Kansas City Power & Light District

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Power & Light District
Location	1100 Walnut Street Suite 3000 Kansas City, Missouri 64106
Coordinates	39°05′52″N 94°34′56″W / 39.09778, -94.58222
Type	Mixed-use retail, entertainment, office, and residential development
Built	2005 - 2008 (expected)
Opened	First tenant opened November 9, 2007; various openings through 2008
Owner	Cordish Company
Capacity	nine city block area (expected)
Website	http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/ (Flash only)

The Kansas City Power & Light District or Power & Light District is a shopping and entertainment district currently under construction in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, developed by the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland and designed by 360 Architecture. When completed, the district will comprise nine blocks on the south side of the downtown loop. It is is located between Baltimore Avenue to the west, Grand Boulevard to the east, 12th Street to the north, and Interstate 670 to the south.^[1] The $850 million mixed-use district is one of the largest development projects in the Midwestern United States^[2] The Power & Light District will be one of only a few places in the United States where possession and consumption of open containers of alcoholic beverages are allowed on the street, although they remain prohibited on the street throughout the rest of Kansas City.

[edit] Location

The Power & Light District is immediately to the west of the Sprint Center. It originally was to be named Kansas City Live!, but the Cordish Company decided instead to name the district after the art deco Kansas City Power and Light Building. The present headquarters of the Kansas City Power & Light Company (a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy) is also located on the northern side of the district. A one-block area within the district, however, is called Kansas City Live!, and will contain three floors of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, as well as a large, partially-enclosed courtyard and concert venue (see below).

[edit] Kansas City Live!

The interior of the Kansas City Live! block of the Power & Light District under the ETFE roof system, featuring the Kansas City Live! stage, Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, and Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge

At the heart of the Power & Light District is Kansas City Live!, a one block area devoted to live music and entertainment venues. At the center of Kansas City Live! is a covered outdoor plaza to be used for concerts. The roof system, produced by Structurflex, is made of an Ethylene TetraFluoro Ethylene (ETFE) single-skin membrane. The first installation of an ETFE cushion solution in the United States was a facade in NYC for AOL Time Warner (2002/2003; 100m²). Credit for the first roof skylight application goes to the project Pasadena Art Center (690m², installation in 2004) and the first large scale pure roof application was for an aquatic facility in McGaheysville (appr. 4500m², installation in 2005).(previous installations have included AWD Arena in Hanover, Germany and Beijing National Stadium).^[3] Construction of the roof began on August 17, 2007.^[4] The ground floor of the Kansas City Live! block focuses on bar and restaurant concepts, including McFadden’s Sports Saloon, Vinino, Ragland Road, Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge, Tengo Sed Cantina, and Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. The second floor of Kansas City Live! houses the night clubs and entertainment concepts, including Mosaic Lounge, Lucky Strike Lanes, Angels Rock Bar, and Howl at the Moon.

The Kansas City Live! area of the Power & Light District was showcased before a worldwide television audience twice during May 2008. American Idol finalist David Cook played a short set from the Kansas City Live! stage on May 9, 2008, which aired during the television show the following week. The same location also hosted the official watch party for the final episode of the 2008 season, which featured a live television feed from the Power & Light District.^[5]

[edit] Confirmed Power & Light District Tenants

Vinino on the ground floor, and Howl at the Moon on the second floor on the eastern edge of the Kansas City Live! block

The following establishments have already opened for business in the Power & Light District:

• Angel's Rock Bar - 4,000 square foot music venue and club^† (opened March 7, 2008)
• Bristol Seafood Grill - 8,000 square foot seafood restaurant (opened February 26, 2008)
• Chefburger - 3,300 square foot, locally owned, build your own burger joint (opened March 10, 2008)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill - 2,400 square foot location of the Denver-based Fresh Mex chain (opened on February 27, 2008)
• The Drum Room - restaurant, martini bar, and live entertainment lounge located in the historic President Hotel
• Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que - 6,300 square foot location of the Minnesota-based barbecue restaurant chain (opened February 22, 2008)
• Flying Saucer Draught Emporium - 4,600 square foot location of the Dallas/Ft. Worth-based beer bar chain, featuring 200 beers on tap^† (opened May 5, 2008)
• Gordon Biersch Brewing Company - 8,500 square foot location of the Chattanooga-based chain of brewery/restaurants^† (opened March 10, 2008)
• H&R Block world headquarters (opened October, 2006)
• Hilton President Kansas City - 213-room refurbished historic 1926 hotel, featuring the Drum Room (reopened January 5, 2006)
• Howl at the Moon Piano Bar - 4,700 square foot location of the Cincinnati-based chain of "dueling-piano bars"^† (opened February 7, 2008)
• Lucky Strike Lanes - 23,000-square-foot, 12-lane upscale Hollywood-based bowling alley, featuring live DJs, food, and drinks^† (opened on March 6, 2008)
• Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge - 6,000 square foot location of the Kentucky-based whiskey distiller's chain of restaurants and lounges^† (opened Friday May 2, 2008)
• McFadden’s Sports Saloon - 6,900 sq ft Irish-themed sports bar^† (opened November 9, 2007)
• Mosaic Lounge - 7,100 square foot location of the Seattle-based chain of nightclubs^† (opened on April 11, 2008)
• PBR Big Sky - country and western bar located at the north end of the Kansas City Live! block at 111 E. 13th St. (opened April 10, 2008)^[6]
• Raglan Road - Irish pub comprised of pieces transported from Ireland^† (opened March 4, 2008)
• Sprint Studio - 5,500 square foot store in the district. The interactive, high-tech store will “coach” customers on the latest technology from Sprint Nextel. (opened March 5, 2008)
• Ted's Montana Grill - location of the Atlanta-based chain of restaurants featuring bison on its menu (opened February 12, 2008)
• Tengo Sed Cantina (Flash only) - Mexican-themed bar and nightclub (opened March 7, 2008)
• Vinino - concept Italian restaurant and wine bar^† (opened November 16, 2007)

