The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is leading the revitalization efforts in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District.
“This is the perfect time for us, as I like to say, to dream out loud, to think about what this organization can continue to aspire to be” says Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (1616 E. 18th St., KCMO). “We have an opportunity to do something transformational here.”
The proposed $30 million expansion includes tripling the museum’s square footage from 10,000 to 30,000 square feet along with building a Marriott Tribute Hotel. The new structures will be next to the former Paseo YMCA, now the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center, which will also be renovated as a part of the project.
The city has also announced plans to construct a new parking garage in the neighborhood, and the district’s Boone Theater is undergoing renovations that will include a Black Movie Hall of Fame.
Kendrick says that the Negro Leagues are “as hot as ever,” and the museum has seen an increase in visitors. He attributes much of the growth to his podcast “Black Diamonds,” where he shares the stories of Negro League players. Kendrick’s podcast got the attention of Sony, he says, leading the company to add Negro League players to its video game MLB: The Show in 2023. Kendrick also notes the “historic” inclusion of Negro League statistics in the MLB record books in 2024 as contributing to the Negro League’s growing presence.
Kendrick says the expansion of the NLBM will not only allow for greater traction to the Negro Leagues’s history but will also “put a bright spotlight” on Kansas City.
Third District City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson says the city has made “intentional investment” in her district, where the museum is located. Beyond the parking garage, the city is also focusing on adding income-based affordable housing, the rehabilitation of Pine Park and the addition of local businesses to support growth in the area, Robinson says.
“The accompanying parking garage serves as critical infrastructure to facilitate commerce, enabling easy access for shoppers and visitors alike,” Robinson says. “Together, these initiatives will contribute to a flourishing economic ecosystem within the district.”
Brian Stevenson, the head baseball coach at Guadalupe Centers High School and of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities team, says the museum is a pillar in the community.
“Kansas City has a lot of history,” Stevenson says. “I honestly believe that with 18th and Vine embracing the Negro League Museum and allowing them to expand, and the city of Kansas City and the state of Missouri and everybody being on board with it, [it] is going to be the most positive and enlightening experience that one could have going to a museum.”
The new museum will include space for more exhibits, an interactive baseball experience, event and meeting spaces, and a theater. Kendrick says they will have “no problem” filling the new building with stories and memorabilia. He hopes to raise the money through public and private funding.
“I’m just looking forward to cutting the ribbon and opening it up to this community and having the baseball world be here when we do open up this new Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as another of the crown jewels of the great city of Kansas City,” Kendrick says. “We want people to be envious of Kansas City, and they have every reason to be envious of Kansas City. It is a dynamic, progressive city, and we’re proud to be part of what makes it that dynamic and progressive city.”
