OFFICIAL - Bartle Hall Expansion construction

[Downtowner]

The art work and the lighting on the bridge in front of the ballroom is amazing. I just saw it for the first time at night and it's very cool. The color panels are illuminated. Great effect.

[GRID]

The art work and the lighting on the bridge in front of the ballroom is amazing. I just saw it for the first time at night and it's very cool. The color panels are illuminated. Great effect.

Where did you see it from?  Is the lighting and art highly visible from 670?

[Downtowner]

I don't think it will be visible from 670. I believe it's the baltimore bridge that is on the east side of the new ballroom. Just drive it at night and you'll see.

[loftguy]

I don't think it will be visible from 670. I believe it's the baltimore bridge that is on the east side of the new ballroom. Just drive it at night and you'll see.

It's the Wyandotte Street Bridge.

[DaveKCMO]

wyandotte bridge artwork (it can be seen on the other side from I-670, too):







the new southbound max stop (someone's expecting a lot of passengers!):

[KansasCityCraka]

[ddw334umkc]

That sucker's simply gorgeous when passing under it at night.

[Sonfire]

That sucker's simply gorgeous when passing under it at night.

That's what she said.

[KCPowercat]

North Dock demo permits have been filed.  I'm behind on the latest plan.....anybody have a rendering of what they are planning?

[KC-wildcat]

That's what she said.

Michael Scott couldn't have said it better himself. 

[kard]

Work on the North Loading Dock will start on July 16 and run through June 2008.  This will involve the removal of the wall along 12th street (the one with the large mural) and closure of the sidewalk along Broadway and 12th.

In addition to solving practical challenges, the new design will also address the aesthetic elements of the structure’s visible exterior. The north dock’s façade will be constructed out of perforated steel panels that will screen the loading bays from public view. In addition, an innovative open roof, comprised of a system of synthetic fiber panels, will be installed, and a public art feature will be incorporated.

Work to start on Convention Center loading dock project

Construction will begin on the first phase of the Kansas City Convention Center north loading dock renovation project on July 16. Pyramid Construction, the prime contractor of phase one, will demolish the structure’s west wall, which runs adjacent to Broadway Boulevard, as well as the west entrance abutment. Phase one of the project will be completed by the last week of July. The entire project, which is scheduled to be completed by June 2008, will be constructed in a series of phases in order to accommodate the various events scheduled that require use of the loading dock and other Convention Center facilities.

During the first phase, half of the east Broadway Boulevard sidewalk and all of the south 12th Street sidewalk that run parallel to the dock structure will be closed, limiting pedestrian access. Brief temporary lane reductions may also be necessary to provide a safe perimeter for construction.

The project is designed by Crawford Architects and managed by the City of Kansas City, Mo., Capital Improvements Management Office and Diggs Construction, in partnership with the Convention and Entertainment Centers. The new dock is intended to create a more accessible, functional space that maximizes the existing dock area to allow for several additional loading bays and an expanded truck entrance that can better accommodate today’s heavy duty freight trucks. Once the project is completed, truck traffic will enter the dock structure from Central Street and will exit on to Broadway Boulevard.

In addition to solving practical challenges, the new design will also address the aesthetic elements of the structure’s visible exterior. The north dock’s façade will be constructed out of perforated steel panels that will screen the loading bays from public view. In addition, an innovative open roof, comprised of a system of synthetic fiber panels, will be installed, and a public art feature will be incorporated.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact us at KansasCityWorks@kcmo.org.

[KansasCityCraka]

Sounds good to me!

[trailerkid]

North dock article in the Star. Very nice urban solution to suburban problem...hopefully it'll get similar press as the library garage. It seemed a little pricey (over $7 M), but a great addition to the covention district.

[moderne]

A little too deconstructivist for my taste.  Looks like a bad wind got a hold of the triangular panels and tore them up.  Quite a contrast with the palladian formality of the Folly.

[voltopt]

The form and rigor of the structure and the interior canopies are well done - yet the deconstructed triangles are irrelevant and cheap-looking.  Literal interpretations of existing building elements can get cheesy really fast.

[Midtownkid]

I like it enough.  It's better than what was there.

[KCMax]

Kansas City convention industry anticipates a 2009 dry spell

While this year’s tally of 24 big citywide conventions exceeded expectations, only 16 are booked for 2009.

Big reasons include the lagtime of three to five years when big conventions typically are booked, and the booking dry spell that Kansas City endured in the four or five years before Sprint Center and the Power & Light District became a reality just one year ago.

Any falloff in business at Bartle Hall next year will trickle down to hotels, restaurants and other visitor industries.

“Our business tracks with the hotels,” said Alton Hagen, general manager of Agenda: Kansas City that provides transportation and other services to visitor groups. “We’re going to take a hit.”

[DaveKCMO]

it's a good time to be a confident priceline user.

[shaffe]

it's a good time to be a confident priceline user.

Completely unrelated to KC or Bartle Hall, but I got a room last night at the Hyatt at the Orlando airport for $50 - rack rate was $229.

Priceline is the best.

[GRID]

Completely unrelated to KC or Bartle Hall, but I got a room last night at the Hyatt at the Orlando airport for $50 - rack rate was $229.

Priceline is the best.

Guess where I have been staying via priceline in the past few years?  The new Convention Hotels!  The last two times I was in Denver, I have stayed at the Hyatt for under $50 a night.  The last time I stayed in Orlando was at that airport Hyatt which isn't new, but just shows that when there is not a large convention, those massive hotels are a cheap stay.

I have been using priceline for car rentals a lot lately.  Gets you around those high airport fees that everybody thinks only get charged at KCI