Endangered Places

Historic Kansas City’s Endangered Places list highlights significant historic buildings, landscapes, neighborhoods, and sites facing imminent threats to their survival. These places, ranging from individual structures to broader corridors and cultural landscapes, represent irreplaceable pieces of Kansas City’s history. When they are lost, they are lost forever.

Published periodically, the Endangered Places list is intended to raise public awareness of preservation challenges such as demolition pressure, prolonged vacancy, deferred maintenance, incompatible development, and economic forces that place historic resources at risk. The list serves as a call to action, encouraging property owners, public officials, community members, and preservation partners to work together to identify viable paths forward that keep historic places active, relevant, and intact.

The 2026 Most Endangered Places List

Historic Kansas City has released its 2026 Most Endangered Places List, the first comprehensive revision of the program since 2021. This year’s list includes 17 individual property listings and three thematic listings addressing threats to historic building types found throughout Kansas City.

The selections draw upon nominations submitted or supported by 11 neighborhood associations and community organizations, many of which are already working to address the threats facing these properties. Accordingly, most of these at-risk properties already possess a community of stakeholders seeking a path toward a preservation-oriented outcome.We thank all those who committed time and effort to this process by submitting nominations and engaging the preservation community to find solutions.

While some face immediate demolition proposals, others have remained vacant for decades, awaiting the investment needed to return them to productive use. The list also draws attention to the loss of existing housing stock, particularly historic apartment buildings that have long provided comparatively affordable housing in Kansas City’s older neighborhoods. The 2026 list is intended to bring renewed attention to these places and encourage interested parties to pursue opportunities for preservation. Some properties may benefit from new ownership or investment, while others require continued advocacy and cooperation with existing owners.

View the 2026 Most Endangered Places List in PDF Form

About the Endangered Places Program

Since establishing the Most Endangered Places program in the late 1980s, Historic Kansas City has used the list to bring public attention to significant historic resources at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.

The list identifies historic properties and areas across Kansas City that face serious threats while retaining architectural significance and strong connections to their surrounding communities. These sites may include individual buildings, groups of related structures, historic corridors, or landscapes that help define the character and history of nearby neighborhoods.

The list is not intended to be a complete inventory of threatened historic places, nor are its entries presented in order of “priority.” The list represents a group of historic properties facing imminent threats, rendering them the “most” endangered. Historic Kansas City continues to follow other at-risk historic properties and welcomes information from community members about historic places of concern.

Other Endangered Places

Know of a threatened historic building or place not included on the 2026 list? Historic Kansas City maintains an ongoing “Watch List” of properties and preservation issues that warrant continued attention beyond those featured in the Most Endangered Places List. We welcome information from neighborhood organizations and community members about additional historic resources at risk. Contact us at hkcf@historickansascity.org to share your concerns.