Western Newspaper Union Building, 304 W. 10th Street / 934 Central Street
National Register-Listed Landmark Threatened by Proposed Data Center
Historic Kansas City is urging denial of a proposal to demolish the Western Newspaper Union Building, 304 W. 10th Street (934 Central St.), for construction of a 384-foot, 20-story data center. Since the proposal was announced in June 2026, it has drawn organized neighborhood opposition, statements from elected officials, and a recommendation of denial from City planning staff before consideration by the Kansas City City Plan Commission.
About the Building
Constructed in 1900 and expanded in 1906, the Western Newspaper Union Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The nomination, authored by architectural historian Cydney Millstein, cites the building’s significance in the history of communications and newspaper publishing. It served as the Kansas City headquarters of the Western Newspaper Union, whose ready-print services supplied thousands of weekly newspapers throughout the United States in the early twentieth century.
From this building, the Western Newspaper Union—the country’s largest auxiliary, or “ready-print,” newspaper publisher—distributed preprinted newspaper pages to thousands of weekly newspapers throughout the United States, allowing small-town publishers to provide national and international news alongside locally produced content. As Kansas City emerged as a transportation and communications hub, the company’s operations expanded here, making the building an important reminder of the city’s role in the dissemination of news in the early twentieth century.
As an honorary designation and documentary tool, listing on the National Register of Historic Places does not prevent demolition. It does, however, make properties eligible for state and federal historic preservation incentives.
Proposed 20-story data center tower in place of the Western Newspaper Union Building
The Proposal
Revitalization Unlimited has submitted plans prepared by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for demolition of the existing building and construction of a twenty-story data center tower. The proposal totals approximately 141,000 square feet and would include data center operations on nearly every floor, with a coffee shop planned for part of the ground floor. Mechanical infrastructure associated with the facility would occupy substantial portions of the building.
Earlier this year, news reports described the property’s acquisition by Revitalization Unlimited, a “Miami-based historic preservation fund,” along with plans to pursue future uses within the existing structure. Those reports also noted the December 2025 recording of a preservation easement intended to permanently protect the building. Only months later, the owner submitted plans to demolish it for construction of a purpose-built data center.
Preservation easements are an important tool that can be used responsibly. Their strength lies in the mutual commitment of two private parties to ensure a building’s long-term preservation. The circumstances surrounding this proposal therefore warrant careful review.
Response from Neighborhood, Councilmembers, and City Staff
Following review of the application, City planning staff recommended denial of the Development Plan. The staff report concludes that demolition of the Western Newspaper Union Building does not align with the Greater Downtown Area Plan or the KC Spirit Playbook, citing the loss of a National Register-listed historic building, incompatibility with the surrounding building scale and mixed-use development pattern, concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of the proposed use, and the proposal’s limited contribution to Downtown’s long-term goals for residents, employment, and active street-level uses. The report also concludes that the proposal does not satisfy several findings required for approval of a Special Use Permit.
Following the applicant’s July 20 public meeting, the Downtown Neighborhood Association stated that the proposal faces “fierce opposition” based on “the context of this site and suitability of the tower, the speculative nature of the project, and preservationist concerns,” concluding that, if constructed, “this data center does not benefit the community.”
On July 27, Fourth District Councilmen Eric Bunch and Crispin Rea likewise announced opposition. Their statement concluded that the proposal “would replace rather than preserve the historic building” and “does not contribute to Downtown’s growth,” while expressing hope that future conversations about the property instead focus on bringing additional residents and employees to Downtown.
Shaping the Future of Downtown KCMO
Preservation and economic development have long gone hand in hand in Downtown Kansas City, where rehabilitation has become one of the city’s most successful strategies for supporting population and job growth. The question before the City is not whether data centers belong in Kansas City, but whether demolishing a National Register-listed historic building in the heart of Downtown is an appropriate way to accommodate such a facility.
For more than four decades, revitalization of Kansas City’s urban core has been built upon the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings—a trajectory powered by state and federal preservation incentives tied to National Register listing. Those investments have transformed former industrial and commercial buildings into housing, offices, hotels, restaurants, and cultural destinations, making historic architecture one of Downtown’s defining assets. The Western Newspaper Union Building has itself experienced a historic tax credit-subsidized adaptive reuse project.
In a community as expansive as ours, new industries can be accommodated without sacrificing irreplaceable historic resources. Numerous opportunities for new construction exist throughout Downtown, including surface parking lots and other underutilized sites, without requiring demolition of a National Register-listed landmark. This peculiar proposal would eliminate the product of successful reinvestment—a building rehabilitated just a decade ago—rather than utilizing one of the many surface parking lots in the vicinity of Downtown.
Current Status
Historic Kansas City has submitted testimony opposing the proposal, participated in the applicant’s public meeting, and continues coordinating with the Downtown Neighborhood Association and other Downtown stakeholders as the City’s review proceeds.
Renderings of proposed data center tower in context
Following review of the application, City planning staff recommended denial, concluding that demolition of the Western Newspaper Union Building and construction of a twenty-story data center does not align with the Greater Downtown Area Plan or the KC Spirit Playbook, is incompatible with the established scale and character of the surrounding area, and does not satisfy the findings required for approval of a Special Use Permit.
The proposal is scheduled for a public hearing before the Kansas City City Plan Commission on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, around 1:00 p.m. at City Hall, 414 E. 12th Street. Historic Kansas City encourages members of the public to attend and participate in the review process. The organization will continue updating this page as additional information becomes available.
