When a Kansas Citian talks about the Crossroads District or the Crossroads Arts District, people recognize it now as the dynamic area between the Downtown Business Loop and Union Station or Crown Center. But the Crossroads appellation is fairly new. For many years, it was just “the area between Downtown and the Union Station,” with no particular name.
It was fraught with untapped possibilities as the Loop underwent major development in the ’80s and ’90s and the warehouses and old office buildings in the neighborhood stood largely vacant and underappreciated. Then an artist gallery moved in. Then another, and another. Same with restaurants. Millennials flocked in to occupy the many loft conversions. Over a comparatively short time, it became a trendy, fashionable location for the budding arts and culinary communities in town.
When the galleries and eateries reached critical mass, they developed the concept of First Friday. The first Friday afternoon and evening of every month, the galleries open their doors and hordes of people descend to walk around from one gallery to the next. The streets are crowded and parking is at a premium. At one point, visitors openly carried their cocktails down the street from one gallery to the next. Alas, that came to an end when the developers of the Kansas City Live area pointed out that they had been promised an exclusive on peripatetic drinking in the city.
Local watering holes and restaurants attract people from across the city. Music venues have cropped up. Hotels are entering the district, as are some office buildings. Lofts and apartments abound. Tax Increment Financing projects are sometimes declined because the area doesn’t need the economic stimulus it once craved.
The Crossroads Arts District is thriving and the future looks rosy as the streetcar is now running right through the middle of it. Once-dilapidated buildings are giving way to exciting new projects like our clients Lead Bank, the Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange, and others. It is no longer just the area between the Loop and Union Station. It is a destination for a vibrant downtown.
