Demolition of historic KC home near Ward Parkway approved without public hearing
Ninety-six years after it was built, a stately 3,000-square-foot Tudor-style home near Ward Parkway — valued by Zillow at $1.3 million — was approved Monday for demolition, albeit without a city public hearing.
When Christopher and Andrea Ketcherside purchased the home on Mercier Street in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Kansas City 13 years ago, they had no intention of razing the structure and building anew. But after years of dealing with the constant flooding and other issues that plague old homes, the Ketchersides hired an architect to design a new home in the spirit of their old and applied for a demolition permit on January 16.
“The reason we bought the house is because of the aesthetic,” Andrea Ketcherside told The Star last week, regarding their proposed demolition. “We love where we live. We love the look of that neighborhood. I totally understand the ruffled feathers.”
In December 2024, the Kansas City Council passed an ordinance aimed at saving historic structures from demolition.
Why no public hearing?
The law requires the staff of Kansas City Office of Historic Preservation to assess the proposed demolition of any building 50 years old or older (other than outbuildings, such as sheds, or others on the dangerous buildings list) to see if those buildings meet the criteria to be listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places or the National Register of Historic Places.
If the staff determines that a building is eligible, the staff’s recommendation must be presented before the Historic Preservation Commission for a public hearing within 45 days of receipt of the demolition application. The hearing is meant to allow time for neighborhood groups, preservation groups, or other interested parties to possibly file applications for a building to be placed on one of the historic registries. If an application for historic status is pending, demolition can be further postponed.
In its Feb. 20, 2026 report, the staff of the Office of Historic Preservation recommended that the home’s demolition be delayed for 45 days, noting that the quality, style and craftsmanship of the Ketchersides’ 1930 Tudor Revival house, in the 5200 block of Mercier, met one of four criteria for possible listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The staff recommendation was set to go before the Historic Preservation Commission at its monthly meeting on Feb. 27. The meeting, however, was canceled that day for a “lack of quorum.”
Monday, March 2, marked the 45th day from the time of the Ketcherside’s demolition application on Jan. 16. Their application was thus automatically approved.
”Since the commission was unable to meet before the 45 day deadline, the demolition can proceed without any review from the commission,” Lanè Johnson, the public information officer for the city’s neighborhood services department, said in a statement.
Some of old house to be part of new
The Ketchersides have hired Homoly Design + Build of Kansas City as both architect and builder. Mason Homoly, co-owner and vice president of operations, said last week that they anticipated razing the home, on its 0.6-acre property, in the next 30 to 60 days.
Construction is estimated to take 12 to 14 months. The new home’s design, Andrea Ketcherside said, will incorporate timbers and other elements of the former home into the new home design.
“Our intent was, I guess, restoration—rebuild,” Ketcherside said last week. “We are taking the design from the inside and reapplying it to the new house, the same Gothic archways, and the big, big beautiful beams, which are actually going to be saved from the current house and used again.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 1:18 PM.
