Despite residents’ pleas to save old City Hall, Leawood moves toward demolition

Jaclyn Penn was disappointed to see the Leawood City Council vote in favor of tearing down the old City Hall building.

“I think it’s just unfortunate that we had a movement and had something that was positive,” Penn said. “We had this huge group that saw this potential for a plot of land and what it could be at its best.”

Penn, a Leawood resident, spearheaded a neighborhood effort to preserve the City Hall as the city launched the early stages of a master plan for the old building, the old fire station and additional land on 96th Street and Lee Boulevard.

In particular, Penn wanted to see the old City Hall turn into a coffee and ice cream shop and create a community center out of the old fire station in order to promote walkability and free community space in north Leawood, which is hard to come by, she said. She launched a petition to gather resident interest and support, which garnered more than 900 signatures as of Oct. 3.

“It was sad that it wasn’t enough, but it was the choice they made,” Penn said.

Although a formal vote was not taken, there was consensus among the city council members on Monday night to demolish the old City Hall and to preserve the old fire station, Leawood spokesperson Beth Breitenstein said in an email.

“Members of the Governing Body expressed concern that the former City Hall building has been vacant for approximately 30 years and lacks significant potential for reuse without substantial investment in repairs,” Breitenstein said in her email. “Several council members said it did not make sense to retain the structure without a clear renovation plan.”

Instead of leaning towards Penn’s idea of a coffee and ice cream shop, many council members indicated they would like to see a park, open green space, gardens or other community features that would align with community needs.

“We couldn’t convince them to see the long term vision of what preserving this building would be,” Penn said. “You have this amazing, charming building that has so much potential.”

Both City Hall and the fire station were built in the 1950s, and the City Hall building in particular has concerns for mold and asbestos contamination and accessibility challenges.

“Yes, it’s sat for 30 years, but that’s inside. There’s ways to modify this where you can still preserve it,” Penn said.

Fire station could stay around

While demolition could be in the future for City Hall, the council agreed that the fire station could be preserved as a “four-season community building,” Breitenstein said.

The building could incorporate open-air elements like a pavilion off the back or side. Other ideas included incorporating kitchen facilities, adding concessions, and keeping an old fire truck on display in the short term.

“Several members emphasized the importance of preserving the north and south wings for symmetry and creating a gathering space that nods to the site’s history while serving the community’s needs,” Breitenstein said.

Penn said that she was glad to see the fire station preserved since it’s been a challenge for her to find free spaces for community groups to meet.

“I think right now we are still going to continue being active on the topic at least to make sure the fire station gets preserved for its use and purpose and that the park is for children and people of all ages,” she said. “We want to make sure that it does fit and that it works and that we can all leverage it.”

What’s next?

Now, Leawood’s consultant, BNIM architects will develop a master plan based on the council’s feedback, with the goal of the plan coming back before the council by the end of the calendar year, Breitenstein said.

The process will include a staff review and public Planning Commission meetings before going to the City Council for final approval, similar to other development projects.

No meeting dates have been set at this time. Residents can visit leawood.org/96thandlee to keep up with the latest developments on this project.