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.