The Historic Kansas City Foundation releases a list each year of buildings and city landmarks in danger of being lost due to demolition or neglect. This year’s "endangered" buildings include the oldest in the Crossroads, Lane Blueprint Building, as well as Disney’s Laugh-o-Gram studios, and the Country Club Plaza.
Amanda Crawley, executive director of Historic Kansas City Foundation, says the goal of the "most endangered" list is to raise public awareness - and advocate for historic buildings.
"It’s also an internal prioritization list for us to use to know where to focus our resources and how we internally as a nonprofit can make a difference to save these buildings," says Crawley.
The organization considered suggestions from the public and from the board to create their top 10 list. This year, the list includes a collection of buildings: the Country Club District. Crawley says she expects, as the economy picks up, that there will be new proposals for office buildings and hotels on the Country Club Plaza.
"We’re just concerned about the development pressures on the Plaza," she says. "And how do we strike a balance between new development that sort of complements and works with the historic character of the area."
Also on the list – historic apartment buildings in Midtown, and one of the oldest houses in Kansas City, built in 1824. It was sold in foreclosure, but it’s currently on the market.
2013 Most Endangered List:
- 1. Midwest Hotel, 20th and Main, Kansas City, Mo.
- 2. Poage-Arnold Farm; Three Gables - 9550 NE Cookingham Drive, Kansas City, Mo.
- 3. Victor Beutner House, 1311 Manheim Rd, Kansas City, Mo.
- 4. St. John the Divine, Kansas City, Kan.
- 5. Lane Blueprint Building, 1520 Main, Kansas City, Mo.
- 6. Knickerbocker Apartments, 501-531 Knickerbocker Place, Kansas City, Mo.
- 7. The Country Club Plaza and Country Club District, Kansas City, Mo.
- 8. Hawthorn Plaza Apartments, 3835 Main, Kansas City, Mo.
- 9. Disney Building (Laugh-o-Gram), 1127 E. 31st Street, Kansas City, Mo.
- 10. Wheatley Provident Hospital, 1822-1826 Forest, Kansas City, Mo.
Find out more about the Historic Kansas City Foundation's Most Endangered List here.
