KCRag Forum

I eat at a couple of the Meddy's in Wichita every few weeks and really like it. The food is a bit more Lebanese/Mediterranean than Jerusalem or Aladdin and fresh, sort of fast casual. But what I like most of all is their locations incorporate patio dining and sometimes local music. I think they only have the Prairie Village location in KC open but know they're planning one in P&L at some point.

Metro wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:39 pm Not sure where to out this but technically it's in Brookside- Very cool!

https://cityscenekc.com/umkc-may-build- ... velopment/

I miss the Twin Oaks.

UMKC would have probably been better off renovating Twin Oaks instead of building those ill-fated apartments that were constructed so badly that they failed quickly.

Agreed.

chingon wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:18 pm

Metro wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:39 pm Not sure where to out this but technically it's in Brookside- Very cool!

https://cityscenekc.com/umkc-may-build- ... velopment/

I miss the Twin Oaks.

Sorry I don't think I'm familiar with Twin Oaks. What was it?

Metro wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 11:15 pm

chingon wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:18 pm

Metro wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:39 pm Not sure where to out this but technically it's in Brookside- Very cool!

https://cityscenekc.com/umkc-may-build- ... velopment/

I miss the Twin Oaks.

Sorry I don't think I'm familiar with Twin Oaks. What was it?

Residence Halls that were demoed at UMKC maybe 15 or so years ago? Here is a postcard!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/twin-oaks ... 139238649/

The Twin Oaks were a pair of 1949-1951, 12-story apartment buildings on the old primary N/S streetcar line (to Waldo and Dodson and shuttered in 1956). They shared an entry complex over a 300 space subsurface garage facing Oak, and the buildings occupied almost the whole city block from Russell Stover HQ at Oak and Volker to 51st and Oak, and west to Brookside Boulevard, except for the small group of Crestwood shops on the north side of 51st Street. UMKC demolished Twin Oaks around 2010.

https://kchistory.org/islandora/object/ ... 253A102473

If you ever hear a local architect joke that "we tore it down because the roof leaked" that is in reference to this demolition travesty. Its two or three spots of roof leakage was the argument that UMKC made to take down this high-density urban complex. (And, yes, I did know people who lived there and generally liked the lifestyle even with its low ceilings and deferred maintenance issues).

Combined with the demolition of Warner Plaza in 1989 (where Home Depot/ Costco is) after 70 years of usage, the destruction of Twin Oaks after 60 years of usage (these buildings were designed for at least a century of service) combined to deprive KC of perhaps 1000 units of affordable housing in the urban core.

They did have numerous 3 bedroom apartments, which are not common. The Twin Oaks restaurant on the ground floor was a popular affordable place to eat not just for residents. For the holidays the vertical brick decorative elements were strung with lights, and being the only tall building in the area, were a holiday landmark. It was sort of the common person's version of the Walnuts.

FWIW, I have a contractor friend who told me the buildings that replaced the Twin Oaks were torn down because of extensive mold caused by plumbing problems. Apparently, the plumbing contractor did not make their hole penetrations large enough to allow for shrinkage. This was news to me, that new buildings shrink as they age. The shrinkage caused the pipes to break inside the walls and required extensive repair. Some of the leakage ended up in places difficult or impossible to reach, causing mold. The mold grew to the point that it was cheaper to tear it down that fix it. As I understand it, there are still unsettled lawsuits in this case.

Twin Oaks lasted well beyond the early 1990s, if memory serves. I seem to remember them still there in the early aughts, prior to demo and construction of the ill-fated replacement structures.

Really hope UMKC pulls together something special here with a mixed-use plan + Roos arena at the streetcar terminus. It's a great location that has only improved with time (Whole Foods, housing, new student union, streetcar) and could really become a nice gateway to the campus.

