam in with all your might as you alter and destroy the parts around it. And yes, I've wondered why KC doesn't have a Hard Rock, but that doesn't mean I or many other inquiring minds want to go there. These types of places are what you fight to keep out of the vibrant neighborhoods, not bring in.

Here's what they did to First Ave. in our neighbor to the north.
Insert your favorite KC landmark as the next victim.

Image


And while we're at it, let's plop this in the middle of 14th and Grand...


Image

I know I'm going a little overboard :lol:
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCPowercat »

I'm with trailer....we can have an entertainment district w/o things like HRC......I doubt we can avoid them though....
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by Royals Fan »

And while we're at it, let's plop this in the middle of 14th and Grand...
I would rather have that at 14th & Grand with an NBA team than what we have at 14th & Grand now - Who wouldn't? 14th & Grand has been a cesspool for years.

As for the HRC sign... I don't care, except let's make it a sax and call it the Blue Note...
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by Good2Great »

It would be incredibly difficult to ruin downtown. The only difference between 7PM Downtown KC and 7PM Downtown Garden City Kansas is Bazzookas!

For that matter, the only difference between the 5-story concrete groundhog in Oakley, Kansas and the Liberty Memorial is that more people are familoiar with the freaking groundhog. Our best attractions play second fiddle to two-headed calfs in BFE.

Does KC even have a marketing force? If so who the heck are they selling too?

Any sign of life, whether it be a Hard Rock or a History of Urban Planners and the 2 MPH Lifestyle they lead, is a much welcomed addition to the flea infested concrete desert that currently exists.

No one goes to large cities and requests to be taken to the darkest lifeless areas of town. We all want to go where the bustle is. I'd venture to say that if any of us were in Chicago, MN, Denver, or wherever we'd hop out of the car when we started seeing signs of life like a Hard Rock....it's a symbol of life.

Perhaps, some of you would force the cabbie to the side of the road at the site of the In & Out at 1050 Main...but if that's the case, opposing the Hard Rock is the least of your probs.
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OFFICIAL - SoLo district construction (was "Do we want

Post by KCPowercat »

g2g....are you within 45 miles of downtown KC when it's 7pm? There are some of us that are down there all the time and know it's getting life back into it.

Obviously you have a thing against urban life/attractions...not sure what it is, but I hope you get over it. We need guys like you on board, not just pissing on everything that happens.

KC could market it's attractions better but maybe it's our own citizens that need to build up KC a little more instead of taking pot shots from the burbs? People need to get a little civic pride.

I understand to the visitor, they see HRC, they think this place is happening...that a sad reflection on all of America but it is the way it is....so that's why I'm not totally against a HRC coming into a new entertainment district...I would just hope KC could be a little more unique...I mean we do have the unique Plaza, which people are still trying to copy today...no reason we can't do something a little more unique downtown as well.
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