Union Station

[Deleted User]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

Government revenue sources went exclusively for rehabbing the building and is complete. At this time there is no further government oversite of the operation.
You can consider government involvement in Union Station a success in that the building has been saved and fixed up. Now, it is time for the operation of the building and that is in the hands of a private entity that does not have any control by any government, at this time.
When this board went to the City awhile back for some assistance with regards to a possible sales tax election one of the possible conditions for this was some City involvement in the operation of the facility. It would appear that this will not happen in the near future.

So if you are looking for some government failure with Union Station I do not see any.

[Deleted User]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

Can you tell me which government choose the the Board that oversees Union Station?
And to my knowledge the Bistate Commission has nothing to do with current Union Station management.
What government currently oversees Union Station board? What government entity controls Union Station? Don't just say "government".

[Deleted User]

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[aknowledgeableperson]

Don't believe the Bistate Commission appointed the leadership of Union Station. The rehab was a joint effort by the Commission and the Union Station board. The best that I can think of is that the City granted redevelopment rights to the Union Station board much like they would grant redevelopment rights to any other entity.

It was very confusing at the time because another entity had redevelopment rights to the area around Union Station. If memory serves me well this developer was Canadian and built the two office buildings along Main. The developer did not follow thru on the station and that is how the the current board got into the picture.

[Deleted User]

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[FangKC]

In retrospect, the Hyatt should have been built where Pershing I & II are now, but with a direct connection to the train station. The Hyatt could have used the north hall for banquets and the like, and could have operated a couple of restaurants there as well.

[trailerkid]

In retrospect, the Hyatt should have been built where Pershing I & II are now, but with a direct connection to the train station. The Hyatt could have used the north hall for banquets and the like, and could have operated a couple of restaurants there as well.

Isn't this almost exactly what StL did...

[aknowledgeableperson]

Different developers for the projects. Hallmark did not have redevelopment rights at the Pershing One and Two locations. Back when the Hyatt was built there were no plans for the station.

Maybe with the cost of the project and what has happened afterwards it might have been cheaper and best to demolish the station and build more office towers. Just think of the numbers of jobs that could have been in the office towers.

[GRID]

I do believe that Crown Center Redevelopment had planned to tear down Union Station for parking for much of the 70's and 80's.

Thank god that did not happen.

[FangKC]

When I hear the suggestion that Union Station should have been torn down because it would have been cheaper, or easier, I shake my head with sadness.

That would have been a huge mistake. Union Station is an iconic building and a symbol of Kansas City. There are just some things that shouldn't be torn down. It is probably the grandest architecture this city will ever see. There are cities that would love to have a train station as grand.

The fact that voters from both sides of the state line voted to preserve it leads me to believe that a lot of people feel this way. I still don't believe that people in hindsight would do it differently. They wanted the station saved. People are just disappointed in how it was and is being managed.

There are plenty of parcels of land downtown to create officer towers for jobs. You don't demolish a monument for that. There wasn't enough demand for land to develop office space anyway. There still isn't. The cleared parcel would have just sat empty and unused like the parcel between Blue Cross/Blue Shield's building and Grand.

However, there were better ways to support the station than have been done to date. I cannot believe that there aren't restaurants with seating in the north hall. One wants to linger there, but there isn't a reason to stay. The things Sean O'Byrne is doing should have been done a long time ago.

I didn't mean that Crown Center shouldn't have built the Hyatt as much as a large hotel like it should have gone where the Pershing twins are now. An adjacent hotel would have generated more foot traffic. Hallmark is not the end all and be all. Just because they didn't own the land doesn't mean someone else couldn't have built a hotel. I guess a hotel still could be built on the west side of the station and share the transit circle.

Maybe one day if commuter rail ever becomes a reality, Union Station will return to its original purpose.

Many of us here are often bemoaning the loss of buildings and architecture like the old Jackson County Courthouse (which I believe was taken out by the north loop freeway); the old Board of Trade Building on Central and W. 8th or 9th; old City Hall in the City Market; and Chouteau's house on Quality Hill. A city will never have ambiance and become great in antiquity if all of its greatest and most historic buildings are torn down.

Why do you think people go to Europe on vacation, or visit New York, Boston, Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, etc?

Tearing Union Station down would have been a theft of sorts to future generations of Kansas Citians. I still admire it every time I drive by, and love that it's still there. I think generations to come will be glad it was saved.

