OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

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KC_JAYHAWK
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KC_JAYHAWK »

Does anybody know if this project is going to take off again? It's depressing seeing that Hotel in such disrepair. I really hope the developer does not give up on the project and they decide to demolish the building as Udris would prefer. That entire area is such an embarrassment for the city.

Also, how long has the Empire Theatre been closed and what exactly was it when it was first built. If anybody has any pics of the building when it was first built, that would be really interesting to see. I hope HOB revisists that building and puts a restaurant/music venue in there. That could really add some excitement to the area. Right now, it's only purpose is a place for pigeons to crap on.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KC_JAYHAWK »

Read yesterday that the owner of the Empire Theatre is trying to get some money from the Bond Issue to help tear down the building. I guess the owner is not having any success finding a developer willing to risk putting so much money into re-habbing this project. This is bad news IMO. If only the Hotel President would start moving forward again, this block could have some success.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KCPowercat »

Hopefully President will get the funding it needs soon to get moving...hate to see it stall, that's a big project.

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Post by macnw »

Tearing down the theater would be a huge mistake. This is a piece of KC history. Hopefully, people can look beyond the way the theater looks currently and see the potential of this property. I remember going to the Empire when this was the "place" to see movies. It used to be really beautiful inside, kinda like the old Uptown theater.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KCDevin »

how good is this project for downtown? :)
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KCPowercat »

From the sounds of it, the TIF commission is going to put some serious pressure on Jury and the project by theatening to pull funding if a new loan isn't found SOON......

Jury lost a loan from a company that has now disappeared and keeps promising that he's close to another lender....

The delay in this project is delaying any future renovations of the P&L building, the owners say.....they want renovations to go on or the hotel to be knocked down before they do anything......so this needs to get resolved one way or another.

Maybe Urdis wasn't so off by stating that the building should be knocked down.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by Midtownkid »

NO!!!! save the president! It is a great example of 1920's Kansas City School architecture and it should be saved. I do think that work really needs to start up again though. Maybe the building should be more lofts instead of a hotel though.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by dangerboy »

You can't renovate it if no one wants to lend money to the project. That was Udris's argument - the building was so far gone that any renovation would be too expensive to recoup a profit, or even just break even.

While it would be great if something could be worked out to save the building, the problem is that it its presence is impeding progress on other projects, like the Power and Light Building. We need to weigh the value of saving this one building versus the need to save the rest of Downtown. At what point does waiting on redevelopment of The President become too costly in terms of the damage done to the rest of the area?
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KCPowercat »

I like the TIF commissions stand on this one...they've given plenty of time, it's time to set a deadline for Jury....we'd all like to see it turned into a hotel but if funding can't be found, then something needs to be done to keep the rest of the SoLo area from being held up.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by tat2kc »

Both buildings are incredible, and would add a lot of character to downtown. But there is only so much time that one can devote to this. I agree with historic preservationists who campaign to save structures like these two buildings. But desire to save the buildings does not automatically mean that money will appear. The developers need to come up with money soon or they need to bite the bullet and tear em down.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by JBinKC »

tat2, I disagree with you wholeheartedly. Buildings like the President Hotel and Empire Theatre aren't built anymore. They are treasures to our city and their existence shouldn't be taken lightly. You tear them down and you get a steel and glass structure in their place. Or maybe a park, or a surface parking lot. Also, I've heard a few people mention these buildings are hindering progress. I'm sorry, but right now this just isn't true. Nothing is happening on that side of downtown. Maybe if/when the arena comes along you could say they are hindering progress, but chances are when something finally pops up in that area the demand for making something out of these two structures will appear too. There is nothing else around them to drive their development. From an investors view point there is currently nothing solid in that area to warrant the money these will take to restore. Maybe an arena will be there. Maybe more lofts will pop up. Maybe there will be a tourism district. Once all of this evantually gets rolling we will be thrilled to have such a great opportunity for these two great pieces of bygone architecture. Don't be shortsighted, just imagine what great assets these two buildings could be if they were integrated into a whole "tourism district." These buildings are (can be) aesthetically pleasing and will create a nice balance to whatever ends up being their neighbor.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by Electric_Cactus »

Very well said! I really like the way you put that, jbinkc. Seems better to tread slowly than with haste.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KCN »

I agree. That hotel has so much history, and so much potential to be redeveloped. I would hate to see KC progress by demolishing its history. Surely a renovated Hotel President could be included in a new SoLo district?
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by dangerboy »

JBinKC, no one on here is being shortsighted, just pragmatic. The owners of the Power and Light Building have explicity stated that the President Hotel is the reason their plans to renovate and build another office tower have been put on hold. They don't want to invest millions of dollars when there is such an eyesore right across the street. So, YES, the President is holding up other progress in the area. No one has disagreed with the historical significance of the building - we are only saying that it may be at the point where the cost to save it outweighs the historical value.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by tat2kc »

I would absolutely love to see the president and the empire restored. I can just picture the dome at the Empire, gold leafed, and lit by spots. And the restored drum room at the President would be the best club in town! BUT.... they need to obtain funding to at least stabilize both builidngs so that they don't deteriorate any further while looking for financing. There are trees growing in the roof of the Empire! If the owners don't do something soon to at least stabilize them, the buildings will soon reach a point that they can't be safely or realistically restored. It would be a huge loss to the city, but that's life. I wonder if the Empire's owner is waiting for just that type of thing to happen.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by JBinKC »

I understand where you guys are coming from, as I can't wait for SoLo/KCPL to get started either, but IMHO, once the arena and surrounding area comes along, the financing for the President et. al. will too. All I'm saying is progress for the sake of progress isn't worth it. Have you ever seen the book Kansas City Now and Then. There are so many buildings in that book that make you wonder how any group of educated adults would agree to demolish them. I don't think anyone has ever looked at a picture of an old beautiful building (in any city) and thought, gee, I'm sure glad that is gone, that gas station in its place has done wonders for us. You always seem to think about what could have been. KCPL isn't going anywhere anytime soon and the addition of the tower next to it isn't our last thread of hope for downtown. If we ever get to that point, my opinion of the President's future may be different.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by Midtownkid »

:D We think a lot alike...I was just looking at KC now and then and it is a truely sad book...i just hope the president and empire aren't in the updated version in 20 years
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by mean »

I flipped through that book myself last time I was at the bookstore. Sad yet fascinating how much the city has degenerated over the decades. Most of the book seemed to be, "here is INTERSECTION X in 1920, packed with people and businesses and fabulous late 19th / early 20th Century architecture. Today...parking lots. Lots and lots of parking lots." Yet nobody seems to mind all that much, present company excepted. How can people be so blind? It truly boggles the mind.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by KCPowercat »

I've got the 1st one, they've released a 2nd one I haven't seen yet.
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OFFICIAL - Hotel President construction

Post by SonicBoi »

SHB put together a book about vanished buildings in the KC area. Some coworkers and I borrowed it from a reception area for a few days and looked thru it. I'm not sure where to get one to keep, though. It is an awsome book. 99% of the examples are now a parking lot or an empty lot.
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