This KC hotel near the Plaza closed in the fall. Now it’s getting demolished

A large former hotel near Westport and Country Club Plaza is expected to be demolished.

The former Embassy Suites by Hilton, off 43rd Street and Broadway Boulevard near Saint Luke’s Hospital, closed in September. The property has been owned by Saint Luke’s since 1971, and the 12-story, 266-room hotel structure was built in 1976. The hotel operator ended operations and vacated the property alongside the end of a ground lease.

Records now show the city issued a pre-demolition permit in late October, a step toward final demolition of a building.

A Saint Luke’s spokesperson said the former hotel was found to be “functionally obsolete” by the former operator that leased the building.

“Saint Luke’s explored a number of reuse alternatives, including continued hospitality use and conversions to multifamily residential or senior housing that were ultimately deemed to be unfeasible,” the spokesperson said. “Due to the safety risks inherent with a vacant building and the high cost to maintain a property in an inoperative state, Saint Luke’s plans to apply for a permit to demolish the building.”

Environmental remediation work is ongoing alongside the removal of furniture, fixtures and equipment, according to the hospital, which will initially for hospital campus parking. Various fixtures have been auctioned off, including an atrium fountain carved out of pink stone in Guadalajara with dolphin ornaments.

Long-term plans for the site are to be determined.