Film Row building threatened with demolition

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
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DaveKCMO
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Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by DaveKCMO »

here we go again. historic structure in the crossroads under attack. guess what for? a fucking parking garage. this has to stop.

https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheOrion

for purists, the building was called the "film delivery building" for most of its existence. orion only occupied it briefly in the late 70s, early 80s.

supposedly collison is looking into it, too.

one of 30 film row sites across the country, ours is one of the only ones that remains virtually intact.

the 2005 plan that describes the buildings and commits to preservation: http://www.kcmo.org/idc/groups/cityplan ... ow_web.pdf
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voltopt
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by voltopt »

I'd like to see the development proposal. What is the proposed garage for? Does it serve a higher use on the block? Would it feature retail?
I agree that there is no need for structured parking in the area - but I can't support this until I see the proposed new construction and can judge for myself. The existing building, while mildly significant, is low density and not the highest and best use of that parcel.
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by DaveKCMO »

the garage would have about 180 spaces and serve webster house, symphony musicians, and the vitagraph building. the owner also owns 3 adjacent surface lots, but this one is directly across the street from the webster house entrance. the claim is that the kauffman garage often fills up on evenings when there are events in both halls.

the plan shows street-level retail facing 17th street and 3 levels total, with the garage entrance on wyandotte.

it's important to not consider this building on it's own, but as part of the overall film row district (which sits in PIEA district, but has no official historic designation beyond the above city plan).
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by voltopt »

If the reasoning is simply a private garage to support the Webster House/PAC, why can it not happen on the vacant land to the north? That is a very large lot.
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by DaveKCMO »

voltopt wrote:If the reasoning is simply a private garage to support the Webster House/PAC, why can it not happen on the vacant land to the north? That is a very large lot.
owned by the performing arts center and they will not sell.
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by chaglang »

Who is CL & DL Investments? They own several surface lots on 17th.
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taxi
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by taxi »

Isn't someone involved in this considered an historic preservationist? Where is she?
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by Midtownkid »

At worst, they can at least just integrate the old facade with the new garage!
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by pash »

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Last edited by pash on Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by FangKC »

How many parking spaces will be in the proposed garage at 17th and Wyandotte?

Why tear down that building when these parcels are nearby? The first, at 18th and Central, wouldn't require demolition of any historic building, and is for sale now. This parcel could be the site of a community garage that is shared.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.091941,- ... 07,,0,1.62

This site is already a parking lot, and is on 17th Street between Central and Wyandotte--a half block away from the Vitagraph Building.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.092584,- ... 1&t=h&z=20

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.092818,- ... 65,,0,0.52

There is also this parcel(s) on the west side of Baltimore at 17th Street. This site has an alley that parking users could utilize to walk to the Vitagraph Building.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.093493,- ... g=270&z=20

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.093653,- ... 3&t=h&z=19

There are these parcels down the street from the Vitagraph Building, on Wyandotte south of 18th Street, that appears large enough to site a garage.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=39.091466,- ... g=270&z=20
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by aknowledgeableperson »

Why tear down that building when these parcels are nearby?
One already owns the property or has a contract on it whereas those parcels are not owned by the one who proposes the garage could be a reason why.
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by chaglang »

Architect Jay Tomlinson said the garage would shore up the Webster House’s finances by attracting more banquet business, and let three surface parking lots be redeveloped.
“This is a reasonable approach to support the millions of dollars she’s put in these buildings,” Tomlinson said.
Not surprised that Helix is wrapped up in this. Pretty slick, using SH's good works to justify the demo of the Orion building, while holding out the imaginary carrot that the surface lots on 17th will be redeveloped someday, by someone. As if the Orion was the primary obstacle to those lots being reused. :roll:
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by FangKC »

Helzberg said no formal plan had been presented to her regarding the suggested alternative garage site at 1640 Baltimore, and the other sites are not convenient to the Vitagraph Building.

“People don’t want to walk a couple of blocks,” she said.
The problem with this country is that people need to learn to walk a couple of blocks. We should not tear down our historic building stock just because someone is too lazy to walk two blocks. Some people have to walk the equivalent at big shopping malls, and it doesn't kill them.

This is among the reasons why our citizens have become so obese. We have taken away all opportunities to get passive exercise.
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chaglang
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by chaglang »

Regardlass of where it goes, does a 185 space garage seem overscaled for some office parking and the occasional banquet? The Vitagraph has been open for three years. Why only now are people unable to walk from alternate parking locations?

There are some interesting stories about the end of the Vitagraph renovation. SH had the parking lot immediately to the east of the building repaved at least once because the aggregate size in the asphalt wasn't to her liking. There were also multiple sidewalk repavings that she had done when she spotted imperfections in the concrete. Apparently none of that hurt the building's LEED Gold certification.
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by KCPowercat »

Looking at the building why can't the corner and facade be saved and use the huge garage doors as entrance and exit for a garage towards the back of the property?
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by KCPowercat »

I love in the rendering of the garage how they kept the razor wire fence on the property next to it. Always love how classy that looks.
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chaglang
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by chaglang »

KCPowercat wrote:Looking at the building why can't the corner and facade be saved and use the huge garage doors as entrance and exit for a garage towards the back of the property?
I'd rather see the whole building preserved, but creating some shop/storefront space out of the original facade could look nice. Why does this all remind me of the original Balcony Building proposal?
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by Midtownkid »

Image

Pretty boring design. Pretty ugly. We don't need more of these bland buildings taking up space in our city!!!
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Re: Film Row building threatened with demolition

Post by smh »

chaglang wrote:Why does this all remind me of the original Balcony Building proposal?
I was thinking this as well. And I think the answer is that it's another project that does not fit within the context of the neighborhood and is insensitive to the character of the building sought to be replaced and those nearby.

My biggest issue with this whole plan is how pointless a garage is on that corner and how ugly and useless it will be. In my personal opinion (reasonable people may differ) the history of the building is secondary in this instance. If Helzberg proposed a 4-story building consisting of first level retail/office and 3 levels of new apartments/condos I'd have a more difficult time opposing her despite my affection for this building.

What really grinds my gears, however, is that the city (according to Collison)has nothing in place to stop shit like this. Parking should be a separate zoning category or require a variance. The idea that you can still tear down an existing structure to replace it with parking is so ludicrous in a city as empty as ours that I can't figure out whether to laugh or scream. And with the streetcar coming in two blocks over (providing ready access to thousands of spaces) this is just more of Kansas City's one step forward, two step back approach to city building.

/rant
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