Pursuing another downtown attraction

[earthling]

Along streetcar line, downtown attractions for visitors include...
- Crown Center (various attractions)
- Union Station
- WWI Museum/Liberty Memorial
- Xroads Galleries
- P&L (various)
- City Market (various)
- Plenty of event venues, with PAC as one worth a visit
- Other smaller attractions

What major attraction should downtown pursue next and where?
- If new ballpark happens, needs to have various daily attractions within the district, not a stadium event only district. I wouldn't support if latter. But this is probably 10-15 years away.
- 6th/7th street lots between Main/Phoenix Bar could become a pedestrian only street with more mainstream commercial retail/attractions within base of residential mid/hirises. Probably 5+ years away.
- Delaware St could beef up into another attraction, is already to some degree. What's something unique that could go in here. Given plans for another farmers market, adding some other tasteful attractions may be shortest path to adding another district for visitors. Could become another key area less than 5 years.
-Is it time for a skyline iconic tower like Arch, Seattle Needle, massive Ferris wheel type thing? 10+ years maybe. And we may need more billionaires help to get it done.

What else?

[brewcrew1000]

Some kind of riverfront development

[flyingember]

Not specifically mentioned-
College BBall Experience
Garment District Museum
Arabia
Hallmark Visitors Center & Kalediscope
Money Museum
Legoland
Sealife

Within reasonably close reach and along Main to UMKC-

Airline History
Nelson
Kemper
Toy and Miniature
KC Museum
Jazz
Negro Leagues
American Royal Museum



My thoughts-

A keystone fountain. There's a lot of good fountains but none reach into monumental territory. One with light and music shows that people will want to visit.

A BBQ center. A history of the cuisine and the people and cultures that popularized it. A working kitchen where you can sample different types of BBQ flavorings and learn how to make a specific type. A store where you can buy about any kind of sauce or rub you can imagine.

We're missing a really good natural history museum. Prairiefire never became that.

Think of City Museum in StL or Gathering Place in Tulsa. Some kind of large, interesting inside-outside play area that can keep teenagers interested too.

A good all season day and night observation deck. City Hall and the Liberty Memorial has one but they're not enclosed and hours can be limited

A good standalone railroad museum.

A museum of native american history with a focus on the plains. Can touch on tribal movements beyond the trail of tears since Missouri was the point tribes were moved past

A botannical garden of more note (Penn Valley Park).

[dukuboy1]

I think the proposed Delaware ST area includes an indoor market that could be fun, like Pike Place Market. I'm curious to see what they do with Barney Allis Plaza area. That is a place that could be a destination for the area, given the new office building going up there and another proposed mixed used high rise, as well as W&R HQ. Covering 670 to created space there would be great. Along grand by the old Star building that, area's entertainment building could be a draw. Creating a true entertainment district that spans 18th street from crossroads to 18th & vine. Infill the area from southern portion of Crossroads into Hospital Hill, Crown Center, etc. (We are close now with some development coming around freight house area). Looking forward to all of Mid-Town finally getting the attention it deserves. Would love to see commercial/dining/entertainment to come along with the residential along Armour. Have that carry into Hyde Park. Create some fun neighborhoods. There is some of this with Union Hill/Martini Corner/East Tower. But keep that going was we move south & East to Troost.

If we could over the next 10-15 years create vibrant sustainable neighborhoods from SW BLVD East to Troost, from River Market to Waldo would be awesome. If that could be completed & sustained it would go a long way for KC to keep marching EAST through the inner urban core

[normalthings]

I think we should focus on taking better care of what we have now first.

[earthling]

^What is not being taken care of today? I'm also talking 5+ years out and not city-managed attractions.

[KCPowercat]

I think the best downtown attraction would be to focus on a street to consolidate retail around.

[TheLastGentleman]

Main street along the streetcar starter route should be an urban paradise from start to finish. Right now there are too many garages, blank walls, and surface lots. I’m thinking particularly about the stretch from Petticoat Lane to the River Market. No reason anywhere even close to a streetcar line should be that bleak

[Highlander]

I think the best downtown attraction would be to focus on a street to consolidate retail around.

