Historic Kansas City Jeserich Building Threatened By Streetcar Developers

Today, a great deal of online discourse among pudgy local hipsters lamented impending destruction on Main Street in order to make way for the new toy train. 

Reality check  . . . The building is nice but it's vacant. 

Apropos for #TBT . . . Old school residents might remember when it housed on of the better clubs in Midtown that was, of course, shut down after a spate of gunfire. 

Anyhoo . . . 

Historic KC set off the alarm via social media and THAT sparked a great deal of slap fighting amongst angry amateur urban planners. 

Again, longtime residents realize that Historic KC's involvement typically precedes the demolition of most memorable local buildings.

Nevertheless, here's a peek at the sitch . . .

Historic Kansas City has learned that the Jeserich building, 3041-45 Main, built in 1888, and 3035-37 Main, built in 1905, identified by a KC Streetcar federal study as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, are scheduled to be demolished beginning Wednesday, April 20th. These historic resources tell a unique and important story, define the development history of the community, and provide tangible reminders of the past that create a unique sense of place.

Listed on Historic Kansas City’s “Most Endangered Places List” since 2019, these historic structures are located at the corner of 31st and Main, where a half-dozen properties were acquired by an entity controlled by PRICE BROTHERS of Overland Park. In 2016, PRICE BROTHERS razed the Green Gables apartment buildings designed by architect Nelle Peters west of the Country Club Plaza over the objection of HKC and the community. That site remains vacant.

Historic Kansas City has been in contact with the UNION HILL NEIGHBORHOOD, who over the past weekend learned of the planned demolition. At this point, scant information is available. The developer, Price Brothers, has not met with the neighborhood to discuss the demolition or any plans for redevelopment on the site. The UNION HILL NEIGHBORHOOD supports future development and improvements in the area of 31st and Main, but would like to see as much of the original corner preserved as possible, especially the Jeserich Building which ties in with the predominantly Victorian aesthetic of the adjacent residential area. Incorporating any portion of the original building into any future project would lend authenticity to any newer development and visually connect the neighborhood better to its future streetcar stop.

From developers . . .

The acquisition means developers have now snapped up strategic corners at four of the six streetcar stops between downtown and the Country Club Plaza: 31st, Armour, 39th and 45th streets.

“It’s another key intersection in Midtown and it’s another streetcar stop with a ton of potential. If Price Brothers could develop a more transit-oriented project that would be fantastic at that corner.”

The fate of the existing buildings at the corner is unknown.

The Jesserich building, which opened in 1905 as a corner drug store, does not have local or federal historic designation to protect it from potential demolition.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Historic KC: Upcoming Demolition of Historic Buildings at 31st And Main by the Price Bros.

Historic Kansas City has learned that the Jeserich building, 3041-45 Main, built in 1888, and Lutfi's Fried Fish, 3035-37 Main, built in 1905, identified by a KC Streetcar federal study as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, are scheduled to be demolished beginning Wednesday, April 20th.

Another Key Corner Acquired Along Streetcar Extension Route

By Kevin Collison Another key corner along the planned Main Street streetcar route at 31st street has been acquired by a developer including the 115 year-old Jeserich building and an adjacent building housing Lufti's Fried Fish.

Developing . . .