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58-478: Construction of the Kauffman Center played a large part in the redevelopment of downtown Kansas City . The project was launched under the 501(c)(3) non-profit laws but, unlike some other civic-construction initiatives, did not use taxpayer funds. The Center operates to this day as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The City of Kansas City contributed to and operates the large adjacent parking garage. Before 2011

116-604: A 21-story hotel and garage; however, the hotel portion of the plan did not materialize because of uncertainty about the future redevelopment of downtown. In August 2007, developer Dan Clothier announced he wanted to complete his original plan by adding an 18-story hotel tower atop a three-level garage. The $ 38 million project calls for the structure to house 200 hotel rooms or a combination of 160 rooms along with some residential units. In November, 2006, Barkley Inc. , an advertising and public relations firm formerly known as Barkley Evergreen & Partners, moved its 350+ employees to

174-442: A facility like the Kauffman Center made it one of the most complex structures in the world to design and build. The building, which took nearly five years to complete, contains 40,000 square feet of glass, 25,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 27 steel cables. The main lobby, Brandmeyer Great Hall, is built of a glass ceiling and sloping glass walls that provide a panoramic view of Kansas City to the south. The twenty-seven steel cables on

232-514: A glass tent-like structure". For those inside Brandmeyer Great Hall, the glass puts Kansas City on display; for those on the outside, the Kauffman Center becomes like a terrarium , revealing the thousands of attendees backlit against the white interior. The 285,000-square-foot (26,500 m) Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts houses two performance halls: Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall. The venues share backstage space that runs

290-467: A major attraction for residents and visitors, and has had a civic impact on Downtown similar to that experienced by other municipalities, such as Baltimore and San Antonio . The T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center), an 18,500-seat arena, was announced shortly after the launch of the Power & Light District. In 2004, a ballot initiative to fund the proposed arena through a tax on car rentals and hotels

348-546: A massive boom in renovations and new construction. Since 2000, the estimated cost of these projects has totaled over $ 5.5 billion. The Power & Light District, also known as the Entertainment District, is a nine-block area to the immediate south of the Central Business District. Originally to be named Kansas City Live, Cordish, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland – which developed the area – decided to name

406-478: A multi-use property of apartments, child care center, and Park University school. H&R Block , Commerce Bancshares , UMB Bank , Kansas City Southern , BNIM , Great Plains Energy , Aquila , DST Systems, J.E. Dunn Construction Group and HNTB are also among the companies headquartered in Downtown Kansas City . The Barney Allis Plaza is a park at the intersection of 12th Street and Wyandotte. It

464-568: A prominent oval shape, mixed with blue-green reflective glass. This is among newer, glass-walled buildings, also including the Sprint Center and the Kansas City Star printing press across I-670 . Cordish planned four residential towers as part of the project, which include a 25-floor residential tower (One Light), to the immediate north of the H&;R Block headquarters on a lot once occupied by

522-529: A site formerly occupied by Trinity Lutheran and St. Mary's Hospitals. The bank was based out of a 21-story tower in the Downtown Loop until the Penn Valley Park facility opened in 2008. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has its Kansas City offices just west of Crown Center, which houses up to 6,000 employees. Construction began in 2004 and the building was completed in mid-2006. The IRS was also to occupy

580-543: A specific purpose, rather than a multipurpose building, reminded many Kansas City residents of a similar decision in the 1970s—when Ewing Kauffman and city officials decided to build separate stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals , rather than a single arena for both. The lobby features floor-to-ceiling windows, refreshment stands, gift shop, and staircases. The Muriel Kauffman Theatre

638-455: A theater, grass-lined rooftop observation deck, open floor plan, and gallery space featuring art from local and national artists. Barkley adopted the rocket ship as its new logo shortly before moving into the renovated TWA space. BNIM Architects moved to the building's third floor in 2014. The Commerce Bank Tower at 9th and Main Streets housed Kansas City's largest bank until it was renovated into

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696-489: Is 32 feet tall and weighs approximately 960 pounds. After the two-month installation process, and an additional two-month tuning period, the organ was dedicated on March 10, 2012 with a special concert by James David Christie . Brandmeyer Great Hall links Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall, and features an expansive view of the Kansas City skyline to the south. It serves as a lobby for patrons on performance nights and