^ You are correct. Edits made below.

herrfrank wrote: ↑Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:36 am The Twin Oaks were a pair of 1949-1951, 12-story apartment buildings on the old primary N/S streetcar line (to Waldo and Dodson and shuttered in 1956). They shared an entry complex over a 300 space subsurface garage facing Oak, and the buildings occupied almost the whole city block from Russell Stover HQ at Oak and Volker to 51st and Oak, and west to Brookside Boulevard, except for the small group of Crestwood shops on the north side of 51st Street. UMKC demolished Twin Oaks around 2010.

https://kchistory.org/islandora/object/ ... 253A102473

If you ever hear a local architect joke that "we tore it down because the roof leaked" that is in reference to this demolition travesty. Its two or three spots of roof leakage was the argument that UMKC made to take down this high-density urban complex. (And, yes, I did know people who lived there and generally liked the lifestyle even with its low ceilings and deferred maintenance issues).

Combined with the demolition of Warner Plaza in 1989 (where Home Depot/ Costco is) after 70 years of usage, the destruction of Twin Oaks after 60 years of usage (these buildings were designed for at least a century of service) combined to deprive KC of perhaps 1000 units of affordable housing in the urban core.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, the replacement buildings that UMKC built were soon also subject to whimsical demolition, because we like to waste resources in midtown?

Some unique color images of Twin Oaks.

Can’t believe those were torn down, what a shame

Riverite wrote: ↑Fri Apr 21, 2023 3:32 pm Can’t believe those were torn down, what a shame

College kids need suites and communal chefs kitchens and yoga studios. The utilitarian 1960s just wasn’t gonna cut it so had to go.

smh wrote: ↑Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:13 am

Metro wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 11:15 pm

chingon wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:18 pm

I miss the Twin Oaks.

Sorry I don't think I'm familiar with Twin Oaks. What was it?

Residence Halls that were demoed at UMKC maybe 15 or so years ago? Here is a postcard!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/twin-oaks ... 139238649/

Ahh yes I remmeber that

Buildings like that were built extremely sturdy and would have lasted past their 100-year lifespan if they received proper maintenance. A few roof leaks aren't justification. That can be repaired. In fact, those towers would have probably outlasted many 3-4 story apartment buildings being built right now. I read that it took five months to demolish them.

I can only imagine the unnecessary carbon put up into the atmosphere tearing down these buildings and building the replacements that failed, then demolishing them too. And since they didn't stand for their lifespan, the waste of the carbon produced when they were originally built, and not getting those additional decades out of them.

It seems to me that with buildings of that size, there should be an expensive carbon tax paid for tearing down structurally-sound buildings, and not just renovating them. I can't believe we are still doing this. Those proposing such should at least have to answer a lot of tough questions from local authorities before getting a demo permit.

Calling an apartment building obsolete is ridiculous. There are other apartment buildings of the same vintage still being occupied. It's not like they weren't built with bathrooms.

I worry we are going to still see this being done. I saw an article recently mentioning that some empty office buildings would have to be demolished.

The Hotel Muehlebach opened in 1915 (108 years old) and it's getting renovated into apartments, so who knows how much longer the building will be in service.

Savoy Hotel opened in 1888 (135-years-ago) and it was recently renovated.

Pacific House in the River Market opened in 1861 and is 162 years old. People are living there as we speak.

^Preach

Most architects agree with this 100%. Buildings go through a rigorous process because they are supposed to last centuries. Especially larger buildings which get extra scrutiny.

It's especially maddening seeing that the City sometimes has to pay a lot of money to demolish buildings or is asked to cover that cost (Weld Building in the West Bottoms, and that hotel building in the East Bottoms next to the I-435 where Smuggler's Inn used to be).

Recently a landfill was proposed in SE Kansas City near Lee's Summit and all hell broke loose. Everyone was opposed! A very significant percentage of landfills is building debris, yet no one connects the dots when we keep tearing things down. Where are we going to put the debris, and why do our landfills reach capacity so fast?

The true national bird of America is the locust.

Riverite wrote: ↑Fri Apr 21, 2023 3:32 pm Can’t believe those were torn down, what a shame

And ironically their replacements (save for the parking garage) only lasted a few years.