Historic House of Hits building in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz District collapses
Plywood barricades surrounded the historic House of Hits building in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz District after parts of it collapsed Monday, according to a spokeswoman for Kansas City.
“The city has had the building barricaded and have contractors reviewing to determine the next steps,” Beth Breitenstein, public information officer for Kansas City’s City Planning and Development, said Tuesday.
The extent of the damage to the building at 1511-13 E. 18th Street and the cause of its collapse was still being evaluated, she said.
Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, who sponsored a resolution last year to fund the second phase of the 18th and Vine Historic District Improvements, called the collapse a “sad day” at 18th and Vine.
“City staff responded quickly to help secure the area,” she said in a Twitter post. “It is my hope that we will pass phase II of funds needed to address blighted buildings owned by the City.”
Robinson couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.
The resolution she sponsored directed staff to identify $4.6 million in potential funding for a list of projects in the second phase of improvements from the city’s 2021-22 Fiscal Year. Included in that was $268,000 for the House of Hits building.
The resolution, however, was assigned to the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee and placed on hold eight times, according to the resolution’s history. It was held indefinitely in October.
The commercial building was built around 1900 and served various tenants over the years. Its longest tenant was the White Star Market, according to Breitenstein. It also served as offices for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1930.
The building is owned by the city. It was in the process of being transferred to a private developer, she said.
In February 2017, gusty winds caused a partial collapse of the building, which had been vacant for years, had no roof and was open to the elements.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 3:19 PM.
