Downtown Kansas City at the turn of the century and the Spur of Union Station
In the 1990s and early 2000s, downtown Kansas City was a desolate place that – aside from those who worked in the area – people tended to avoid. As Gib Kerr, managing director of Cushman and Wakefield put it, Downtown was a “war zone.” Union Station, the once thriving train station through which an estimated one million travelers a year passed, had sat vacant since Amtrak had moved out of the station in 1985. The vacancy led to decay, and the City contemplated destroying the historic facility. Fortunately, a quad-county initiative was put on the ballot and passed by four counties in the Kansas City metro area in 1996, approving a bi-state tax to help renovate the Station.
With $118 million from the tax and $250 million funded by private contributions, the renovation began in 1997 and was completed about two years later. Union Station went from an eyesore to a monument of pride for Kansas City, notably on national display as the centerpiece of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City. The renovation of Union Station was a historic effort, and it helped prompt the revitalization of the entire downtown Kansas City area.
Revitalization of Downtown
As Union Station was nearing completion, Mayor Kay Barnes and other civic leaders got to work revitalizing the Downtown Loop and the surrounding area. Since 1995, there have been 17 million square feet of development in Downtown Kansas City, including 60 historic buildings and over $11 billion in investment. Downtown now includes 124,000 employees and 32,000 residents. Major drivers of this revitalization included the development of the Power & Light District, the T-Mobile Center, and the H&R Block headquarters building. These major projects have led to an exponential effect on development in Downtown. Since those projects were completed, the development of downtown Kansas City has exponentially increased, with recent notable projects including the completion of the Three Light Building, the expansion of the Streetcar, and the announcement of an $800 million development project along Kansas City’s riverfront.
COVID Comeback
The Strength of downtown Kansas City can be seen in its immensely successful comeback from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Kansas City’s recovery rate since 2019 ranks third in the entire country, with 6 million unique visitors in 2023. This equates to 133% of the pre-COVID levels. In addition, the employee base in Downtown has increased by 11% since 2020, and now 35% of all Kansas City, Missouri jobs are Downtown.
Kansas City’s comeback – both from the vacancy and blight at the turn of the century and from the COVID-19 pandemic – is nothing short of incredible and should serve as a model for other downtown districts across the country.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, downtown Kansas City was a desolate place that – aside from those who worked in the area – people tended to avoid. As Gib Kerr, managing director of Cushman and Wakefield put it, Downtown was a “war zone.” Union Station, the once thriving train station through which an estimated one million travelers a year passed, had sat vacant since Amtrak had moved out of the station in 1985. The vacancy led to decay, and the City contemplated destroying the historic facility. Fortunately, a quad-county initiative was put on the ballot and passed by four counties in the Kansas City metro area in 1996, approving a bi-state tax to help renovate the Station.
With $118 million from the tax and $250 million funded by private contributions, the renovation began in 1997 and was completed about two years later. Union Station went from an eyesore to a monument of pride for Kansas City, notably on national display as the centerpiece of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City. The renovation of Union Station was a historic effort, and it helped prompt the revitalization of the entire downtown Kansas City area.
Revitalization of Downtown
As Union Station was nearing completion, Mayor Kay Barnes and other civic leaders got to work revitalizing the Downtown Loop and the surrounding area. Since 1995, there have been 17 million square feet of development in Downtown Kansas City, including 60 historic buildings and over $11 billion in investment. Downtown now includes 124,000 employees and 32,000 residents. Major drivers of this revitalization included the development of the Power & Light District, the T-Mobile Center, and the H&R Block headquarters building. These major projects have led to an exponential effect on development in Downtown. Since those projects were completed, the development of downtown Kansas City has exponentially increased, with recent notable projects including the completion of the Three Light Building, the expansion of the Streetcar, and the announcement of an $800 million development project along Kansas City’s riverfront.
COVID Comeback
The Strength of downtown Kansas City can be seen in its immensely successful comeback from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Kansas City’s recovery rate since 2019 ranks third in the entire country, with 6 million unique visitors in 2023. This equates to 133% of the pre-COVID levels. In addition, the employee base in Downtown has increased by 11% since 2020, and now 35% of all Kansas City, Missouri jobs are Downtown.
Kansas City’s comeback – both from the vacancy and blight at the turn of the century and from the COVID-19 pandemic – is nothing short of incredible and should serve as a model for other downtown districts across the country.
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