754-441: Is a 1,800-seat theater whose design was inspired by the great European opera houses . With multiple balconies and box seating on either side of the theater, attendees are much closer to the stage than in most other auditorium -type venues. The balconies and boxes, which feature seats covered in various shades of red, also boast balustrades that glimmer with gold lighting and dim when the performance begins. The undulating walls of

812-405: Is also available for special events. The white great hall provides access to the performance halls by a series of stacking, open balconies. This means that on performance nights, patrons attending events in either hall are visible to each other, and to the city below. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts also provides partnership opportunities for local, regional, and student organizations in

870-558: Is an educational program and community initiative that gives schools across the Kansas City metropolitan area the opportunity to bring children to the Kauffman Center. Through the Open Doors Transportation Fund, donations help make the cost of bringing children to performances at the Kauffman Center more affordable. Through the Open Doors Tickets Fund, donations help offset the cost of tickets for various events at

928-472: Is engaged with the musicians in a feeling of embrace." Within the stage itself are motorized risers, which can either lie flat or rise into a tier, depending on the needs of the performance. Helzberg Hall also houses a 79-stop, 102-rank pipe organ built by the firm Casavant Frères in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec , Canada. Fewer than 10 percent of the 5,548 pipes are visible to those in the hall. The largest pipe

986-600: Is named after the prominent Kansas City hotelier, and owner of the Standard Theater, Barney Allis. From April 11, 2006 until 2011, it hosted the Kansas City Explorers , the World TeamTennis team. The Kansas City Sports Walk of Stars was constructed at the edge of this park in 1991, and the first three polished granite slabs bore the names of inductees George Brett , Len Dawson , and Tom Watson . The Walk

1044-469: Is officially recognized by the city, and has used its common-law trademark since 1993. The Loop is the north central section of Downtown Kansas City; it is the most dense section of the city, and is surrounded on all four sides by the downtown freeway loop . Altogether, the Loop has an area of nearly one square mile. In 2006, the Downtown Loop had nearly 8,000 residents. The Downtown Loop encompasses Quality Hill,

1102-629: Is the central business district (CBD) of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City metropolitan area which contains 3.8% of the area's employment. It is between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas – Missouri state line eastward to Bruce R. Watkins Drive as defined by the Downtown Council of Kansas City; the 2010 Greater Downtown Area Plan formulated by

1160-470: Is the performance home to the Kansas City Symphony . Because the stage extends into approximately one-third of the space, even the seat farthest from the stage is a mere 100 feet away. Helzberg Hall features vineyard-style seating on all four sides of the stage, adding to the intimate feel of the space. Safdie explains it thus: "From the outset, we wanted a hall that was intimate and in which the public

1218-557: The City Council . The arena vote passed decidedly. Construction began on the T-Mobile Center in late 2004. Before this, however, and even before the vote, the city sent out requests to local and national architectural firms – including HOK Sports, Ellerbe Beckett, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects Inc. and the world-renowned Frank Gehry – to bid on the project. The first four of the aforementioned firms, however, collaborated to form

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1276-680: The Kansas City Streetcar Authority – operates and maintains the system. Unlike many similar systems around the U.S., there will be no fare charged. The city is planning to add multiple extensions to the starter line. In 2015, the KCATA, Unified Government Transit, Johnson County Transit, and IndeBus (all separate metro services) began merging into one coordinated transit service for the Kansas City region, called RideKC. The buses and other transit options will be branded as: RideKC Bus, RideKC MAX, RideKC Streetcar, and RideKC Bridj. RideKC Bridj

1334-415: The Kansas City Symphony , Kansas City Ballet , and Kansas City Lyric Opera. By May 2015, more than 1.5 million people had attended the center. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is a 16-story office tower with a two-story operations center designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is at Penn Valley Park on the southern edge of Downtown, to the immediate west of Crown Center on