The Cordish Company has confirmed that the following establishments will be tenants in the Power & Light District:

• AMC Mainstreet Theater - first all-digital movie theater in the United States; will show primarily art films; located at 14th & Main
• Bice Bistro - a sophisticated, urban, upscale Italian bistro features authentic Italian cuisine with an international touch in 8,600 sq ft
• Bice Café - 1,500 square foot café will be located immediately adjacent to the Bice Bistro
• Bice Lounge - 1,200 square foot space will offer one of the most novel outdoor experiences in the entire city
• ChinaBAR - 7,500 square foot contemporary restaurant featuring Chinese, Chinois specialties, and sushi
• Cosentino's Downtown Gourmet Market - upscale grocery store (opens fall, 2008)
• The Fudgery - 1,740 square foot entertainment-themed fudge shop
• GNC - 1,700 square foot location of the Pittsburgh-based chain of stores selling health and nutrition related products, over the counter drugs, and food supplements
• Jos. A. Bank - 4,300 square foot location of the Maryland-based men's clothing designer and retailer
• Lattéland Espresso & Tea - 1,700 square foot location of the locally-owned chain of coffeehouses (opens summer, 2008)
• Midland Theatre - 3,500-person capacity concert and live music venue (reopens September 2008)
• Peachtree Restaurant of Kansas City - soul food restaurant moving from 18th & Vine to 14th & Main (opens early April, 2008)
• Plaza Ford Ideal - 950 square foot locally-owned laundry and dry-cleaner
• Polished - 1,195 square foot nail salon and day spa
• Rum Shack - Caribbean-themed bar
• Tangerine - Japanese sushi, Chinois specialties, and classic Chinese favorites

†- located in Kansas City Live!

[edit] Entertainment

In addition to the live entertainment at the many individual clubs and bars in the district, major acts will also be scheduled to play under the giant canopy of the Kansas City Live! outdoor plaza during warmer months. Most events will be free.

• March 6, 2008 - Pat McGee
• March 13, 2008 - Jeff Jenkins & the International Band of Leisure
• March 14, 2008 - Sister Hazel
• March 15, 2008 - DJ Review
• March 17, 2008 - Halfway to Hazard
• May 9, 2008 - David Cook
• May 16, 2008 - Three Dog Night and Dr. Hook
• May 17, 2008 - Josh Gracin and Vertical Horizon
• May 29, 2008 - Dierks Bentley
• June 4, 2008 - Shiny Toy Guns
• June 5, 2008 - Billy Currington
• June 6, 2008 - Billy Currington
• June 12, 2008 - Craig Morgan
• June 26, 2008 - Jake Owen
• August 7, 2008 - Jason Michael Carroll
• August 14, 2008 - Whiskey Falls
• September 4, 2008 - Sarah Buxton

[edit] Future Plans

Cordish also plans to build four residential towers in the project. As of August, 2007, only one is under construction: a 38-floor 350-unit residential tower, which may include a boutique hotel. The site is just north of the H&R Block headquarters, on a lot once occupied by the Jones Store Company's flagship store. The department store building was demolished during the summer of 2005 and the ground was leveled and dug out beginning in March, 2006.

[edit] Alcohol and the Power & Light District

See also: Alcohol laws of Missouri

Missouri already widely is known for its lax alcohol laws, which are among the most permissive of any state in the United States, perhaps only exceeded by those of Nevada. Missouri has no state law prohibiting open containers or public intoxication. Generally, however, Missouri does prohibit bars and restaurants from allowing patrons to leave the premises with unfinished open containers of alcohol.^[7]

In 2005, the Cordish Company successfully lobbied the Missouri General Assembly for a new law pertaining to any "entertainment district" in Downtown Kansas City which will allow patrons to remove any alcoholic beverage from any establishment in the District and carry it openly throughout the portions of the District not open to vehicular traffic, provided that the beverage is in a plastic cup marked with the logo of the establishment at which it was purchased.^[8][9][10] Although it remains unclear how this will be interpreted or enforced once the Power & Light District opens in the fall of 2007 through the spring of 2008, for now the provision widely has been accepted as allowing drinking "in the street."^[10] If so, the Power & Light District will be one of only a few places in the United States with such an open container allowance (along with the city of Butte, Montana, the Las Vegas Strip, the French Quarter of New Orleans, and the historic district of downtown Savannah, Georgia). The City Council of Kansas City has extended this provision to include any portion not open to vehicular traffic of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Crossroads Arts District, the 18th and Vine Historic District, the Liberty Memorial, Crown Center, and the Union Hill neighborhood.^[11] The Cordish Company is the host site for the first Annual Downtown Kansas City Art Festival [^[12]], held in June.

[edit] See also

• Sprint Center
• Bartle Hall Convention Center

[edit] External links

• Power & Light District Official Website (Flash only)
• Contact Information

[edit] References