Future apartments set to revive the historic Moline Plow Building in Kansas City’s West Bottoms

One of the West Bottoms’ most recognizable brick landmarks—the historic Moline Plow Building—is poised for a second life as housing, signaling another step in the district’s steady transformation from industrial powerhouse to mixed-use neighborhood.

Built during the heyday of regional manufacturing and rail commerce, the Moline Plow Building has long anchored a prominent corner with its masonry façade, tall arched windows, and timber-and-steel bones. The planned conversion would adapt those historic features into modern apartments while preserving the building’s character through a combination of selective restoration and sensitive infill. Early concepts typically call for studios to two-bedroom units, with high ceilings, exposed brick, and large openings that capture daylight—hallmarks of successful warehouse-to-residential redevelopment.

Amenities under consideration align with West Bottoms living: secure entry, fitness and co-working lounges, bike storage, and street-level activation that could include small-scale retail or maker space. Given the neighborhood’s growing event and vintage markets scene, ground-floor uses are expected to complement weekend foot traffic and create an everyday “front porch” for residents and visitors alike.

The project’s broader value extends beyond new housing supply. By reusing an existing structure, the rehabilitation would leverage embodied energy, reduce construction waste, and stabilize a block that has historically seen underinvestment. It would also knit together nearby projects, adding lighting, landscaping, and safer pedestrian connections to the 12th Street Viaduct, Riverfront Heritage Trail links, and emerging transit options.

Designers are expected to follow established preservation guidelines, including window rehabilitation where feasible, masonry repair with historically appropriate materials, and the careful integration of modern building systems. Where code requires new interventions—elevators, life-safety upgrades, and ADA accessibility—the team will likely tuck them behind primary historic elevations to maintain the building’s visual rhythm.

If approvals proceed on schedule, construction would be phased to minimize disruption to adjacent businesses and weekend markets. Lease-up would follow substantial completion, with interest anticipated from renters who want proximity to the Stockyards District, Downtown, and the Crossroads while living in a building that tells a Kansas City story.

As plans advance, the Moline Plow Building stands to become a case study in adaptive reuse done right—honoring industrial heritage while meeting today’s demand for well-located urban homes.

---

Above: A conceptual street view rendering of the Moline Plow Building in Kansas City's West Bottoms reimagined as apartments. Image | SomeraRoad Inc.

BoxDevCo breaks ground on Blume Shawnee

Box Real Estate Development (BoxDevCo) and its partners have begun construction on Blume Shawnee, a European-inspired, vertical mixed-use townhome project located in downtown Shawnee, Kan.

Comprised of nano-sized commercial space with residential lofts and flats above, Blume Shawnee provides the notable, unique feature of living above a commercial storefront.

“Vertical mixed-use townhomes are rare in the United States despite being the quintessential building style throughout many parts of the world,” said BoxDevCo founder, Russell Pearson.

“A vertical mixed-use townhome means people can live and/or work within the same vertical unit. That subtle and/or distinction from a code perspective means Blume Shawnee appeals not only to those who want to work from home, but also small business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, and residents looking for a condo-quality living option,” Pearson said.

Blume Shawnee is comprised of twelve, three-story townhomes surrounding a European-inspired courtyard totaling 29 individual units.

The ‘A’ style building has two units with a +/- 600 SF main-floor commercial space and a two-story +/- 2,200 SF two-bedroom loft. The ‘B’ style building has three units including a +/- 800 SF main-floor commercial space and two +/- 1,550-1,590 SF two-bedroom flats.

Each residential unit is designed to feel like a custom home with attached garages, covered patios, walk-in closets, quartz countertops, dual vanities/showerheads and plenty of other upgrades.

Unlike a traditional mid-rise apartment project, each Blume Shawnee building is fully separated from the next with very few common internal spaces. The shared amenities instead are external – a private dog agility park, bike racks, nearby walking trails and a feature corner designed for rotating art exhibits.