1392-664: The National World War I Museum and Memorial . Union Station and the rest of Crown Center connect via a skywalk called the Link. The River Market is Kansas City's original neighborhood on the Missouri River. The district contains one of the country's largest and longest lasting public farmers' markets, and several unique shops and restaurants. The Arabia Steamboat Museum is next to the City Market. The Town of Kansas Bridge reaches

1450-514: The "Downtown Arena Design Team," and won the contract over Gehry's bid, with the city citing the companies had completed a variety of sports-related projects and were based locally as the reason for their selection. Since construction began, many local minority leaders have protested the construction company and contractors for not putting enough minorities in the construction and contracting teams. The contractors, however, assert they have complied with state and federal requirements and continue to meet

1508-437: The 1,000-space, city-owned Arts District Garage. The cost of the project was approximately $ 413 million, which includes both a $ 40 million operating endowment and the city's $ 47 million construction of the parking garage. The Kauffman Center was designed by lead architect Moshe Safdie , acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota , theater consultant Theatre Projects Consultants and Richard Pilbrow , and engineering firm Arup . Local firm BNIM

1566-534: The Central Business District, the Entertainment District, and the Government District. Districts in The Loop are: The Crossroads District , formerly a warehouse district from I-670 in the north up to Union Station in the south, is going through a period of revitalization, like much of the city. Buildings are being redeveloped for office and residential uses. Several restaurants and art galleries are now within

1624-710: The City of Kansas City defines the Greater Downtown Area to be the city limits of North Kansas City and Missouri to the north, the Kansas–Missouri state line to the west, 31st Street to the south and Woodland Avenue to the east. However, the definition used by the Downtown Council is the most commonly accepted. In March 2012, Downtown Kansas City was selected as one of America's Best downtowns by Forbes magazine for its rich culture in arts, numerous fountains, upscale shopping, and local cuisine such as barbecue . In 2013,

1682-563: The Conference Center, Meeting Rooms, and Barney Allis Plaza. This totals more than 800,000 square feet (74,000 m ). Bartle Hall was opened in 1976, in time for the Republican National Convention. As time passed, the need for more room grew. In 1994, Kansas City-based HNTB and BNIM designed an expansion that spanned over I-670 through downtown. After the project's completion, 388,800 square feet were available for

1740-487: The Downtown Council reported a population of 19,899 residents, 11,790 housing units, and a median household income of $ 61,491. In 2000, the population may have been as low as 10,000 people with 7,330 units. In 2005, the population density was approximately 5,617 inhabitants per square mile (2,169/km ) in its 3.0-square-mile (7.8 km ) area. According to Local Market reports, Downtown houses approximately 20,000,000 square feet (1,900,000 m ) of office space. However,

1798-892: The Kansas City area. In the inaugural season, such partnerships included the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey , the Harriman-Jewell Series , the Heartland Men's Chorus , the Kansas City Broadway Series, Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music , the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance Artist Series, The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra , the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, and Starlight Children's Theatre. The Kauffman Center's Open Doors Program

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1856-416: The Kauffman Center and the nearby Sprint Center . Adjacent to the south side of the Kauffman Center is the city-owned and operated Arts District garage. The $ 47 million project was paid for in bonds . It provides covered parking for Kauffman Center attendees, with entrances on 17th Street and Wyandotte Street. Spaces for parking and charging are reserved for electric cars . The roof of the garage doubles as

1914-645: The Kauffman Center, in order to provide free or low-cost performing arts experiences for program recipients supported by select non-profit agencies. On February 13, 2012, The Grammy Museum announced that it would debut its Music Revolution Program at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in June 2012. The program will host twenty-five 15- to 23-year-olds selected after an application and audition process. The students will spend four weeks receiving intensive instruction and mentoring in their preferred genre of music and will have opportunities to rehearse and to perform at both

1972-511: The Muse in Greek mythology who ruled over choral song and dance, the installation is a combination of original musical compositions played over speakers in the ceiling and a four-story "light organ". The light organ consists of seven acrylic tubes that encase a series of LED lights, which move in sync with the music overhead. Downtown Kansas City, Missouri#Redevelopment projects Downtown Kansas City

