OFFICIAL - Commerce Tower

[Eon Blue]

The red blended in with the aeronautical beacons, but the green is a little more distinctive. I wish we had more neon signs downtown.

[FangKC]

The Commerce Tower has advanced past the first step towards historic designation that provides tax credits for renovation.

Other Kansas City properties nominated for the National Register of Historic Places and receiving state approval on Friday were:

• Commerce Tower, 911 Main St

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http://tinyurl.com/o8y97z9This

[DaveKCMO]

neo delicatessen is relocating to commerce arcade.

[flyingember]

there's retail space in the commerce tower? wow, they needed better signage

[KCMax]

Neo's is pretty much a restaurant for Commerce employees. Its always packed for lunch. That's it.

[bobbyhawks]

Not sure if it was mentioned elsewhere, but Aixois downtown has changed hands and is now run by the former Aixois chef, Jason Crain. The space, now called Charisse after his wife, is really nice, and I had a chance to dine there over the weekend. It is certainly worth checking out. Their house cocktail was ridiculously delicious (scotch with cider liquor - the "Ten06 CHARISSE").

They are also very reliant on the lunch crowd, but it is a really nice place for a quiet dinner, and the booze selection seemed quite nice.

[FangKC]

New early-ed, K-5 schools will join Park University in Commerce Tower

The "vertical neighborhood" the developers will create in Commerce Tower will include the Kansas City area's third Spectrum Station Early Learning Center on the lower level and part of the ground floor, Knight said.

Spectrum Station, which serves children from 6 weeks to 7 years old, is scheduled to open in January 2016, shortly before the first apartments are expected to be ready for occupancy in the tower.

In addition, a private grade school called Tower Prep Academy is expected to open in Commerce Tower in early 2016.

Knight has not yet disclosed the principals who are working toward creation of the new grade school. But he said the school will educate students in kindergarten through fifth grade on the fifth floor of the building and will eventually expand to the sixth floor.

Park University, already a tenant in the building, will provide undergraduate and graduate programs on the third and fourth floors of Commerce Tower.

Another soon-to-be announced tenant, Knight said, is a restaurant that will be located in the first-floor space where Commerce Bank maintained its headquarters before moving to 1000 Walnut St. in 1985.

...

Other amenities will include an indoor dog park and a playground on the roof of the five-story garage building immediately south of the tower. According to Knight, the CVS store on the ground floor of the garage building will be updated as part of the Commerce Tower renovation project.

...

http://tinyurl.com/ms5nvbe

[mykn]

New early-ed, K-5 schools will join Park University in Commerce Tower

The "vertical neighborhood" the developers will create in Commerce Tower will include the Kansas City area's third Spectrum Station Early Learning Center on the lower level and part of the ground floor, Knight said.

Spectrum Station, which serves children from 6 weeks to 7 years old, is scheduled to open in January 2016, shortly before the first apartments are expected to be ready for occupancy in the tower.

In addition, a private grade school called Tower Prep Academy is expected to open in Commerce Tower in early 2016.

Knight has not yet disclosed the principals who are working toward creation of the new grade school. But he said the school will educate students in kindergarten through fifth grade on the fifth floor of the building and will eventually expand to the sixth floor.

Park University, already a tenant in the building, will provide undergraduate and graduate programs on the third and fourth floors of Commerce Tower.

Another soon-to-be announced tenant, Knight said, is a restaurant that will be located in the first-floor space where Commerce Bank maintained its headquarters before moving to 1000 Walnut St. in 1985.

...

Other amenities will include an indoor dog park and a playground on the roof of the five-story garage building immediately south of the tower. According to Knight, the CVS store on the ground floor of the garage building will be updated as part of the Commerce Tower renovation project.

...

http://tinyurl.com/ms5nvbe

Downtown is so OVER...

An updated CVS will be nice!

[flyingember]

A daycare! THIS is the biggest item to come downtown in a decade.
And accessible by streetcar!

This is ending up to be a very well thought out upgrade. They're targeting THE demographic downtown needs

[rxlexi]

Hmm, I'm not sure what to make of the Commerce Tower rehab - my first thought is too many uses that will end up with half-baked execution. I mean, it's like a back of the napkin bucket list of downtown residential dreams - indoor dog park! Rooftop park! University campus! Elementary school! Trendy local restaurant! Why not just shoot for a more typical vertical neighborhood use mix (hotel/office/condo/retail)?

But, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt because of the creativity of the plan and my own desire for it to succeed. Here's hoping...

[KCMax]

I think this is tremendously exciting. Its a bunch of amenities downtown needs. It could flop, but I appreciate the effort and I am interested in seeing how it turns out.

[bobbyhawks]

Very Japanese.

[DaveKCMO]

um, if it "flops" couldn't you just repurpose the school/daycare space as commercial? doesn't sound very risky to me.

[kboish]

um, if it "flops" couldn't you just repurpose the school/daycare space as commercial? doesn't sound very risky to me.

Exactly. Don't forget this will have 265 apartment units in addition to all this commercial stuff. It is unlikely this will flop as a whole. I'm sure it will evolve overtime.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

Day Care will be a big plus. Wife and I live at 11th and Walnut, are nearing that age where you have kids, and have absolutely no interest in leaving downtown. Assuming its a decent daycare I think people will send their kids there. If you work downtown already it's also easy as you won't have to drive out of the way to drop off and pick up. I'm glad to see the building getting that level of use, hope everything is successful.

[KCMax]

um, if it "flops" couldn't you just repurpose the school/daycare space as commercial? doesn't sound very risky to me.

Juice stains are hard to get out of the carpet, man.

[chaglang]

Hmm, I'm not sure what to make of the Commerce Tower rehab - my first thought is too many uses that will end up with half-baked execution. I mean, it's like a back of the napkin bucket list of downtown residential dreams - indoor dog park! Rooftop park! University campus! Elementary school! Trendy local restaurant! Why not just shoot for a more typical vertical neighborhood use mix (hotel/office/condo/retail)?

But, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt because of the creativity of the plan and my own desire for it to succeed. Here's hoping...

This is kind of what KC Sustainable does. Their proposal for repurposing Westport Junior High had a ridiculously long tenant list.

[DaveKCMO]

tidbit from their brownfields application:

The quantities and locations of asbestos, lead-based paint and other hazardous materials, and estimated abatement costs of approximately $6,000,000.00 are needed to prepare the property for redevelopment...

[FangKC]

Seeing things like this makes me wonder if we will been seeing environment abatements in the future on house renovation/restoration dealing with vinyl siding. Will we have to hire professionals to come remove it, and deal with recycling it in a responsible manner?

[aknowledgeableperson]

Don't forget lead based paint in homes built before the 70's. Asbestos in many household uses such as tile flooring and insulation that should be removed. Leaky underground clay tiles. French drains that emply into the sanitary sewer system.