Each unit features all-electric, high-efficiency, mini-split HVAC systems, generous balconies, and operable windows throughout - providing plenty of livable, open space and individual control.

“The medium-density nature of the project blends the economies of larger buildings with traditional single-family construction, allowing the exterior to utilize only durable and low-maintenance materials including Cordova stone, brick, fiber-cement panels and concrete roof tiles,” said Justin Larson, director of development services for BoxDevCo.

The entire project combines practical luxury with contemporary flare to provide long-term value to its residents, the surrounding area and the community at large. Design inspiration for the project came from studying Google Earth imagery of Shawnee’s European sister cities and current design trends.

Pearson traveled to Erfurt, Germany in October 2019 and toured its historic downtown with local city planners, staff and parliament members.

“Experiencing parts of the world that have seen centuries of development and redevelopment changes your perspective on sustainability,” said Pearson.

“We designed Blume Shawnee to stand the test of time so that 100-200 years from now people will decide the buildings are worth saving and can identify what time period the architecture was from once today’s contemporary style is given a name.”

Blume Shawnee is located along the Nieman Now corridor improvement project that included $40+ million in roadway, streetlight, utility, bike, amenity and walking trail improvements.

The downtown Shawnee area is located near Shawnee City Hall and features a diverse mix of restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and other regional and neighborhood amenities.

Founded in 2016, Box Real Estate Development is headquartered in Kansas City and seeks to identify real estate investment opportunities that yield above market returns relative to risks. BoxDevCo focuses on real estate acquisition and development in the central US and provides a full spectrum of services including fund creation and administration, asset and construction management. For more information on BoxDevCo, please visit www.boxdevco.com.

Read previous, related MWM article here: July 2020: New live-work transformation approved for downtown Shawnee

Click here to watch "Behind the Concept - Blume Shawnee" video.

46 Penn Centre adds Ocean Prime Restaurant to menu

Country Club Plaza’s recently completed 14-story corporate office building, 46 Penn Centre, is adding acclaimed restaurant Ocean Prime Restaurant + Prime Social Rooftop to its amenities menu.

Pinnacle Construction Group will begin construction on the steak and seafood restaurant in the next 60 days, with an anticipated fall 2021 opening date, according to a release.

Kansas City is the newest location - and the first in Missouri - for Ocean Prime’s award-winning Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR). The management investment partnership became a reality between the restaurant group and investors associated with Block Real Estate Services principals.

“At the outset of our plans for the building, we set our sights on landing a world class restaurant for 46 Penn Centre,” said Ken Block, managing principal of Block Real Estate Services.

With 8,500 SF of space, including three private dining rooms and a peninsula bar, Prime Social will be the only rooftop venue with expansive views of the Plaza and surrounding area.

“Ocean Prime is one of the finest restaurants in the U.S. and is the perfect partner to provide that elevated guest experience. It gives our tenants even more amenities at their fingertips, as they will soon have an in-house restaurant and rooftop lounge to entertain their clients and employees,” said Cameron Mitchell, founder and CEO of CMR.

This will be the 17th Ocean Prime restaurant since the 2008 launch of the concept in Columbus, Ohio.

“We are excited to expand the Ocean Prime concept, bringing both classic and modern fare,” said Mitch Miller, vice president of Ocean Prime.

“Our restaurant is known for its vibrant energy, made-from-scratch menu offerings, seasonal ingredients and an extensive menu to suit every palate- including prime steaks, chops, chicken and seafood. Our signature cocktails, from classics to original creations, and extensive wine list are a highlight of our guests’ experience. Prime Social will be a cool rooftop oasis and an ideal spot for guests to sip, savor and surround themselves within the cityscape,” Miller said.

46 Penn Centre opened in the fall of 2020. The Class A office building features 220,000 +/- RSF of office space, approximately 11,000 +/- RSF of retail space and secure, covered parking. Located north of 47th Street and east of Pennsylvania Avenue, it features private balconies on each floor and has been constructed with only four columns per floor for maximum space-plan efficiency.