Union Station receives donation, plans to begin work on expansion
By Matt Campbell – [email protected]
04/20/2015 5:32PM | UPDATED:04/20/2015 6:22PM
An artist’s rendering of planned improvements at Union Station UNION STATION
A $360,000 gift from the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation will enable Union Station to begin work this fall on a $7.5 million expansion project.
The project will include an extension of Science City to the west, including an outdoor events plaza, as well as pedestrian and traffic bridges providing a link from Pershing Road to the existing parking garage behind the station.
Officials say it is one of the most significant undertakings at the station since it was renovated and reopened in 1999.
The project will be paid for through private donations and $2.25 million in state tax credits. The gift from the Bloch Foundation will allow the project to begin.
The Union Station board selected Burns & McDonnell to design and build the project. Construction will begin this fall, and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
The project will include a new “space portal” connecting Science City and the Gottlieb Planetarium.
“The Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation truly appreciates the value of Union Station as an iconic Kansas City symbol of what’s good and lasting in our community,” foundation president David Miles said in an announcement of the gift. “We’re pleased to support this organization as it aligns with our priorities of education and entrepreneurship. This latest gift is yet another vote of confidence in our community and the place of importance Union Station has to our citizens.”
Some cost savings in the bridge portion of the project allowed Union Station to scale back the total project cost from about $10 million to $7.5 million.
Other large gifts include more than $4 million from the Hall Family Foundation and $250,000 from the Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation.
The city will contribute $600,000 for street improvements on the north side of Pershing Road.
To reach Matt Campbell, call 816-234-4902 or send email to [email protected].
SOURCE: The Kansas City Star