2030-747: The Performing Arts is on the northern edge of the Crossroads Arts District, just south of the Bartle Hall ballroom. Construction began on October 6, 2006, and the facility opened to the public in September 2011. It was designed by architect Moshe Safdie. The 316,000 square foot performing arts center consists of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Theater, Helzberg Hall, and the Brandmeyer Great Hall. Its three resident companies are

2088-671: The Riverfront Heritage Trail which leads to Berkley Riverfront Park , which is operated by Port KC. Launched by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) in July 2005, "MAX" (Metro Area Express) is a bus rapid transit line extending from downtown through the Country Club Plaza to Waldo . The MAX buses include GPS to transmit real-time data on the next pickup time to each station where

2146-545: The Transit Plaza at 10th & Main Streets and Grand Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. On December 12, 2012, a ballot initiative to construct a $ 102 million, two-mile streetcar , to stretch from River Market to Crown Center , was approved by local voters. Construction on the line began in 2013, and the line became operational in May 2016. A new non-profit corporation made up of private sector stakeholders and city appointees –

2204-477: The district after the historic art deco Power & Light Building. The present headquarters of the Kansas City Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy , is also on the district's northern side. Instead, a one-block area near the new H&R Block headquarters tower – devoted to live music venues – was named Kansas City Live! . The H&R Block building, which opened in mid-2006, has

2262-566: The district, and the area has a monthly event known as First Fridays. They feature pop-up art galleries, food trucks, live music, and shopping deals. Crown Center is a district developed by Hallmark . Within Crown Center, families can enjoy an aquarium, Legoland, and Kaleidoscope. There are several mid to upscale stores, and hotels include the Sheraton and the Westin. The district is a short walk from

2320-587: The entire length of the Kauffman Center. There are dressing rooms that can accommodate more than 250 performers, along with 11 rehearsal rooms. The Kauffman Center joins the Lincoln Center as another of the few performing arts centers in the country to have two (or more) performance venues in one building. Another example is the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This decision to have two halls, each tailored to

2378-432: The exhibition hall. The expansion also included a grand ballroom, conference center, and meeting rooms. The facilities include Municipal Auditorium , an Art Deco venue built in 1934. It features an arena that seats 10,700; a music hall that seats 2,400; and a little theater suited for more private events. The auditorium connects via parking garage and skywalk to the rest of the convention center. The Kauffman Center for

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2436-523: The flagship store of the Jones Store Company. Groundbreaking on the complex began in March 2006. As of 2023, One and Two Lights are complete, and Three Light is under construction. The Entertainment District practically shares a border with I-670. Enclosed between the residential towers and H&R Block's new building will be many shops and restaurants new to the Kansas City area. The new district has become

2494-435: The former TWA world headquarters at the district's southern edge. The building had been empty for two decades and cost over $ 30 million to renovate. Barkley also reconstructed the famous Walt Disney -designed three-story rocket ship that stood atop the building during TWA's tenure. The Moonliner signified one-time TWA majority shareholder Howard Hughes ' desire to guide the airline into space travel. Other renovations included

2552-419: The landscaping for the Kauffman Center. It required 300,000 pieces of high-density foam, 3,000 tons of sand mixture, and 100,000 square feet of sod. The eco-friendly green roof was designed and constructed by local landscape architect Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company. Construction projects typically disrupt the natural ecosystem of green spaces, so Bruce and his team worked to re-establish the sustainability of

2610-462: The line stops; all buses have dedicated lanes during rush hour and stoplights can automatically change in their favor, if needed, if buses are behind schedule. A second MAX route opened on January 1, 2011 ( Troost Avenue MAX, or "Green Line"), which shares some downtown stops with what is now called Main Street MAX (or "Orange Line"). Most other KCATA routes have stops throughout downtown, centered on

2668-530: The nearby Kansas City Main Post Office building (the Post Office having moved across the street to a building next to Union Station ). The historic Freight House building in the Crossroads Arts District was built in the 1880s; it was renovated in the late 1990s, and it is now home to Grunauer, Lidia's Kansas City, and Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue . The original plan for the redevelopment included

2726-463: The new front lawn, which consists of fescue and Reveille, a low-water-use grass. It is an area for outdoor events, and the garage's green roof reduces the destructive heat inherent to more traditional paved lots. As a part of the City of Kansas City's One Percent for Art ordinance, a mixed media art installation called "Terpsichore for Kansas City" was placed in the Arts District garage. Named after

