A Kansas City-based development company wants to breathe new life into the long-vacant Kansas City Star building by transforming it into a hub for artificial intelligence and tech startups.“We are so excited that the city is getting enthusiastic about transforming this building,” said John Johnson, CEO of Patmos.Johnson and his company, Patmos, have proposed converting the historic structure into an “AI factory” with collaborative office space aimed at serving Kansas City’s growing tech economy.“So you have creators or founders, capital all in one place that really serve the needs of the emerging tech economy in Kansas City,” Johnson said.In November 2023, building owner Tony Privitera gave KMBC a tour of the facility as discussions intensified about potentially building a new Royals ballpark on the site.The Chartreuse Saloon, located directly across the street from the Star building, was in the demolition zone under those earlier stadium proposals.With her business at risk, saloon owner Jill Cockson became a vocal opponent of the Royals’ plan—a proposal that Jackson County voters ultimately rejected.Cockson said the new Patmos plan could help her business thrive.“So this will be, you know, bringing people built in as clientele to the neighborhood that are here on a daily basis that actually match our target demographic,” she said.Patmos also plans to preserve a piece of the building’s journalistic legacy. An exhibit honoring the Star’s history will remain part of the development.One of the building’s standout spaces, a massive, three-story room that once housed a printing press, is slated to become an expo center for entrepreneurs and artists to showcase their work and collaborate.While the original press is gone, a yellowed newspaper still clings to a chain of sorting rollers, a visual reminder of the building’s storied past.“Why should this building continue to be a giant paperweight?” Johnson said.The Kansas City Council will have the final say on a proposed zoning change needed to move the redevelopment forward.According to Johnson, several companies have already expressed interest in occupying space in the building. If approved, he said the project could bring hundreds of new, high-paying jobs to the area.
A Kansas City-based development company wants to breathe new life into the long-vacant Kansas City Star building by transforming it into a hub for artificial intelligence and tech startups.
“We are so excited that the city is getting enthusiastic about transforming this building,” said John Johnson, CEO of Patmos.
Johnson and his company, Patmos, have proposed converting the historic structure into an “AI factory” with collaborative office space aimed at serving Kansas City’s growing tech economy.
“So you have creators or founders, capital all in one place that really serve the needs of the emerging tech economy in Kansas City,” Johnson said.
In November 2023, building owner Tony Privitera gave KMBC a tour of the facility as discussions intensified about potentially building a new Royals ballpark on the site.
The Chartreuse Saloon, located directly across the street from the Star building, was in the demolition zone under those earlier stadium proposals.
With her business at risk, saloon owner Jill Cockson became a vocal opponent of the Royals’ plan—a proposal that Jackson County voters ultimately rejected.
Cockson said the new Patmos plan could help her business thrive.
“So this will be, you know, bringing people built in as clientele to the neighborhood that are here on a daily basis that actually match our target demographic,” she said.
Patmos also plans to preserve a piece of the building’s journalistic legacy. An exhibit honoring the Star’s history will remain part of the development.
One of the building’s standout spaces, a massive, three-story room that once housed a printing press, is slated to become an expo center for entrepreneurs and artists to showcase their work and collaborate.
While the original press is gone, a yellowed newspaper still clings to a chain of sorting rollers, a visual reminder of the building’s storied past.
“Why should this building continue to be a giant paperweight?” Johnson said.
The Kansas City Council will have the final say on a proposed zoning change needed to move the redevelopment forward.
According to Johnson, several companies have already expressed interest in occupying space in the building. If approved, he said the project could bring hundreds of new, high-paying jobs to the area.