KC's iconic 'Flashcube' building now open

The iconic “Flashcube” building at 720 Main Street in Kansas City, Mo., which previously sat vacant for nearly fifteen years, is now open for business.

The newly renovated, modern mixed-use building opened on August 14, 2020.

Worcester Investments partnered with MW Builders as the general contractor and Clockwork Architecture + Design to renovate the 220,000-SF space into 184 apartment units and 17,834 SF of office space on the first two floors.

The major piece and largest challenge of the project included replacing all the exterior glass that inspired the building’s nickname and landed the building on the National Register of Historic Places. The MW Builders team replaced more than 2,300 panes of glass -averaging twelve panes a day- to preserve the late-modern look and feel of the building.

“Flashcube has been a unique part of the downtown Kansas City skyline for a long time. It was exciting to see our crews step up to a new challenge on this project and preserve the building’s iconic look while giving the building a new purpose,” said Todd Winnerman, president of MW Builders.

Located alongside Kansas City’s Streetcar line, the new Flashcube Apartments will attract urban dwellers looking for easy access to public transit.

Plexpod, a coworking facility, takes up two floors and roughly 17,834 square feet of the building. Residents and other Plexpod members will have access to the building’s amenities, such as an indoor soccer field, rock climbing wall, indoor basketball court, yoga and fitness room, game room and pickleball courts.

New master plan unites St. Elizabeth School and church in Waldo

Construction is underway on a $6 million addition and renovation at St. Elizabeth's Catholic School and Parish in the Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City, Mo.

St. Elizabeth’s Early Childhood Center (ECC), located across the street from the church, is also included in the campus master plan as part of a design-build partnership with Straub Construction, Hollis + Miller Architects and Lankford | Fendler + Associates. 

The new plan unites the ECC and the church on the west side of Main street, with the goal of improving safety, security and functionality for students, faculty and staff.

"By relocating the ECC building to the main campus, students and teachers no longer have to cross the street at the busy intersection of 75th and Main. The new master plan provides a safer solution," said Joe Riedel, vice president of business development for Straub Construction.

Many of the students who now attend the school are the second —or even third — generation of families to attend St Elizabeth School.

"One of the coolest parts of this story is how so many current parents, who once attended the school themselves, have banded together to pay it forward to ensure the legacy of the school stays strong for the next 100 years," said Riedel.

The 20,000 SF project includes a conversion of the existing rectory, built in 1948, into modern learning spaces designed specifically for students pre-school through kindergarten. The main sanctuary will be renovated to improve accessibility, functionality, storage and acoustics.  

“The new Early Childhood Center at St. Elizabeth establishes an exciting vision for our parish and school moving forward. It strengthens our commitment to the education and religious formation of our children and locates all our school buildings in close proximity to one another. The new facility will be tailored to the needs of early childhood education and will enable us to serve more families in the Waldo area,” said St. Elizabeth Parish pastor, Fr. Greg Haskamp.

Renovations to the sanctuary are complete. The Early Childhood Center will be open for school in August 2020.

Oggi Lofts redevelopment brings 25 market rate units to downtown KC

The former Oggi Modern Furnishings building at 600 Central St. in downtown Kansas City’s former Garment District has found new life as Oggi Lofts, a 25-unit market-rate apartment project.

Ted Murray of Colliers International teamed up with Andy Homoly of Homoly Construction on the $6.7 million redevelopment designed by architecture firm Clockwork Architecture + Design. Rosin Preservation helped secure historic tax credits for conversion of the 110-year old, five-story brick building located on the National Register of Historic Places.

As with any historic redevelopment, Oggi Lofts offered its share of surprises and conundrums.

“Anytime you get into an older building that needs to be gutted, there are always surprises,” said Murray, who pursued the project independent of his role as Co-CEO of Colliers’ Kansas City office. “This project was so different and really created a need for problem solving during the construction process.”

For example, the building’s entire stair tower required full replacement, yet historic preservation standards required that the original hardwood flooring remain. Another hurdle involved successfully obtaining approval from the National Park Service to add windows on the north side of the brick building. But perhaps the biggest challenge involved designing and constructing units around the building’s many columns, which could not be touched in the name of structural integrity.

“We had to conserve space, and Andy (Homoly) and the construction team really thought through how to integrate all the vertical columns into the various units,” Murray told MetroWire Media during a tour of the project.

A hallmark of Oggi Lofts is a rooftop deck with panoramic views of the Missouri River, and Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. The property includes a basement fitness center and dedicated storage units as well as on-street parking and door locks and utilities with smartphone access. With rents between $1,000 to $2,265, each unit includes hardwood flooring, onyx countertops, and washer/dryer.

For Murray, the historic redevelopment was a refreshing departure from his work with Colliers, which involves primarily office, retail and industrial leasing and sales.

“This has been so much fun,” Murray said. “I love downtown and I’m just thrilled with how this turned out. It’s been a labor of love.”

Oggi Modern Furnishings vacated the property in 2007. Tax abatements were approved through Kansas City’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA).