Historic building on KC streetcar line will house 52 new lofts, rooftop lounge

Years in the making, a high-profile historic building along Kansas City’s streetcar line is getting an upgrade.

Plans are moving forward to rehabilitate the ABC Storage Building, 3244 Main St., and the adjacent Anderson Electric Car Company building into new loft apartments and more. The historic building is near Costco and the Union Hill streetcar stop.

Caleb Buland, managing partner with Exact Architects, said utility and interior demolition work is ongoing. Full construction is expected to begin in the spring ahead of a summer 2027 opening.

“We intentionally wanted to make sure the streetcar was up and running before we brought this project online,” he said.

The ABC Building conversion will include adding 52 lofts, including one- and two-bedrooms, which could bring about 100 residents to its stretch of midtown. The plans also include adding a rooftop lounge, a basement speakeasy and a coffee shop.

The lofts themselves will be aimed at affordability for those making below 80% of the area median income, which for a family of two in the Kansas City area is $71,300, according to federal housing documents.

The project is expected to make use of historic tax credits, which are available for historic building rehabs, and a temporary property tax cap through the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, part of the city’s urban renewal agency.

In 2024, preservation group Historic Kansas City called the ABC proposal a success story after both buildings were placed on its “most endangered list” in 2019 due to speculative development pressures along Main Street.

The ABC building was built in 1908, while the Anderson building was built in 1911. They’re both historically significant for their architectural style and character, according to state documents.

The city’s plan commission is scheduled to consider the ABC plans in March.

The news comes as progress continues nearby on Driven Development’s construction of 60 new housing units in colonnade-style buildings off Linwood Boulevard and Main Street, also with an eye toward affordability.

Together, that means more than 100 new homes in the works near the Linwood and Main intersection just months after the opening of the streetcar extension down Main Street.

This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 6:13 AM.