Donaldson House

Background
Donaldson House is on the north end of the Kansas City
Art Institute (KCAI) at 4347 Oak, just off the corner
of 44th St. & Oak.
Donaldson House was built in 1901 and is one of only two
shingle-style houses in Kansas City. The shingles on this
house are original, and are actually made out of slate.
You can read more about the shingle architectural style here, here, here and here.
The house was gifted to the KCAI
in 1967.
Since then, it has been mostly vacant and occasionally
used for activity and exhibition space. The building has
been neglected and poorly maintained for the last 40 years.
The KCAI agrees with this assessment.
In 1999, the KCAI applied to the Landmarks Commission for
demolition of Donaldson House. Unfortunately they did this
without discussion with the neighborhood. The SNA petitioned
the Landmarks Commission for the standard 18-month stay
of demolition. After several months the SNA, with the help
of the Greater Kansas City Historical Foundation, convinced
the KCAI to withdraw their request for demolition.
In 2004 we became a little more optimistic, with potential
plans to renovate Donaldson House with a parking and facilities
accommodated on the vacant lot. The master plan that called
for this mixed-rehab development is here.
Note the presence of Donaldson House, parking and another
academic structures.
Here are some additional concept pictures of how it would
look: overall site plan, Donaldson House with the parking sunk below grade and fronted by burms;
and the parking entrance.
We're very regretful that this direction could not be pursued.
Current Actions Contemplated by the KCAI
The
objective of the KCAI is to remove the house from the
property. The KCAI will concurrently apply for
demolition of the house and offer
the house for sale for $1 to someone who will remove
the house from the property. If that cannot be accomplished
by June 30, 2008, they will offer the property for salvage
to the highest bidder. The June 30, 2008 date may be
flexible.
This action has been approved by the KCAI Board of Directors.
Within 18 months of the KCAI application for demolition, a buyer will remove the house from the property or demolition will begin after the 18-month stay. (Everybody is assuming, correctly, that the SNA will file for the maximum 18-month delay of demolition.)
The KCAI has no plans for the property the house is on, nor any plans for the adjoining vacant lot. KCAI has firmly maintained there are no plans, and that in fact no money has been raised to support any significant development activity on that property. Short term plans may include landscaping the property.
KCAI maintains that restoring
Donaldson is prohibitively expensive and will only get
more expensive over time. The KCAI indicates the
estimated costs for rehab of Donaldson House into suitable
academic use are $1.7M. They also note that the land is
appraised at a higher value without Donaldson House on
it.
Alternatives that the KCAI will not consider
Selling
the property with the house. Re-platting the property
and selling just the house will not be considered. The
KCAI is landlocked and real estate is too valued for
academic use.
Restoring the house to
any meaningful extent. The costs for restoration
and adptation to acacdemic use is far too high, and unsuitable
to KCAI's requirements.
Next
Steps -
Update 1/9/08: The
KCAI met with the Southmoreland Neighborhod Association
on 12/18/07. An application for demolition will be filed
in January, and the KCAI shared their plans and thinking
on this issue. They have no plans to do anything with the
property other than landscape it. A depiction of their
landscaping plan is here.
They will be budgeting around $30
- $40K for landscaping, but this is not an official number
yet.
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