2784-514: The requests of local citizens. The T-Mobile Center opened in 2007; as of June 2011, the arena does not have an NBA or NHL tenant. However, the arena has served as the venue for events such as concerts and since March 2008, the Big 12 Basketball Tournament . The Kansas City Convention Center consists of several buildings, either connected to or adjacent to each other: Bartle Hall, the Grand Ballroom,

2842-473: The site for himself, and while at dinner with Julia Irene Kauffman he sketched an idea for the center on his napkin. Soon, that sketch would evolve into an architectural icon and the home for performing arts in Kansas City. Safdie presented his plan in May 2002, and four years later, on October 6, 2006, ground was broken for what had now been officially named the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The technical requirements and exacting standards required of

2900-563: The site of many other theatrical, musical, and dance productions. Another feature of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre is the installation of the Figaro Simultext Seatback System, which displays subtitles in various languages on the backs of chairs, as opposed to most other opera houses that require the audience to look above the stage for opera translations. Helzberg Hall is a 1,600-seat, oval-shaped concert hall, and it

2958-488: The south façade are anchored in embeds that weigh approximately one and a half tons, and the embeds are an extension of the foundation and bedrock beneath the building. When the steel cables were pulled taut during the construction process, the entire steel structure shifted two to six inches to the south. This tensioning provides stability to the structure and keeps the glass lobby securely in place. The Kauffman Center covers 13 acres (53,000 m2), including landscaped grounds over

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3016-583: The theatre are painted with a brightly colored mural , designed and carried out by students at the Kansas City Art Institute , under the guidance of Moshe Safdie . With a 5,000-square-foot stage, an orchestra pit that can house up to 90 musicians, and a 74-foot tall fly tower , Muriel's Theatre is the performance home of the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City , as well as

3074-848: The then-named Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center board had narrowed down the pool of potential architects to four. They ultimately chose Moshe Safdie , an award-winning modernist known for such buildings as Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada; the Khalsa Heritage Centre in India; the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore; and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Soon after, he arrived in Kansas City to see

3132-535: The three resident entities performed at the Lyric Theatre , eight blocks to the north. Muriel Kauffman first discussed her idea for a performing arts center in Kansas City with her family and the community in 1994. After her death the following year, her daughter and chairman of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Julia Irene Kauffman, began to move the project forward. A feasibility study

3190-682: The vacancy of this space was at about 15%. Downtown has about 12,800,000 square feet (1,190,000 m ) of Class A&B office space, with a vacancy rate of 15.9%, and over 100,000 employees. Downtown has a total of 5,606 hotel rooms, accounting for 22.5% of the total amount of hotel rooms in the metropolitan area. The average occupancy of these rooms is about 56.5%. As of 2007, about 2,800,000 square feet (260,000 m ) of office space are under construction in Downtown Kansas City. Current investments into downtown redevelopment have exceeded $ 6 billion. Downtown Kansas City has been undergoing

3248-425: Was conducted in 1997; it resulted in a report that gave Julia Irene Kauffman and the rest of the board a practical foundation on which they could begin to build Muriel Kauffman's vision. In 1999, the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation purchased an 18.5-acre plot of land just south of the central business district. The Foundation announced that this site would be the home of the proposed performing arts center. By 2000,

3306-427: Was effectively passed by area voters. The project raised some controversy as Enterprise Rent-A-Car , whose owner is known for supporting a possible NBA franchise in the company's headquarters of St. Louis , lobbied against the tax and tried to sway public opinion against the arena. Some city officials, and citizens against the increased tax, also fought the project. One of the most prominent was Sandra McFadden-Weaver of

3364-500: Was the associate architect. Lead contractor was J.E. Dunn Construction Group of Kansas City. The center's exterior consists of two symmetrical half shells of vertical, concentric arches that open toward the south. Each shell houses one acoustically independent performance venue, although the backstage area is shared. The south façade of the Center is made entirely of glass. Safdie describes the lobby as "an expansive glazed porch contained by

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