KCRag Forum

Posted: **Mon Nov 21, 2011 11:45 am**

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/arts/ ... o.html?hpw

I’ve never seen a performing-arts space that seems to relish its location so much, to be so proud of the city it shows off. People appear delighted just to be there; the Kauffman Center has glamour, that indefinable, impossible-to-engineer quality. It is accessible and even friendly, but it elevates you; there’s the sensation of going someplace.

It has been wildly popular since its September opening. Interviewed in a weekly local newspaper, the KCTV weather forecaster seemed to speak for everyone here when she answered, “Built the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts,” when asked to finish the sentence “Kansas City got it right when it — .”

But the project does call into question just what constitutes the Kansas City that got it right: the people or the government. The $366 million Kauffman Center declares with pride that its construction was financed wholly from private sources. (The city built and operates the adjacent parking garage.) There could be no greater contrast with the Municipal Auditorium, which was financed wholly by the federal government with New Deal money.

Nearly eight decades separate these two experiments in paying for the arts. For better or worse it’s not hard to see which is the norm today. Individuals and the private sector are now presumed able to fulfill almost entirely the philanthropic functions previously shared with government. And individuals can meet that challenge — sometimes.

Posted: **Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:35 am**

It's sort of unfair to compare Municipal Auditorium with the Kauffman Center. Muncipal was built at a time when it served as the city's convention center and civic arena (prior to Bartle Hall and Kemper Arena). It wasn't built to be a performing arts center.

The other thing that is ignored is that the City did get it right with Municipal Auditorium for several reasons.

1) It's still considered an architectural icon among art deco fans--being included in several books on the subject.

2) It was built considering the urban grid. It's not isolated physically in any manner, and has multiple entrances to the street. The front entrance on 13th Street still has an entrance similar to an old-fashioned theater, with people gathering there before and after events.

3) It's still a striking building that has stood the test of time, and its' appearance has never become "dated." Thus is falls into a classic status.

4) It's still open, and being used regularly, and it serves several functions.

Posted: **Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:44 am**

I don't think the piece was slamming the Muni as a venue, just highlighting the contrast between New Deal era public projects like the Muni and what may be a new era in having amenities privately financed like the PAC.

Posted: **Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:00 am**

Open two months, Kauffman Center displays glories and glitches

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/25/32 ... z1eujfL3cO

Posted: **Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:53 am**

They have brought back Roasterie coffee and cookies. I have found out the quickest way out is to use the back door between the halls and walk around the block to enter the garage. It is a lot longer and colder but detours the clots of people clogging the stair down to the garage level.

Posted: **Mon Nov 28, 2011 3:51 pm**

LA Times...."massive,steel jacketed clamshells that resemble a pair of sonic booms whose motion hass been arrested and encased in cement."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 2770.story

Posted: **Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:57 pm**

Trying to get tickets to go to the Nutcracker when in town. Ostensibly to take daughter, mostly just to see the place. The cheap seats are gone, will need to spend some pretty big bucks if I want to make daughter happy. Happy to see the place bringing people downtown though.

Posted: **Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:58 am**

Highlander wrote:Trying to get tickets to go to the Nutcracker when in town. Ostensibly to take daughter, mostly just to see the place. The cheap seats are gone, will need to spend some pretty big bucks if I want to make daughter happy. Happy to see the place bringing people downtown though.

Check Stubhub. There were a handful of tickets for around $50 the other day for a Saturday evening performance.

Posted: **Fri Dec 09, 2011 1:36 pm**

kccva had a discount code awhile back. that's how i scored my tickets.

Posted: **Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:37 pm**

smh wrote:
Highlander wrote:Trying to get tickets to go to the Nutcracker when in town. Ostensibly to take daughter, mostly just to see the place. The cheap seats are gone, will need to spend some pretty big bucks if I want to make daughter happy. Happy to see the place bringing people downtown though.
Check Stubhub. There were a handful of tickets for around $50 the other day for a Saturday evening performance.

I checked out the website, people wanted 200$ for 50$ tickets when there were plenty of much better and contiguous 90$ seats still available. I hate scalpers. Greedy and dumb. I have tickets, I bought them through Kaufman itself, we won't be sitting together but the price was fair.

Posted: **Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:15 am**

a suburban friend attended a show there this weekend and asked for advice on parking and dining. apparently a rumor exists that only season ticket holders can park there. clearly that is false; there are not 1,000 season ticket holders and the garage is owned/operated by KCMO. come to find out, they were able to get valet parking in the garage. i encouraged them to park first, then walk to dinner and back.

how long before cafe trio -- the only restaurant that clearly has an all-theater crowd, despite not being near one -- relocates adjacent to the kauffman? universal is still on track for the old dan meiners space, now with a summer 2012 opening.

Posted: **Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:24 pm**

Trio would be awesome in that cute little deco building east of Webster House. I hope something goes in there. Nice garage doors and all. I hope it doesn't meet the wrecking ball when that huge empty piece of land behind it gets developed. It's a great complement to the Symphony's building across the street.

Posted: **Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:57 pm**

I predict that art deco building east of Webster House will be the next Shirley Helzberg renovation.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:03 am**

It has an attractive entrance, and it appears to have a large vaulted room on the interior, like a lot of crossroads buildings.

All those garage doors!! Could even be some sort of market place.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:43 am**

I don't mean to quibble, but Deco?

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:45 am**

Yeah, it's a simple building, but does have some Streamline Moderne deco accents in the facade. The rounded corners, patterned brickwork, metal horizontal band, and the glass block designs in the windows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streamline_Moderne

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:47 am**

I guess Deco and Moderne, which is what I would call said building, are two separate styles to me.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:13 am**

It would be a good restaurant space. The garage doors could be replaced by the sliding glass window doors that could be opened in nice weather.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:35 am**

Ugh. Cute building, but I wish single story buildings in this part of town were a thing of the past.

Posted: **Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:56 am**

Ugh. Cute building, but I wish single story buildings in this part of town were a thing of the past.

They are. The current reality is the surface parking lots they are getting replaced with.

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