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Parade Park Maintenance Building
1722 Woodland Avenue,
Kansas City, Missouri
SCOPE OF WORK: National Register Nomination;
Federal & Missouri Historic Tax Credit Applications; Coordination with owner, architectural team, and contractor
CLIENT: Black Archives of Mid-America
COMPLETED: December 2009
 The Parade Park Maintenance Building is located in the iconic 18th and Vine Historic District, the historic center of the local African American community and the birthplace of Kansas City’s signature jazz scene. The Kansas City Parks Department erected the stately limestone building in two phases (1912 and 1916) and occupied it through the end of the twentieth century.
Built at the end of the first wave of park and boulevard development in Kansas City, the building illustrates the naturalistic architecture advocated by landscape architect George Kessler and adopted by the City’s Board of Parks Commissioners. Architect Arthur L. Sparks designed both phases with an efficient, utilitarian plan befitting a governmental office and maintenance building. The native limestone walls (quarried nearby in Spring Valley Park) harmonize with the surrounding park landscape, while shaped parapets and arched window openings evoke the Mission Revival architecture popular during this period.
By 2005, the building was mostly vacant. Just one tenant occupied a section of the 1st floor. Much of the building was used for storage. The historic red tile roof, windows and doors had been replaced, and the interior condition varied from deteriorated to good. In 2008, the KCMO Parks Department and the Black Archives of Mid-America, a center for learning and research into the African American experience in the Midwest, embarked on a collaborative rehabilitation project that would create a permanent home for the Black Archives’ archival collections and establish museum space for the organization. State and federal tax credits were leveraged to help finance the project.
The scope of the rehabilitation was comprehensive, but two components had the most dramatic impact on the appearance of the building. The new red tile roof and historically-appropriate multi-light windows restored lost elements of the building that significantly defined its historic character. Other critical components of the project included sensitive restoration of the masonry using lime-based mortar; installation of storefronts in the former vehicular and carriage openings; the addition of an accessible entrance; and refreshed landscaping. On the inside, former garage and stable bays were converted into beautiful gallery space. Offices now occupy the west wing. The historic staircase and double-loaded corridor from the original office, the most significant historic interior features, were retained and restored.
The project faced a variety of challenges, but the Black Archives and Kansas City Parks & Recreation Department persevered, committed to restoring the building and creating a regional cultural resource. In the end, the project revitalized and restored an easily overlooked building in one of Kansas City’s most significant historic neighborhoods. The building continues to express its original function while serving a new public purpose.
Parade Park Maintenance Building Historic Photo
Parade Park Maintenance Building - West Elevation Before
Parade Park Maintenance Building - West Elevation After
Parade Park Maintenance Building - South Elevation Before
Parade Park Maintenance Building - South Elevation After
Parade Park Maintenance Building - After Rehab
Parade Park Maintenance Building - Typical Interior Before
Parade Park Maintenance Building - Typical Interior After
Parade Park Maintenance Building - Stair Before
Parade Park Maintenance Building - Stair After
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