Fate of historic Art Deco building in Midtown KC unclear after ceiling collapse

Kansas City is determining if another historic building on the streetcar line in Midtown should be deemed dangerous — requiring it to either be knocked down or repaired — as its longtime tenant moves out in the face of a crumbling ceiling.

But the building’s owner affirmed in an interview with The Star that it will not be demolished and could be redeveloped.

The city last week opened a dangerous buildings case on the Southwell Building, an Art Deco building at 3935 Main St. in Westport, where the iconic shop Clint’s Comics has been located for years.

The building, across the street from the historic Katz on Main, features a unique terra cotta design on the second-floor facade. It was built about a century ago and is part of the South Side Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

Now, a bright-red sign on it spells out in all-caps: DO NOT ENTER/OCCUPY. A Nov. 25 city inspection found the ceiling was falling due to water coming through the roof and that multiple light fixtures had fallen due to ceiling collapse.

The inspector at the time determined that the building is dangerous and should not be occupied.

It’s the second historic building along the streetcar line that the city could label dangerous as such in recent months. A group of structures including the Jeserich Building is being demolished at Main and 31st streets.

City spokesperson Lané Johnson told The Star that the fire department contacted the neighborhoods department last week, and inspectors discovered several units in the building with significant water damage. A standard dangerous building case was opened.

Next steps will include completing the necessary paperwork, and a notice will be sent to the property owner. The city adds structures to the dangerous buildings list when they’re considered a safety risk to the public and typically issues a notice to repair or demolish them within 30 days.

The fire department has issued an emergency order restricting occupancy and is working with other departments to coordinate repair permits, Johnson said.

Clint’s Comics is now moving to a strip mall in Independence after over half a century in Midtown Kansas City.

Damian Bakula, an attorney representing the shop, said the building has been leaking for years, and the roof collapsed earlier this year, causing water to rain in.

That ruined merchandise and damaged up to half of the shop’s inventory, he said.

The building’s owner, Southwell Building LLC, filed a court case in August saying that the comic shop’s lease has lapsed and that it has withheld rent and refused to leave the premises for almost two years.

In a filed response, the comic shop denied the allegations, saying the lease was not terminated and that the owner has failed to fix the property or maintain it in a habitable condition, so it’s not obligated to pay rent until the property is restored.

The case remains pending, but Clint’s Comics has nonetheless been moving out and is currently listed at 815 Noland Road in Independence.

Jerry Wyatt of Southwell Building LLC, the building’s longtime owner, told The Star he has had issues accessing the space for repairs and that the shop needs to be out of the space for him to get in.

He said the building will not be demolished and that he plans to sell it next year, eyeing possible rehabilitation and redevelopment that would add new stories to the site — similar to Katz on Main across the street.