See the upgrades coming to American Jazz Museum in KC’s 18th & Vine district
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum isn’t the only museum in 18th & Vine making upgrades.
The American Jazz Museum unveiled renderings and floor plans for the 2026 AJM Restoration Project after the City Council of Kansas City voted unanimously to approve $3.2 million in public funds for the project Thursday, Feb. 5.
The project will upgrade and restore four components inside the museum, according to a press release:
- Relocating the Blue Room performance space to accommodate 180-200 guests
- Creating a new café and expanded retail area
- Reorganizing exhibit spaces, including a new changing gallery
- Improving back-of-house operations for greater efficiency
“The American Jazz Museum has a powerful story to tell about the history, impact and future of jazz, and this effort will help us tell it in the way it deserves to be told,” Stephenie Smith, board chair at AJM, said in a statement. “The favorable vote from City Council signals a commitment to reimagining Kansas City’s future contributions to its historic entertainment district, and jazz as an American cultural institution.”
The agreement was sponsored by 3rd District Councilwoman Melissa Robinson and co-sponsored by 4th and 6th District Councilmembers Crispin Rea and Andrea Bough.
“This investment sends a message to the philanthropic and private communities that we are taking care of this asset,” Robinson said in a statement. “We want them to support us as we move toward the full breadth of the plan.”
The overall project will be broken into four parts, Smith told Star columnist Toriano Porter before the vote. The upgrades would be a part of a reimagined 18th and Vine district.
The renovation to the jazz museum is one of many projects ongoing in the district. The construction of the Black Movie Hall of Fame inside Kansas City’s historic Boone Theater and redevelopment of the Parade Park Homes site are couple currently in the works.
The American Jazz Museum also shares space with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, but the NLBM plans to relocate into a new building adjacent to the 18th and Vine district. Details on how museum leaders would use that space will be addressed down the road, according to Smith.
AJM said it will contribute an additional $300,000, bringing the total project investment to $3.5 million.
