The old U.S. courthouse at 811 Grand Blvd. has a storied legal and political history in Kansas City.

Officials hope a proposal to convert the old U.S. Courthouse into apartments will be the salvation for a building that's been a hard sell since its closing in 1998.

The historic property at 811 Grand Blvd. has been marketed actively by the federal General Services Administration for five years and has seen at least two redevelopment plans come and go during that time.

Now, the Alexander Co. of Madison, Wis., has submitted a proposal to convert the building into 144 apartments with indoor parking and a limited amount of commercial space.

Alexander is no stranger to downtown redevelopment here. It is close to completing the renovation of the nearby Professional Building at 11th Street and Grand Boulevard into 132 apartments.

"We're on about Plan C," said Brad Scott, GSA regional administrator. "It's moving abreast well. We believe we've found a consensus use for the building. We're very pleased. We'll be more pleased when we convey title."

Officials from Alexander Co. declined to discuss their proposal in detail. The proposal filed with the city does not provide cost estimates.

"We responded to the request for qualifications from the city and we're trying to work out the details," said Matt Meier, senior development project manager.

The nine-story courthouse, which opened in 1939, is rich in legal and political history.

Boss Tom Pendergast pleaded guilty to income tax evasion there, ending his career. Thurgood Marshall, who later became a U.S Supreme Court justice, won a case integrating the city swimming pool in Swope Park. And President Harry S. Truman had his office there for many years.

When the new Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse opened eight years ago, the GSA plan was to convert the old courthouse to office space for federal employees. That concept proved unfeasible and redevelopment rights were awarded in 2003 to the Zimmer Cos., which proposed converting it into a "metropolitan enterprise center."

Zimmer's proposal collapsed in 2004 when professors at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law rejected a proposal to relocate the school to the old courthouse. The law school and its 500 students and faculty would have been the anchor tenant for the 256,000-square-foot building.

Last year, the GSA decided to begin the formal process of disposing of the building as surplus property and announced it was open to any good suggestions.

The interior of the old courthouse, however, has posed challenges for redevelopment.

Its lower three floors are unusually deep and not easily adapted to residential use. The upper six floors, while offering better opportunities for lofts around the perimeter, have four former courtrooms in the center, each two levels high.

A group organized by the Downtown Council has researched the idea of reusing the building as a downtown educational campus housing programs from preschool through university and adult education.

So far, however, the concept has not generated the institutional backing and financial support required to move forward.

"We've identified the need for a downtown educational institution in the central business district," said Sean O'Byrne, Downtown Council vice president.

"We're certainly looking at 811 Grand, but we wonder how a school and residences would work. We'll certainly look at it, but our preference is for a stand-alone facility."

Last winter, the GSA agreed to allow the city to seek proposals for reuse of the courthouse. Three groups responded and the Alexander Co. apartment concept was chosen for further negotiations. One of the competing proposals was for a hotel, the other was for an office and retail project.

The Alexander proposal calls for the basement and much of the first floor of the courthouse to be used for 144 parking spaces. The historic first-floor lobby would be restored and there also would be about 5,200 square feet of commercial space available fronting Grand.

There would be 29 apartments built on each of the second and third floors, and 13 units on each of the upper six floors. The former courtrooms would be available as commercial space.

The plan also could be adapted to allow commercial uses, including the proposed school, on the second and third floors. Should those floors be used for that purpose, the number of apartments would drop to 86.

The city is asking the National Park Service to make the old courthouse available at little or no charge through the Historic Monuments program. A meeting has been scheduled this week between officials from the city, GSA, National Park Service and the Alexander Co. to discuss the application.

If the application proves successful, the city would receive title to the building from the GSA and then negotiate a long-term lease with the Alexander Co.

Seeking a use

*The historic former U.S. courthouse has had several proposals for use since a new courthouse opened eight years ago, but none has panned out.

*No cost estimates were submitted with the new proposal.

Reproduced with permission of The Kansas City Star © Copyright 2006 The Kansas City Star. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication. Not an endorsement.

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