Middle-Class Busybodies Engage In The Great Kansas City Mansion Demolition Debate

Within walking distance of Loose Park, here's an effort that might be even more pointless than counting other people's money . . . Read more:

Opinions differ when it comes to demolishing historic home

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- There's a plea circling on social media to save a historic home in Kansas City now that the home's new owner wants to tear it down. At 236 W. 54th Street in Kansas City sits a large piece of history.

Comments

  1. I don't buy it . And they shouldn't have bought it If they were not going to restore it. If the inspection company was that far off, they should sue them for the difference. My bet is that isn't the real story. Either or lie or no common sense in renovations.

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  2. If a house is registered on the National Historic Registry it can't be torn down. Whoever is on the historic society of KC should take this to court. These people are the idiots I hate when it comes to getting their grimy hands on houses like this, because they are so stupid they don't know how to swing a hammer. Sue them if they tear down this house.

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  3. To say " For hours, KCTV5’s Greg Payne knocked on the doors of people living in the area to try to get comment on camera but nobody wanted to talk because they’ve been advised by their neighborhood association not to."

    IS AN ABSOLUTE LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    No journalistic integrity. Bushleague

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  4. Not your Cheeto!

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  5. Oh the problems of the 1%...

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  6. 7:49, the owners are applying to the Historic Properties Commission (whatever it's called) for permission to raze the building.

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  7. I wonder who the couple is using to assess renovate vs. tear down. That will probably tell you a lot about their intentions. The builders that do renovations of high-end homes typically stay in that space. They are respected and have a long list of references that show the type of work they do.

    I've heard a lot of stories of families buying historic homes in the Ward Parkway area for $750k with the expectation of spending another $250k in renovations (i.e. updating kitchen, bath, and other "pretty stuff") and ending up with a beautiful updated $1mm home. With renovations, you never know what is coming until you start opening walls and doing "work" - nothing that a normal home inspection can find. After the builder/renovator starts digging into updates is when the family finds the problems with the house that are legitimate hazards (i.e. asbestos, wiring, foundation issues hiding behind walls). Instead of the $1mm beautiful home the couple ends up with the same outdated $750k home with $500k invested = $750k home. Yep, the next buyer is not going to pay for updated wiring - they want fancy kitchens and baths.

    I don't know this couple or their intentions. I do understand a situation they could be in though. I think their best "out" is to find someone to buy the house for what they paid (probably take a bit of a loss) and let someone who wants to spend the money preserve the house. Easier said than done. Perhaps some of the people that are so outraged will step up.

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  8. The report states that the owners want to tear it down and build a similar house on the lot. I don't know if that's possible since it would be very difficult to source some of the materials. The owners must consider what the resale value of the newly constructed house will be years down the road vs. a renovation of the unique house they currently have. New construction tends to depreciate quite rapidly.

    Another solution is for the neighbors to set up a fund to buy the owners out and refurbish the house themselves. They would stand to benefit from both the improvements to the house and their own articulated concerns by preventing the demolition of a structure that contributes to the character of the neighborhood, which contributes to the value of their properties, not to mention, quality of life. It would be a way for them to take ownership of their historic neighborhood.

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  9. These people don't even live in KC. Fuck them

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  10. 10:34 - If there's money to be made buying and rehabing the home, I'm sure a developer would snatch it up quickly. There's no way preserving this house will help neighbors resale values enough to take a bath on trying to do this. The reality is it's a losing proposition. We all love these historic structures but no one wants to....and very few can afford...to lose $1 mm on a house. It needs to be a passion project for someone that doesn't care about losing A LOT of money.

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