Construction workers are a month into turning the historic Kansas City Power & Light Co. skyscraper into apartments, and on Monday the renovation was made official.
About 50 city officials, business executives and downtown Kansas City supporters turned out for a ground-breaking ceremony at the building, which has struggled since KCP&L left it in 1991 and been dogged by failed efforts to resurrect the iconic art deco property.
Now, with its future settled, the planned makeover was hailed as another step in the comeback of downtown Kansas City.
“This is going to be another jewel in our cap,” Mayor Sly James said at the event.
The $64 million project by NorthPoint Development Co. in Riverside calls for transforming the building at 14th Street and Baltimore Avenue into 217 apartments. The company said it also was in discussions about attracting a restaurant on the first floor of the 36-story structure.
One- and two-bedroom apartments will range from 600 to 1,500 square feet with monthly rents starting at roughly $1,000 to $3,500.