“In what is being hailed as a critical boost toward moving the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance to downtown Kansas City, supporters have obtained an entire city block immediately south of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts,” writes Kevin Collison in Sunday’s (5/11) Kansas City Star. “The eventual move of the conservatory and its 620 students and 110 faculty to the site is also considered a strategic opportunity to further redevelopment in the Crossroads Arts District, and to reinforce the connection between the central business district and Crown Center … Supporters of relocating the conservatory … point to a similar relationship between the Juilliard School and Lincoln Center in New York, and the New England Conservatory and Jordan Hall in Boston … Jane Chu, president and CEO of the Kauffman Center, described the acquisition of the property as an ‘exponential’ move for the conservatory proposal. ‘Not only does it benefit that project but it sparks creativity for all the areas around it, including the performing arts center,’ she said.” The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2011 and is home to the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.
Posted May 15, 2014
