One of the last vacant buildings in Downtown Kansas City has a redevelopment plan in the works.

The 12-story Muehlebach Hotel at the southwest corner of 12th and Baltimore is, perhaps, Downtown’s most storied hotel. Playing host to heads of state (including hosting every President from Teddy Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan), the Beatles and other celebrities/public figures (like Frank Sinatra, Helen Keller, Ernest Hemingway, Babe Ruth and Elvis) over the years, the hotel is firmly rooted in the history of hospitality in Kansas City since it opened in 1915.

Now, a planned redevelopment by Prairie Village-based Flint Development is being explored that’ll see the building repurposed into an unidentified number of apartments with the desire for an amenity deck on the building’s lower roof. The project’s estimated cost, per the Compass KC Development Assistance Team meeting application, is $21 Million. Historic tax credits and tax abatement incentives are to be sought per the application.

The redevelopment will be somewhat complicated as the Muehlebach’s lower floors (including the lobby) are still owned by the adjoining Marriott Hotel complex. Same goes for the building’s ballroom and convention spaces. 

Flint Development has mostly focused on industrial buildings. Recently, John McGurk joined the company as a partner for residential development. McGurk came from Milhaus Development and oversaw the proposal and execution of projects like Artistry at 19th and Oak (now “ArteKC”), Marcato on Troost, and the under construction “ViaKC” in the Crossroads. Peter Fish, a development manager for Flint, is listed as the applicant. The company recently completed construction on “Leawood Village”, a 182-unit apartment building with commercial space across State Line Road from the Ward Parkway Center. 

The redevelopment will join Molzer Development’s ongoing redevelopment of the Aladdin at 1215 Wyandotte into 122 apartments and a small cocktail bar on the building’s top floor. It also joins the recently redeveloped Midland Office Building by Cordish (catty-corner) at 1221 Baltimore into 135 apartments (all of which are leased).

The Muehlebach is clad in red brick and terra cotta. The building’s upper floors were gutted down to concrete. Disrepair has become more visible in recent years, but it’s in a far less state of disrepair than the Federal Reserve building at 10th and Grand.