Demo begins on historic Kansas City tower to make way for $500M redevelopment

A deteriorating building listed on the National Register of Historic Places will be torn down as part of a wider $500 million redevelopment project planned for the West Bottoms neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri.

As reported by The Kansas City Star, a city board signed off on plans to demolish the Ridenour-Baker Grocery Co. Building at 933 Mulberry St. Demolition of the building will kick off the first phase of New York-based developer SomeraRoad’s plans to revamp more than 20 acres in the area.

The revamp is expected to include more than 1,200 new apartments, offices, restaurants, retail space and a hotel. SomeraRoad says it plans to renovate some existing buildings and build new ones in phases over more than a decade as it works on the more than 40 properties it owns and controls in the neighborhood.

The Ridenour-Baker Grocery Co. Building was the first wholesale grocery building west of the Mississippi located on a railroad line. It’s also known as the Weld Wheel building because of the last company that occupied the structure. The 1910-era building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

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Despite its historical status, Historic Kansas City has endorsed the developer’s plans which include the deconstruction of the building.

“The thoughtful combination of historic preservation, investment in long overdue infrastructure improvements, new residences and public gathering spaces will transform an important piece of Kansas City’s history and downtown into a vibrant mixed-use district,” the historical preservation organization tells The Kansas City Star.

SomeraRoad will seek incentives from the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority (PIEA), one of the city’s economic development agencies, though the agency has so far not considered a specific request.

Last week, the PIEA board signed off on plans to demolish the Ridenour-Baker building. The city will spend $2 million to partially offset the cost of the demolition, says Assistant City Manager Mario Vasquez.

“This would not be an out-of-step or an unusual situation. We’ve done it before,” he tells The Kansas City Star.

No demolition permit has been filed, according to city records, but the developer says the building could come down as early as this summer. Construction on the new building is expected to begin next year.