I think the great lesson we learned from the urban renewal craze of the 60s and 70s is that you don't tear down a building until you have someone ready to build something new right away. Social policy must change so that old buildings in business districts don't become derelict and dangerous to the point that they must be torn down for safety's sake. Property owners in business districts essential to the City's survival must be held to a higher standard in how they manage the upkeep of their buildings.

[aknowledgeableperson]

My comments were more for fun than serious. However, when an older building is saved there should be a worthy plan for its use. I believe many voters voted yes to save the building but not for its planned use, I was one. Science City was a pipe dream backed up by questionable consultants and doomed by poor execution.

What would have been best would have had the station part of an overall development plan instead of an isolated building. Will see if the IRS and other development will turn it around.

[scooterj]

I didn't mean that Crown Center shouldn't have built the Hyatt as much as a large hotel like it should have gone where the Pershing twins are now. An adjacent hotel would have generated more foot traffic. Hallmark is not the end all and be all. Just because they didn't own the land doesn't mean someone else couldn't have built a hotel. I guess a hotel still could be built on the west side of the station and share the transit circle.

What about putting some sort of boutique hotel inside Union Station? Can you imagine how awesome of a place that would be to stay in? There's several places in there that it seems could be reconfigured into hotel rooms. It woiuld have one hell of a lobby.

[KC0KEK]

What about putting some sort of boutique hotel inside Union Station? Can you imagine how awesome of a place that would be to stay in? There's several places in there that it seems could be reconfigured into hotel rooms. It woiuld have one hell of a lobby.

Sounds like the hotel inside the terminal at Orlando's airport. I've stayed there before, and it's neat to step out on the balcony and watch the passengers coming and going. Beats looking out at some expressway or parking lot.

[omenapt]

this topic has prompted me to email Sean Byrne to suggest they dust off the Brilliant and World Class plan for Union Station back in the late "80's from Emilio Ambacz to convert it to a huge indoor botanical garden. Then, KC wasnt as forward and sophisticted thinking, and the biggest drawback was "where is everyone going to park?" no just kidding, but rather, "whose gonna pay to heat it?" The plan was so cool and visionary and would draw world class visitors.

Forget food courts and theaters and such..think CULTURE!

[aknowledgeableperson]

An aquarium would be a nice addition also. Plus the restoration of the planetarium will be a plus. Even throw in a aviary. Any restuarants in the place would have to compliment these choices. It is a little cheezey but a Rainforest Cafe would compliment these uses. You could still have a train museum in the lower levels with a similiar themed restaurant.

Just think, if they developed the office area correctly just think what kind of an office building that would be.

[KCPowercat]

whatever happened to the talk of the harvey house coming back. An all night institution like that would be awesome.

[ComandanteCero]

I would say do a combined aquarium/botanical garden on the main level, the science city space and the former waiting room hall would have more than enough space for something like that. While the lower levels could go to nightlife entertainment, theaters and such. that would be pretty sweet. It would especially be awesome if the garden/aquarium were combined into the train terminal thing, so that when you stepped off the train and were coming into the station you could walk by part of the aquarium and garden (right before you walk across the walkway to the Royals game )

[FangKC]

I'd be happy if they just took the north hall and divided it into maybe six to eight restaurant spaces with huge aquariums as the dividing walls. There would be an open corridor down the middle and one could walk by each restaurant space and see the patrons sitting at tables. There would be lots of tropical plants and those big baskets of flowers hanging from lamp posts.

Turn left upon entering the station and head past the post office windows and through the west doors into the lobby of a large-scale luxury hotel and condominium tower built in the parking lot just north of the baggage house, and west of the theater entrances. It is a long skinny tower with views of the downtown skyline on the north, and the Liberty Memorial, old Post Office, and Penn Valley Park at the south. It has concave-shaped exterior blass elevators that go up and down on the east end of the building which provide great views north, east, and south, as well as the roof of the station.

Turn right upon entering the station and enter the 24-hour Harvey House diner restaurant.

Here is a layout diagram of the North Hall with restaurants, seating, aquarium dividers, and plants.

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/kcpics/Fan ... ationHall2

Here is an exterior of Union Station as it is now.

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/kcpics/FangKC/USfromLM

Here is a rendering of Union Station showing the Smithsonian Museum of the Midwest addition, and the footprint for the luxury hotel and condo tower.

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/kcpics/Fan ... mithsonian

Here is a layout map showing Union Station with the Smithsonian Museum, and the luxury hotel and condo tower.

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/kcpics/Fan ... anMap2_001

Here is a rendering of Union Station showing the luxury hotel and condo tower.

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/kcpics/Fan ... xuryHotel2