Downtown Kansas City is on its way up thanks to new multi-million dollar projects opening this year. By Allen Holder
From the observation deck atop the 217-foot Liberty Memorial, Jerry Stephenson braved a brisk December wind and peered north over the changing landscape of downtown Kansas City. He could just make out the new arena—the Sprint Center— where great panels of glass were being installed. Across Grand Boulevard, he could see the Power and Light entertainment district unfolding. But where, wondered Stephenson, a retired insurance agent from the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, was the site for the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts? Then he spied it, a grassy field just north of Bartle Hall, south of the expanding Kansas City Convention Center.
Kansas City is in the midst of a renaissance that will see more than $1 billion in new projects open this year. And those are just the ones downtown. “The city has seen building booms before, but this may be unprecedented,” says Rick Hughes, president of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association. “A revitalized downtown can reshape the way the rest of the country views a city. You need a strong downtown.”
The $26.5 million National World War I Museum (www.libertymemorialmuseum.org), under the iconic Liberty Memorial, certainly makes a strong impression. As they enter, visitors cross a glass walkway that covers a field of 9,000 orange poppies, symbolizing the nine million troops who died in the war. An 80-foot trench snakes among the exhibits. In small listening rooms, visitors can hear the voices of figures such as President Woodrow Wilson and Kaiser Wilhelm II, listen to Nora Bayes sing George M. Cohan’s “Over There,” and hear excerpts from Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.
Although the war ended more than 80 years ago, this is very much a 21st-century museum. “It’s a national treasure,” Stephenson said after his visit. “I can’t wait to get my family up here to see it.”
For more lighthearted downtown fun, visitors should check out the new Power and Light district (powerandlightdistrict.com), the longtime dream of Stanley Durwood, the Kansas Citian who founded AMC Entertainment. Durwood died in 1999, but his vision is now about to be realized.
A signature feature of the $850 million development—slated to open this fall—will be Kansas City Live, an outdoor plaza that will hold more than 10,000 people and a stage for live music events.
The new Hilton President Kansas City hotel (hilton.com) has already opened in the district after a $45 million restoration. The 213 spacious rooms are now thoroughly modern, and many feature amenities such as flat-screen televisions and whirlpool tubs.
Built in 1926, the hotel was a prominent part of the downtown scene when jazz ruled Kansas City.
The hotel’s Drum Room featured performers such as Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra. “About 99 percent of the lobby is original,” says general manager Philip Strnad. “We have the original black-and-white photos.” Even the fabled Drum Room is back, offering jazz and blues Thursday through Saturday nights.
Music fans will also be happy to hear that the $325 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (kcperformingartscenter.org), one of the city’s most anticipated entertainment venues, finally broke ground last October. Architect Moshe Safdie designed a double-shell-shaped center that will include a 1,600-seat hall for the Kansas City Symphony, a 1,800-seat hall for the Lyric Opera and Kansas City Ballet, and a multiuse Celebration Hall. The center is scheduled to open in 2009.
Sports fans will want to check out the $276 million Sprint Center (sprintcenter.com), slated for completion this fall. The 18,500-seat arena is sure to attract attention for its stunning glass design. The sports venue will also house the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Experience, a 40,000-square-foot interactive attraction.
History, entertainment, sports, culture—there’ll be something for everyone in downtown Kansas City when all the projects are completed, and visitors can rest easy knowing they can eat out in first-class restaurants and bed down at first-class hotels. ■
