Collapsed Family Dollar faced inspections, fines — but not for structural issues
City inspectors were no strangers to the Family Dollar store that partially collapsed and killed a man on Sunday. But until Monday, none of their visits or the resulting citations had to do with structural concerns.
City records show that inspectors were sent to the property dozens of times in recent years for issues involving littering, weeds, graffiti and excess trash around the building at 3736 Broadway Blvd. The property racked up 22 citations in the last four years, three of which escalated to charges against the key officers of the company that owns the Midtown building.
Clifford and Steven Trenton, who are listed in state corporation documents as the president and secretary of the Arthur Fels Co., pleaded guilty in those cases.
The Arthur Fels Co. is “a historic and local real estate company founded in the 1920s by Arthur B. Fels,” according to its LinkedIn page. It adds that “as a family business, we own and manage properties in Kansas City and across the country.”
Clifford Trenton was charged in the Kansas City Municipal Division of Jackson County Circuit Court on Aug. 5, 2024, with a trash violation. The charge was based on a citation issued by the city on July 23, 2024, for a violation at 3736 Broadway Blvd., according to court records.
Clifford Trenton pleaded guilty on Sept. 26, 2024, and was fined $85.
Steven Trenton was charged Sept. 10, 2024, with a similar trash violation at the same address. That citation was issued on Aug. 29, 2024.
An inspection done by the city that day said: “Trash and open storage is still a big problem at this location. Multiple contacts have been made with the store and property owners without result. There’s a large commercial dumpster that has not been removed and is not being used by the business and appears to be drawing illegal dumping in the area. Will proceed with the next appropriate action.”
Steven Trenton pleaded guilty on Sept. 26, 2024, and got an $85 fine.
On April 17, 2025, Steven Trenton received a citation for another code violation at that address for endangering the welfare of others by failing to erect a screen around the trash dumpsters. He was charged on May 19, pleaded guilty on July 2 and was ordered to pay a $100 fine.
Neither Clifford nor Steven Trenton responded to requests for comment Monday on the fatal building collapse or the code violations at the property.
Roof tilted before collapse
City records show that just days before the collapse, Kansas City’s neighborhoods department received multiple complaints about the Family Dollar — including that the structure was “tilting.”
And a photo attached to a city inspection conducted July 22 for a pending litter case shows the exterior of the building apparently in poor condition with the roof visibly sagging — five days before it collapsed.
On Monday, a day after the fatal collapse, city staff inspected the building and deemed it dangerous and in violation of the city’s dangerous building ordinance.
A car crash nearly nine years ago at the store may have caused damage that compromised the structure.
The crash occurred when a driver heading south on Broadway Boulevard lost control near 37th Street and hit a pillar in front of the store, then struck the store, according to an Oct. 10, 2016, story posted on KMBC, Channel 9’s website. The driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, it said.
A photo of the scene showed the vehicle up against the store’s entrance. A pillar that previous photos showed was supporting the front corner of the building was missing, apparently knocked down in the crash. Subsequent photos of the building over the years indicate that the pillar was not replaced.
City officials said the building’s owners were responsible for repairing any damage after the crash.
“We are still trying to understand why the property owners did not apply for a permit with City Planning and Development to repair the building after it was struck by a car in 2016,” read a statement from Lanè Johnson, a city spokesperson. “Ultimately, the responsibility for the structural integrity and safety of a building lies with its property owner and manager.”
The Kansas City Fire Department responded to the Family Dollar store in Midtown just after 2:45 p.m. Sunday. When crews arrived, they discovered that part of the front facade of the building had collapsed.
Larry Banks, of Kansas City, was buried under the rubble and didn’t survive. Three others were injured, among them a woman who is in critical condition. The other two were treated at the scene but refused further medical attention, according to a fire department spokesman.
The Kansas City Police Department is investigating the collapse, which is standard protocol when a fatality has occurred, as is the city government.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and the injuries that occurred,” Johnson said in the city’s statement. “This is not something the City takes lightly. We are actively investigating this incident and working closely with multiple departments—including Public Works, Neighborhood Services, City Planning and Development, and the Kansas City Fire Department.”
The Arthur Fels Co. was founded by a German immigrant who started a mail order liquor house in Kansas City around 1911, according to a 2021 online article about Fels. He later became an investment banker and realtor, it said.
“As president of the Arthur Fels Company, he was credited with being instrumental in the financing of early high-rise buildings in Kansas City and St. Louis,” the article said. “He also had a political career, elected to the city council in 1924 and 1925.”
The Star’s Chris Higgins and Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed reporting to this story.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
