KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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After sitting blighted for years, the former UMB Bank tower in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, is set for a major transformation as part of a broader push to revitalize the area.
UMB Bank tower building
Build WyCo, a local development organization, is taking over the former UMB Bank tower. The seven-story, 100-year-old building will be converted into a new headquarters and 21 to 24 apartments, including both market-rate and affordable units.
The development is projected to cost $18.7 million.
Brennan Crawford, executive director and CEO of Build WyCo, said the building has long symbolized the challenges facing downtown.
"This particular building has kind of stood as an emblem of downtown disinvestment for a long time," Crawford said.
He said the project is an opportunity to fill a gap in the downtown housing market.
"We saw this as an opportunity to bring a much-needed housing type to downtown," Crawford said.
Crawford said the top five floors will become brand-new apartments, and the vault basement has potential to be developed into an amenity space.
The building will also include retail.
Work is already underway.
Crews are currently stripping the 1968 exterior skin off the building to restore its original 1926 appearance — a requirement tied to securing historic tax credits through the National Park Service and the State Historic Preservation Office for Kansas.
Crawford said that work is moving faster than expected, and the building could be fully exposed by the end of July.
But the project still has some moving pieces.
A final Downtown Historic District designation must be worked out between the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, and the National Park Service.
That designation would make every building in the district eligible for historic tax credits.
Crawford said Build WyCo can proceed with the project assuming that designation is finalized.
The State Historic Preservation Office granted a partial credit award to help finance the removal of the facade, and the UG's Department of Community Development dedicated additional funding to support the work.
Crawford said he hopes construction can begin no later than next spring, with an 18-month construction period. That puts a tentative opening between 2028 and 2029.
Build WyCo has operated out of its current location, a former fire station at 2 S. 14th St., since 2006.
Crawford said the move downtown is intentional.
"We saw this as an opportunity to position ourselves downtown and be a little more visible to the entire community," Crawford said.
Downtown grocery store
Just a block away, the former MERC Co+Op grocery store, which closed in December, has a new operator.
Santa Fe Grocers LLC is taking over the space.
Dawn Rattan, executive director of Downtown Shareholders of KCK, said the projects signal a turning point for the area.
"The ball of progress is rocking in place, and it's getting ready to move," Rattan said.
Rattan said the character of the buildings themselves is part of what makes the area worth investing in.
"I think it has a great character as well,” Rattan said. “The buildings have so much personality.”
She suspects many of the buildings sat vacant after malls drew businesses away from downtown decades ago and online shopping became an option.
"I think a lot of the buildings vacated when malls came along, and the vacancies weren't backfilled," Rattan said.
The Brotherhood Bank building was also auctioned at the end of June to local owners, adding to the momentum of properties changing hands in the area.
Rattan said the goal is to attract businesses that offer something residents cannot find online.
"We need residents, one,” Rattan said. “We also, in my opinion, need things that are a destination, an experience, or a memory that is formed.”
She also said residents need to be part of the process.
Rochelle Donald, a neighborhood group leader, told KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson that previous KCK projects lacked resident involvement.
Donald also spoke with Henderson about KCK’s Northeast earlier this month.
"Listen to what the community is saying they would like to see in their various areas,” Donald said. “Allow them to be a part of the development process instead of keeping them out.”
Rattan said her personal connection to KCK drives her commitment to seeing the entire city succeed.
"I personally care because I was raised here; I was raised in Kansas City, Kansas," Rattan said. "We've got businesses out in the Legends area, and the Legends is great, but we want all of KCK to thrive. All of KCK thrives when we work on the east side of KCK.”
She said the area is ready for new investment.
The Reardon Center is one of the vacant buildings downtown Rattan believes needs to be occupied.
"This part of the city is open and ready for your small business owners," Rattan said.
Rattan also pointed to the Kansas City Chiefs' planned move to a new stadium near Village West as a potential catalyst.
"I think it definitely helps that the Chiefs have moved to this side of town, and I think that that will be a catalyst in several ways to revitalize downtown KCK," Rattan said. "I think this is just the startup. I'm impatient, and I wish everything was right now. It's going to be years of progress, but 2031, with the Chiefs moving in, almost gives us a goal."
Future community efforts
To help build community momentum, Rattan said she is collaborating with Mayor Christal Watson on an “opportunity walk" at 9 a.m. on Aug. 8 along Minnesota Avenue.
You can register here.
The walk, designed to highlight vacant spaces and their potential for development, will begin at the downtown public library.
Rattan also plans to co-host another open spaces tour in the fall to showcase vacant spaces downtown.
Another Northeast voice
Other residents echoed the sentiment that the northeast part of KCK is long overdue for development.
Nathaniel Barnes, a KCK resident and former 1st District commissioner, said the potential of the urban core has gone untapped.
"Right now, there's a gold mine in the urban core that we have not realized the potential," Barnes said.
On July 2, KSHB 41's Rachel Henderson spoke with Barnes about the revitalization efforts, including the departure of former county administrator David Johnston.
Barnes said the position requires someone with relevant experience in the urban core.
"I won't miss him at all, and going forward, we really need someone with some experience on urban core," Barnes said.
Alan Howze is now serving as interim county administrator.
Rattan said she is encouraged by the change in leadership.
"He's very intelligent, he's very capable and it is a welcomed change," Rattan said.
Rattan said stripping away KCK's reputation is also part of the work ahead.
"We definitely have a reputation to overcome, and we're working on that,” Rattan said. “We have events in the pipeline where we want to invite the community to walk and see and experience.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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