Where would that be? Most larger US cities do have a fair amount of retail downtown. I am wondering where would be the best place in KC for that to happen? Other than the smattering of retail in the Xroads, I am surprised with the boom in downtown residential that this hasn't already happened in a bigger way.

[normalthings]

^What is not being taken care of today? I'm also talking 5+ years out and not city-managed attractions.

Liberty Memorial is falling apart. Steam Boat Arabia has felt dated to me for some time (they will be gone in a few years though).

City managed attractions like Science City always seemed to be in door condition and/or broken down when we used to go in the 2000's

[Highlander]

Main street along the streetcar starter route should be an urban paradise from start to finish. Right now there are too many garages, blank walls, and surface lots. I’m thinking particularly about the stretch from Petticoat Lane to the River Market. No reason anywhere even close to a streetcar line should be that bleak

Not sure that part of Main has the type of building stock to do that. It's kind of an awkward area with big residential or office buildings south and surface lots further north. Grand (despite the lack of a streetcar) would be the better locale or Main south from the P&L District into the Crossroads.

[moderne]

A regional history museum in the north loop on Main. The exhibits going in Corinthian Hall will only be a brief outline. The old exhibits only went from prehistory to the end of the 19th century. The renovated museum will re-open the third floor, but the first will not contain any history other than that of the mansion. The KC Museum owns vast treasures and everyday objects from every era stored in the caves. Something at least as good as the Kansas History Museum in Topeka or the even better one in Madison Wisconsin.
Penn Valley park does not have enough acreage for a botanical garden, but a history museum could be put in mined out caverns beneath.
Rather than something lifeless 5 months a year such as fountains or gardens, some sort of winter garden. Giant green houses with tropical rain forest and desert biomes would be a great place to go in the winter, especially for those unable to take winter vacations. It would have to be placed where no future buildings could shade it, as the current possible future at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden conservatories is threatening..

[KCPowercat]

I think the best downtown attraction would be to focus on a street to consolidate retail around.

Where would that be? Most larger US cities do have a fair amount of retail downtown. I am wondering where would be the best place in KC for that to happen? Other than the smattering of retail in the Xroads, I am surprised with the boom in downtown residential that this hasn't already happened in a bigger way.

I don't have a site picked out. Delaware in RM is kind of trying. McGee at 28th? Somewhere with friendly owners that can agree on a common vision. Even try and pull current retail smattered across downtown to one spot. As we have seen with the east crossroads, clustering of common theme helps everybody succeed.

[earthling]

^Would like to see 8th street from streetcar stop to Phoenix developed as pedestrian only street, retail at base of residential buildings (and office hotel mixed as conditions right). And yeah, it takes a vision for entire stretch to occur. Harder to do with multiple owners of properties but could City have a master plan for it?

[KCPowercat]

Yeah like that stretch too.

[missingkc]

I would like to see the Nelson create a downtown showplace for their world class photography collection. It would serve both as a draw in its own right and as an advertisement for the main museum to people who might not make it there from downtown.

I would like to see venues providing opportunities for physical activities - skateboarding (my use of this term probably tells how old I am), ziplining, climbimg. Those might not be along Main Street but in PVP and the west bluffs.

[DaveKCMO]

I think the best downtown attraction would be to focus on a street to consolidate retail around.

9th!

[flyingember]

^What is not being taken care of today? I'm also talking 5+ years out and not city-managed attractions.

Liberty Memorial is falling apart. Steam Boat Arabia has felt dated to me for some time (they will be gone in a few years though).

City managed attractions like Science City always seemed to be in door condition and/or broken down when we used to go in the 2000's

The Liberty Memorial is falling apart? That would be news to the memorial staff since it's open to go up.

The city doesn't manage Science City. The 2000s was more than a decade ago....

It's as if you're complaining about places you don't actually visit or know much about.

[KCPowercat]

Liberty memorial overall isn't in great shape.

[TheLastGentleman]

The liberty memorial tower is in good shape, but the grounds are pretty rough. Lots of damaged stonework and landscaping.

Science city recently got a multi million dollar expansion and is doing well by all accounts