KCRag Forum

What is the point of reusing the building if they are going to demolish the majority of it? They might has well just built it all new in the East Village.

Yes. Putting "the YMCA" in the old Lyric building didn't make sense to me from the beginning (and saddened me), and now it just sounds bonkers. What's the point? Terrible decision for DT, IMO.

Mothball the building until we can get another theater/art space, or educational/cultural facility in there.

What a huge debacle. Is there anyone at City Planning/Council with 2 brain cells to rub together?
If they are going to build new, use the entire block.
Don't leave the cesspool parking lagoon along the east side of the building.
This is absolutely nuts, beyond belief.

This project's new construction didn't require an entire block and would have been a perfect fit for the parking lot on Grand.

NorthOak wrote:What a huge debacle. Is there anyone at City Planning/Council with 2 brain cells to rub together?
If they are going to build new, use the entire block.
Don't leave the cesspool parking lagoon along the east side of the building.
This is absolutely nuts, beyond belief.

This project's new construction didn't require an entire block and would have been a perfect fit for the parking lot on Grand.

Is the city involved in this at this point? Sounds like a private effort.

As to the Grand location, I recall that was being pushed by Peter de Silva since the site is owned by UMB. I wonder if that option left the table once de Silva departed UMB?

It is private.
But wouldn't the city have to get back involved if they change the plans?
Especially when the new plan basically demolishes a historic structure?

Old Lyric Opera building in downtown KC will soon become state-of-the-art YMCA equipped with wellness clinic

...

The Downtown Y going in at 10th and Central won’t just be a place where you can work out. They will also offer health prevention programs to the community.

This will be one of the only Y’s in the nation with a wellness clinic, where families who don’t have easy access to health care can go to get tested and treated for diabetes, arthritis, hypertension and other ailments.

...

The Y received good news last week - the city council plans to pursue $4-million in state tax credits, giving people the ability to write off a donation on their taxes.

Many are excited about a downtown YMCA, since the population continues to grow and workout options remain limited.

They hope to begin construction this fall and open it within the next two years. They expect up to 15,000 people to use this facility.

...

http://tinyurl.com/ybzduf9v

Up to 15,000 is a worthless number.

Is that how many people they expect to sign up and most will show up for one activity annually or a weekly average? That's a huge difference.

What is the realistic floor? 2,000? 10,000?

This is amazing and will bring a constant flow of pedestrian life from morning to night, while also adding an incredible resource to a growing neighborhood.

As a soon to be homeowner at 7th/Broadway, I cannot wait to see this come to life!

Downtown YMCA Project Receives Key State Funding Necessary to Complete Fundraising

After a 36 year absence, a full-service YMCA is returning to downtown Kansas City following approval Tuesday of state tax credits needed to help finance developing its new home in the historic Lyric Theater.

The Missouri Development Finance Board approved up to $4 million in state tax credits, a move that’s expected to allow the YMCA to complete its fundraising for the $30 million project that’s been in the works since 2012.

http://tinyurl.com/yaxhngjz

Is a YMCA really considered a big "get" for downtown? Are they relevant anymore with the abundance of gym/healthclub offerings that exist?

It seems a shame to be demolishing the back 2/3rds of this building along with the entire interior space. Once gone, we will never get this performing arts space back.

Critical_Mass wrote:Is a YMCA really considered a big "get" for downtown? Are they relevant anymore with the abundance of gym/healthclub offerings that exist?

It seems a shame to be demolishing the back 2/3rds of this building along with the entire interior space. Once gone, we will never get this performing arts space back.

I totally agree. Terrible reuse for this building. YMCA will be a great amenity for DT, but it really should be part of a larger redevelopment of an empty parcel.

I am also in agreement. I would have less opposition if they built the athletic facilities in a new building on the parking lot to the east, and used the Lyric's space for a big lecture hall, classrooms, health clinic, demonstration kitchen, and office space. The lecture hall could also be made available as an assembly hall/stage for plays for the downtown school next door.

They could retain most of the existing parking and build the athletic facilities on upper floors above it without much excavation at all.

I don't know why Historic Kansas City hasn't raised vocal opposition to the demolition of much of the building, but most of us already know it's a toothless organization.

I'd rather they leave the Lyric Building alone and build somewhere else if it means demolition. And what's the deal with that stupid little pocket park? Is that a future location for homeless people to pee at night? And that street-level blank wall facing Central? WTF? At least place some windows there so you can see what is happening inside and some light spills out into the street at night.

Having the front facade of an old theater, of all things, almost seems like it would be a detriment. The place isn't going to look like a gym. Baffling.

Does anyone have pictures of the interior of the lyric? I haven't been able to find any

FangKC wrote:I don't know why Historic Kansas City hasn't raised vocal opposition to the demolition of much of the building, but most of us already know it's a toothless organization.

Didn't you hear? The much more important battle is a bank that has had 8 face-lifts in the last 100 years. #NOPUS

Critical_Mass wrote:Is a YMCA really considered a big "get" for downtown? Are they relevant anymore with the abundance of gym/healthclub offerings that exist?

It seems a shame to be demolishing the back 2/3rds of this building along with the entire interior space. Once gone, we will never get this performing arts space back.

Maybe at the time it was conceived it was a big get. Six years later and a lot has changed. Downtown has changed considerably and now it just seems like a waste of a building that could very well return to its original purpose with the growth in downtown population and rebirth of downtown as the center of the KC metro. I'd much prefer the YMCA going into a fit for purpose building on one of the many yet undeveloped blocks in downtown. Downtown is well past the point of having to take drastic measures to breathe some life into it.

Could've been a nice building for the UMKC peforming arts development, not too far from the Folly, Music Hall and streetcar.

Hindsight 20-20, I suppose. I was for this too back when buildings like the Pickwick were sitting empty. Now, it seems that there aren’t many old buildings left to reuse. I’m sure a bit too far along to change locations for the Y.

Looks like they're planning on saving more of the facade than originally. I actually kinda like the idea of opening up the west side with big windows between the pilasters.






But I still find this plan bizarre and frustrating on a number of levels. The reuse of the facade of a neoclassical masonic temple as the front of a modern gym makes zero sense to me. Especially since it's not even that great a facade. The best stuff is in the auditorium space itself.

I find this whole plan frustrating. It makes zero sense to me to demolish an existing auditorium / performance space for a YMCA in a new building re-using only the facade. One can build a new building on any number of surface lots downtown.

The logical thing to me would have been for DST to donate the Lyric to UMKC for the Conservatory plan downtown. Let them reuse the auditorium space and modify the office space and former TV studios in the building, and also build additional new space on the surface lot to the east. The Conservatory would then have also been able to use the Folly, Quality Hill Playhouse, Music Hall, Copaken Stage, and Midland when available. The Mark Twain building could also be renovated for campus office space, or classrooms.

Then build the YMCA somewhere else.

^ Makes too much sense.