Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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WSPanic
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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Copaken Brooks and Dean Realty Co. announced a joint venture Monday on 1.6 million square feet of infill land in Downtown, including two business parks.

The portfolio includes Cambridge Business Park and Downtown Business Park, as well as Downtown Underground, a 700,000-square-foot underground warehouse beneath Downtown Business Park, according to a release from Copaken Brooks.

The 150-acre portfolio includes 29 buildings and 40 acres of vacant land that will be developed. Right now, it is occupied by a 110 tenants, according to the release. Copaken Brooks intends to develop mixed-used space at Cambridge Business Park. Burns & McDonnell will be the design-build firm for the venture.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime large-scale property assemblage that’s right in the path of new growth and revitalization in the urban center,” Bucky Brooks, a principal with Copaken Brooks and the portfolio manager in the new ownership group, said in the release. “Copaken Brooks is proud to lead this joint venture on one of the area’s most significant property portfolios, and we’re even more excited to propel these assets to the next level.”
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by FangKC »

kcjak wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 12:15 pm An article in the Biz Journal (which I can't view) mentions the Imperial Brewery as part of a new development proposal from Copaken Brooks and Dean Realty. Can anyone provide more details?

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... s_headline

I'd love to see something like what San Antonio has done with The Pearl, but am guessing it will just be a business park. At this point, anything to get the building renovated would be welcomed.

There is no mention of the Imperial Brewery property in the article. It's just a general article that the Dean family has partnered with Copaken Brooks to more aggressively market and develop their real estate portfolio.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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Thanks. The photo on the Biz Journal article led me to believe it included the Imperial Brewery. I've always felt that Cambridge Business Park was underutilized given it's location and highway access.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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kcjak wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 12:15 pm Imperial Brewery as part of a new development proposal from Copaken Brooks and Dean Realty. Can anyone provide more details?

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... s_headline
The article never mentioned the Imperial - it was just visible from the photo. Not a very good article, it basically said

"The 150-acre portfolio includes 29 buildings and 40 acres of vacant land that will be developed. Right now, it is occupied by a 110 tenants, according to the release. Copaken Brooks intends to develop mixed-used space at Cambridge Business Park. Burns & McDonnell will be the design-build firm for the venture."

It did have a somewhat interesting paragraph on Downtown Business Park

"Dean Realty was founded by Lester Dean Sr. In 1958. Before venturing into real estate, Dean had an army surplus business and started a Caterpillar equipment dealership. Dean died in 2005.

The site now occupied by Downtown Business Park and Downtown Underground had been a limestone cave that was excavated in the 1870s for a tunnel that was never completed. In 2010, Dean's son, Lester Jr., recalled in an interview with KCBJ that his father asked to be lowered into the cave by ropes to look around after he bought the land in the 1950s.


The cave was flooded. His dad came back with a rowboat.

“This time, he’s paddling around this 500,000-square-foot flooded cave. … And he came up with the idea. He said, ‘I’m going to create an underground city,’” Lester Dean Jr. said in 2010.

The cave became Downtown Underground. "
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by FangKC »

kcjak wrote: Tue May 14, 2019 12:53 pm Thanks. The photo on the Biz Journal article led me to believe it included the Imperial Brewery. I've always felt that Cambridge Business Park was underutilized given it's location and highway access.
Dean Realty does own the Imperial Brewery property, and it's likely included among the portfolio being marketed.
...
The 150-acre portfolio includes 29 buildings and 40 acres of vacant land that will be developed.
...
I was thinking the other day after reading that the USDA was considering the KC Metro to move one or two of their units out of Washington DC. Local economic development people were trying to nab those units instead of the other potential choices. This site came to mind because of the potential to get Kansas and Missouri to cooperate in the effort.

It's right on the state line, near downtown, and the interstate.

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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by bspecht »

New drone video up from Copaken Brooks. https://youtu.be/JQALWe-v-9A
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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That's neat.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by FangKC »

Why the landmark Imperial Brewery downtown will soon face the wrecking ball

https://kansascitymag.com/news/only-in- ... king-ball/
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by Anthony_Hugo98 »

FangKC wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:39 pm Why the landmark Imperial Brewery downtown will soon face the wrecking ball

https://kansascitymag.com/news/only-in- ... king-ball/
I’ve had a desire to revitalize this building since I was a kid. It’s beyond infuriating that people genuinely believe nothing can be done with it..
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by alejandro46 »

It is sad that the brewery hasn't been redeveloped. The location right by the traintracks is pretty tough. It's very isolated.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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FangKC wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:39 pm Why the landmark Imperial Brewery downtown will soon face the wrecking ball

https://kansascitymag.com/news/only-in- ... king-ball/
So incredibly sad.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by brewcrew1000 »

Carvana is close to bankruptcy, it doesn't mean they will shut down but lets say they close a bunch of locations, wonder if there is any use for these buildings, wonder if they can repurpose them? The company is such a mess maybe these vending machines are not even safe?
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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Could something be done with the cliff face on the back side of the brewery? I’m not a rock climber, but I could imagine that could become a draw for locals who do climb if the equipment was installed and the area behind the building cleaned up a bit. It’d be difficult to incorporate alcohol into the business though, as insurance for something like that I’ve been told is akin to putting a skeet shooting range next to a playground
Last edited by Anthony_Hugo98 on Thu Jan 05, 2023 12:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:56 am Could something be done with the cliff face on the back side of the brewery? I’m not a rock climber, but I could imagine that could become a draw for locals who do climb of the equipment was installed and the area behind the building cleaned up a bit. It’d be difficult to incorporate alcohol into the business though, as insurance for something like that I’ve been told is akin to putting a skeet shooting range next to a playground
This would be amazing!
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:56 am Could something be done with the cliff face on the back side of the brewery? I’m not a rock climber, but I could imagine that could become a draw for locals who do climb if the equipment was installed and the area behind the building cleaned up a bit. It’d be difficult to incorporate alcohol into the business though, as insurance for something like that I’ve been told is akin to putting a skeet shooting range next to a playground
They insure booze at axe-throwing, so not sure why it wouldn't fly.
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

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grovester wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 1:03 pm
Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 11:56 am Could something be done with the cliff face on the back side of the brewery? I’m not a rock climber, but I could imagine that could become a draw for locals who do climb if the equipment was installed and the area behind the building cleaned up a bit. It’d be difficult to incorporate alcohol into the business though, as insurance for something like that I’ve been told is akin to putting a skeet shooting range next to a playground
They insure booze at axe-throwing, so not sure why it wouldn't fly.
Heights. You make a good point though that it wouldn’t be impossible, just pricey
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by Cratedigger »

It'd be a sick REI store. Wonder if you could even do something with the wooded area behind it. Maybe some urban mountain biking trails?
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by Anthony_Hugo98 »

Cratedigger wrote: Thu Jan 05, 2023 3:21 pm It'd be a sick REI store. Wonder if you could even do something with the wooded area behind it. Maybe some urban mountain biking trails?
That’s an interesting concept, given I’m sure an entity like REI would demand a massive parking lot somewhere
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by DaveKCMO »

Aren't the active railroad tracks a major issue here that would impede any reuse?
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Re: Imperial Brewery (across from Margaritas)

Post by Anthony_Hugo98 »

DaveKCMO wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 4:07 pm Aren't the active railroad tracks a major issue here that would impede any reuse?
Pedestrian bridge maybe could suffice, I know there is an access point from 27th street just south of the old roundhouse for US, but access would be an obvious issue. That could also be part of the allure to a business there though.
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