Demolition of historic Parade Park near 18th & Vine makes way for 1,100 new homes
The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber. Then, opening its maw, it clenched what remained of a standing wall between its teeth, crushing it into debris.
So began the demolition on Tuesday of Parade Park Homes, a historic housing co-op of some 510 units in the 18th and Vine Jazz District which — when it opened in 1962 — was extolled as a model of homeownership in Kansas City’s Black community.
Some 64 years later, the development is officially coming down, following years of decay, neglect and abandonment. In the year since the property has been vacant, and fenced off, 27 fires have gutted or scorched empty units, located between Truman Road and 18th Street, Woodland and Brooklyn avenues.
Demolition is expected to take approximately 60 to 75 days.
Once the site is down and cleared, construction is scheduled to begin as soon as this spring on the first phase of a $300 million housing development of 1,100 mixed-use living units, to include condos, townhomes and flats, of which 470 units will be affordable for low-income and senior residents.
The redevelopment plan is being led by Flaherty & Collins Development in partnership with the Twelfth Street Heritage Corporation. In March, the Kansas City Council approved $20 million to support the project. The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development in January 2025 awarded the developers $15.5 million in a federal grant.
“I am so happy that my staff and I were successful in convincing HUD that Parade Park is a viable and valuable place to invest in the future of Kansas City’s Jazz District,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Missouri, said in a statement when the grant was announced. “With this funding, our community has taken another major step in expanding access to affordable housing while maintaining local control of this historic property, which is the foundation to vibrant and prosperous communities.”
The funding comes through the department’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program, which offers funding for the rehabilitation and development for housing for people age 62 and up with qualifying incomes. In addition to city and federal funding, the redevelopment in September also received a 30-year property tax break from PortKC.
As Parade Park deteriorated, its dwindling number of residents complained of lack of maintenance and issues such as leaking roofs and black mold.
In 2022, HUD took over the property, and foreclosed on it in 2023. Kansas City purchased the property out of foreclosure and later transferred ownership to Flaherty & Collins and Twelfth Street Heritage.
The project is expected to be complete in 2031, with a first phase of 479 townhomes, apartments and flats to be complete in 2027.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 5:46 AM.
