How Royals’ Crown Center stadium project impacts FIFA Fan Fest Heart Gateway

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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As part of the pending agreement between the city and the team, the Royals are poised to largely take control of the maintenance and operations at Washington Square Park, a municipal park in Kansas City, Missouri.

That includes plans to place the FIFA Fan Fest Heart Gateway, or a smaller facsimile, in the underutilized park between Main Street and Grand Boulevard just north of Pershing Road adjacent to Crown Center.

RELATED | Heart Gateway: Origins, meaning, what comes next for KC's World Cup icon

The fate of the 65-foot heart sculpture, which quickly became a beloved symbol of Kansas City during the FIFA World Cup 26, is tied to plans for a new ballpark and entertainment district at Crown Center in a 12-page Community Improvement Partnership Agreement, or CIPA.

The Royals are committing $14 million to satisfy the city’s One Percent for Art program, but the club also agrees “to incorporate the 65-foot heart sculpture built for the World Cup, or a more permanent structure of similar size and character” into the stadium plans or place it at Washington Square Park.

The structure wasn’t designed to be permanent. It was built on a rented frame, which would need to be replaced or fabricated, and a permanent installation would require bored piers or concrete footings.

It could require a multi-million investment for those changes combined with ongoing maintenance and insurance.

If the Royals ultimately incorporate the Heart Gateway — which would keep it accessible to the public in close proximity to its original location with scenic views of Kansas City’s downtown — any costs the club incurred would count toward the $14 million art benefit.

But it’s not guaranteed to be included. The CIPA includes an out, allowing the Royals and Kansas City to “mutually consider and agree upon alternatives to the incorporation of the World Cup heart sculpture.”

There is more clarity about the Royals’ role more broadly with respect to Washington Square Park.

If the city council approves the CIPA — and other agreements, as expected — on Thursday, the Royals would agree to pay for the design, implementation and construction of improvements at Washington Square Park.

The plans, which must be jointly approved by the city, will focus on “safety, accessibility, appearance, functionality, and long-term public use.”

Washington Square Park has attracted vagrants in recent years and is a key distribution site for homelessness outreach.

Work to be considered would include “landscaping, lighting, pedestrian pathways, seating, public gathering spaces, irrigation, utilities, public art, signage, and other improvements,” according to the CIPA.

The goal will be for the club, in conjunction with KC Parks, to create a calendar of free year-round events, which could include game-day activations as well as traditional events, like Art in the Park during the Kansas City Irish Fest.

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