Ryan Companies opens new KC office

Ryan Companies has officially moved into its new Kansas City office on a second-floor suite of the Interstate Securities Building/Topsy Building at 215 E 18th St. in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The construction and real estate development firm has been working in the KC market for 15 years, but it wasn’t until 2018 that they established a physical presence in the city.

The 3,213 SF office is designed to seat 16 employees, with room to expand up to 24. The building was built in 1950 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The decision to further invest in the Kansas City market was ultimately made because of their success that has come out of the last decade and a half paired with a great outlook for decades to come, according to Ryan's marketing team.

“We’re stoked to be in another one of 3D Development’s and Lankford Fendler’s projects. True to fashion, they continue to outdo themselves and we can’t wait to pour an Irish pint (or two) when we have our official open house. In the meantime, give us a ring, bring a mask and come check out our new digs! You’ll love our Northwoods fireplace (in the winter) and the view from the rooftop the next time the temperature drops,” said Aaron Schlagel, vice president – real estate development, midwest region for Ryan Companies.

Ryan Companies also announced the relocation of  Craig Thompson, vice president of construction, from its Des Moines, Iowa offices to its new office in Kansas City.

“I want to help build something in Kansas City that will continue for years to come. In Des Moines, we were able to grow the office by four times what it was when we began. With Kansas City being a bigger market, the sky is the limit for what we can do here,” said Thompson.

Thompson, who just celebrated his 20-year anniversary with Ryan Companies, will help lead the growth of Ryan’s rapidly expanding team and presence in Kansas City.

Ryan Companies’ noteworthy local projects include Commerce Tower, St. Luke’s Community Hospital in Shawnee, Kan.) and multiple projects for Target and Amazon. The company will focus on real estate development while continuing to provide construction services.

Groundbreaking ceremony kicks off today for Charlotte Street Foundation

A groundbreaking ceremony will kick off at 5pm today to celebrate the soon-to-be start of construction for Charlotte Street Foundation’s new campus, located near Roanoke Park.

Charlotte Street Foundation was established in 1997 in response to a lack of creative, social and economic resources for Kansas City artists. The organization has steadily expanded its suite of services to include special commissions, free studio residencies, exhibition and performance space for artists, and advocacy with local and national philanthropic business and civic leaders. Charlotte Street is also the only organization in the region that grants artists direct monetary support.

The new campus – a two-building industrial complex – is located at 3333 Wyoming Street and will offer nearly 25,000 SF of operating space. Charlotte Street’s relocation will repurpose the closed, segregated buildings into a flexible, open, community-focused hub of activity.

The building concept starts with the idea of an artist’s village. Hufft, who leads the design, focused on connections: artists to other artists; artists to the greater community; artists to the Charlotte Street staff; and artists to the surrounding landscape.

The building opens up both vertically and horizontally, starting with inserting a main reception that connects the lower and upper terraces. As the new collective entrance to the building it ensures that everyone passes through the same space regardless of how they access the hilly site. It serves as a lobby, an incubator, a lecture hall with large cascading staircase, and the first space for a chance interaction. From here the building opens up vertically, so that from the reception you can see up to the artist’s studio levels, forming the next level of community interaction.

The final step is the insertion of large openings into the windowless industrial building, providing a glimpse to the outside and connecting the artists to both the surrounding community and lush landscape. The result is a continuous internal village streetscape, where artists step outside their studio to find themselves in an active continuous space, one that connects down to the reception, artist’s courtyard, and beyond.

The foundation moved its offices to the new campus in October and continues to operate their 2019 programming out of various metro area locations. With construction kicking off this summer, current project schedules have the transition of resources to the campus taking place in the first quarter of 2020.

Hufft leads the design along with the project team of Benson Method, who serves as the Owner Representative. Newkirk Novak is the general contractor, 40North is the landscape architect, and engineering support for the project is provided by Lankford Fendler as MEP.

The Charlotte Street Foundation Groundbreaking Ceremony is today, June 12 starting at 5pm at 3325-3335 Wyoming Street. There will be a guided tour and feature artists performing throughout the event.