KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ADDS TO A MAJOR NEXUS FOR MIDWESTERN ARTS.

 

The Nelson-Atkins and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art are the largest, but the district abounds with galleries, restaurants and nightspots that give it a distinct motif. Other recent projects include renovations for a $4 million Church of Scientology and the Vitagraph Film Exchange Building.

Several blocks of warehouses and industrial buildings separate the nearby 18th and Vine Jazz District, but the internationally recognized Jazz District is making steady progress. Recent additions include the Full Employment Council and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Urban Entrepreneur Partnership.

The Freighthouse District holds several outstanding restaurants and some of Downtown’s notable residential development. The larger Crossroads area has also seen residential progress. Although the for-sale market has been slowed by recent economic trends, rental property continues to be popular. Recent examples include two locations that were shifted from condos to rental: the former H.D. Lee building on West 20th and the former J.I. Case building located on West 22nd.

Commercial development continues as well. One of the most striking is the recently completed, $9 million renovation of a historic building at 17th and McGee for the Services Management Group. Missouri Bank earlier opened a branch in a renovated mechanics garage at 125 Southwest Boulevard. The environmentally-friendly banking center and the SMG project both pursued extensive LEED certification.

Especially representative of the entrepreneurial spirit so prevalent in Crossroads was a 22,000-square-foot building in East Crossroads for a local skin-care products manufacturer. The building was renovated for a total of approximately $4.8 million. Other new businesses in this lively area include an advertising agency, law firm and even an American Indian housing consultant.