KCRag Forum

I just heard from a friend of mine who lives in the Loretto building on 39th Street.  She said that her lease is ending in July because management is turning the apartments into a hotel.  The building is used for so many wedding receptions and corporate functions, I am assuming they are hoping the attendees at these events will just stay on site.  I can't imagine the hotel doing all that well during the week, though, when there aren't as many events. 

http://www.theloretto.com/

I never knew how nice it was inside. Its just beautiful.

eclair wrote: I can't imagine the hotel doing all that well during the week, though, when there aren't as many events. 

Perhaps the Med Center will help generate some business.  There are a hell of a lot of people there with visitors and family that need places to stay and as far as I can think of, the Best Western on Rainbow is the only current handy option.  I would assume this will be a little swankier and pricier than the best western but hey, rich folks get sick too.  Not to mention visiting doctors, researchers, etc. 

That is some crazy news! I almost can't believe it? I like the idea of the Loretto becoming a hotel, but might want to wait to see if that pans out to be true.

That's a good point about the med center; I hadn't thought about that crowd.  There is also the Sun Inn on Rainbow and 39th, but it is rather smokey and definitely wouldn't appeal to the higher end families~  Yes, the Loretto is gorgeous and has an interesting history as a school for girls.  I have been to a great wedding reception there.

very good news for w. 39th street!

I've always wondered what exactly that building once was. Catholic girls school? Where's kcmetro? 

tat2kc wrote: I never knew how nice it was inside. Its just beautiful.

It could be so much better.  We toured it last summer as a potential wedding reception site.  The old chapel is the only decent part.  The rest is a very poor remodel.  They could have done so much more to make it really nice.  A lot of the old pieces from the school were stripped out.

KCLofts wrote: It could be so much better.  We toured it last summer as a potential wedding reception site.  The old chapel is the only decent part.  The rest is a very poor remodel.  They could have done so much more to make it really nice.  A lot of the old pieces from the school were stripped out.

Where is this???

The Loretto owners will present their plans to the Volker Neighborhood Association next week at our monthly meeting, which will be preceded by an open house at the Loretto. Supposedly they are going to build additional buildings on the site.

http://volkerkcmo.org/

Informative discussion about the Loretto.

http://curmudgeonkc.blogspot.com/2005/1 ... souri.html

I think the school closed in the late 70s/ early 80s, and they built a new southtown location at wornall and 125th.  (much like Barstow, Rockhurst, Sion, etc. did in the 60s & 70s)  However, the new Loretto Academy did not last long.  I think that building at 12411 Wornall is the Lutheran High School of Kansas City now.  http://lhskc.com/

EDIT
Here is an aerial of the site of Loretto's new building in South KC in 1980.  Like I said, its now the Lutheran High School of Kansas City.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... iwloc=addr

FURTHER EDIT

More accurate dates as to opening, closing, etc. 

The girl's school was founded 1901 at 36th and Broadway in a private home, but the sisters (who were more like the heroic Sisters of Loretto that assisted Abp. Lamy in founding Santa Fe than the Sisters of Loretto we have these days) didn't waste any time: they bought the land at 39th & Roanoke in 1902, laid the cornerstone in 1903, dedicated in 1904. The school thrived for a long time, but in 1964, the school moved way out to 12411 Wornall, and the grand original school was sold to Calvary Baptist College in 1966. In 1989, the facility was transformed into a retirement home of some sort, and the chapel is rented out for weddings.

Although our concern is with the building, we follow the school out south to note that boys were admitted beginning in 1970, and by 1984, the school had petered out. The board voted not to reopen for the fall of 1984.

KCLofts wrote: It could be so much better.  We toured it last summer as a potential wedding reception site.  The old chapel is the only decent part.  The rest is a very poor remodel.  They could have done so much more to make it really nice.  A lot of the old pieces from the school were stripped out.

Very true.  They stripped out most of the old interior in order to make expose the brick and create a loft-ish feel in the apartments. 

At least I'll have a nice down the street to house visitors

I lived there when the east half of the building was initially opened as apartments. Most of the renovation had been done prior to that in order to make the place an assisted living home. Therefore, there was a lot of beige, hand rails, panic buttons (non functioning) and showers with seats/rails.

The west half of the building was supposed to be office space, but I don't think that ever happened.

The room configurations are all over the place in that building. I'll be curious to see how it's converted to hotel space. Hopefully it'll work out.

The Loretto is actually a pretty good location for a hotel since it's close to KU Med and St. Luke's hospitals as well as within walking distance of Westport, the Plaza, and the W. 39th St. retail district.  It's niche could be on providing a place to house a lot of out-of-town guests for a wedding that is also near shopping and eateries.  The chapel makes it distinct and different from a regular hotel ballroom. Most people have their wedding in a church, the reception in a hotel, and the guests stay there.  This is a situation where the wedding and reception could be held in the hotel where everyone is staying.  It's also in a location where the out-of-town wedding guests can conveniently do some other things as well.

FangKC wrote: The Loretto is actually a pretty good location for a hotel since it's close to KU Med and St. Luke's hospitals as well as within walking distance of Westport, the Plaza, and the W. 39th St. retail district.  It's niche could be on providing a place to house a lot of out-of-town guests for a wedding that is also near shopping and eateries.  The chapel makes it distinct and different from a regular hotel ballroom. Most people have their wedding in a church, the reception in a hotel, and the guests stay there.  This is a situation where the wedding and reception could be held in the hotel where everyone is staying.  It's also in a location where the out-of-town wedding guests can conveniently do some other things as well.

It could also help lift the profile of the W. 39th street area to something more in line with Westport in terms of out-of-town visitors.

I never knew how beautiful it was inside. Its just nice.

dangerboy wrote: The Loretto owners will present their plans to the Volker Neighborhood Association next week at our monthly meeting, which will be preceded by an open house at the Loretto. Supposedly they are going to build additional buildings on the site.

they have said that when they first opened up. Building additional buildings in the back.

I had my wedding there last October.

A beautiful building with good prices. And it would have made things a lot easier if we could have had our guests stay there.

eclair wrote: I just heard from a friend of mine who lives in the Loretto building on 39th Street.  She said that her lease is ending in July because management is turning the apartments into a hotel.  The building is used for so many wedding receptions and corporate functions, I am assuming they are hoping the attendees at these events will just stay on site.  I can't imagine the hotel doing all that well during the week, though, when there aren't as many events. 

http://www.theloretto.com/

People live in this place?

Update from the VNA meeting... Overall it looks like a good update to the original plan that is very sensitive to the historic building and the neighborhood context. BNIM is the architect.

Hotel
The existing apartments and offices will become up to 110 hotel rooms.  It will be a boutique hotel to compliment the wedding business. They are investigating an affiliation with the Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Hotels of America.  Currently The Raphael is the only local hotel in that group.  The power house behind the hotel will become a restaurant open to the public and providing bar/catering for the event space.

Offices
NeighborWooks USA would move to a new 20,000 sqf building directly west of the main building.  It will parking on the ground floor and two stories above.  This is the biggest change to the original plan, which had this building intended for condos.

Apartments
Three 2.5 story buildings with 12 apartments each will be built south of the office building, fronting to Mercier Street.  Dimensions along Mercier will match the existing 2.5 story homes.  Apartments will be up to 1200 sqf each and be market rate.  Additionally, two three-plexes will be built on the souther boundary of the property along 40th Street.

The redevelopment amendment goes to council this summer.  The office building is Phase I in order to allow for the hotel conversion.  The new apartment buildings will follow and be finished within 5-6 years.  The project has an existing historic tax credit with the standard 10/15 property tax abatement, and is now in year 11.