Kemper Arena will be Kansas City's newest historic building and council members said this is a positive move for the city.
The National Park Service added the arena to the National Register of Historic Places.
Previous story: Kemper Arena receives historic designation, placed on National Register for Historic Places
On Monday, Kansas City, Missouri City Council members were joined by Steve Foutch and the Kemper Arena redevelopment team to officially announce that the historic designation.
The plan is to convert the arena to a regional mega-center for youth and adult sports.
Previous story: Kansas City selects Fouthc Brothers to redevelop Kemper Arena
The historic designation allows the developer to secure historic tax credits which are essential to financing the renovation into a youth sports facility.
Councilman Scott Taylor said, "This is a transformative project for the youth of Kansas City that is moving forward step by step. " Taylor continued, "We have a strong track record of historic preservation in Kansas City that preserves our past but provides for economic development for our taxpayers."
Officials estimate this project will save KCMO taxpayers about $1 million a year. That’s approximately what it costs to maintain the current Kemper Arena.
In August, Mosaic Life Care finalized the initial agreement with Foutch Brothers, LLC to become the Naming Rights Sponsor for the arena.
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Belinda Post can be reached at belinda.post@kshb.com.
