By JOHN KREICBERGS
On Monday, The Kansas City Star ran an article that detailed plans for a new addition not only to the city’s struggling 18th and Vine jazz district, but to the city’s visual landscape as well: a two-story, hunk of flashing, blinking and (hopefully) enticing metal and neon that's part of an $823,000 project "to to improve the gateway to the jazz district."
Inspired in part by the Western Auto sign that adorns the roof of the former-company-headquarters-turned-condo building, this audacious act of “landmark nouveau” would be visible from the Power and Light District as well as to people driving along the city’s eastern I-70 corridor. Per the Star article "Jazz district soon will have an eye-catching beacon":
The red, green and blue elements of the sign will illuminate in succession followed by a twinkling of white lights within the numeral 18.
Hm, maybe instead they should put up a giant NO VACANCY motel sign and leave the NO switched off for the next few years. ...
With the grandest of openings for the Power and Light District, it’s become painfully obvious that Westport and the Plaza have become Texas Toms to KC residents hungry for Chipotle. Downtown is the hot burrito.
And when it comes to attracting foot traffic from out-of-towners as well, Westport and the Plaza will likely be a tougher sell for those deciding between their vacations, their gas tanks, and the desire for the new and the shiny.
So where does that leave 18th and Vine? It’s hard to imagine that it's even on the same playing field. But while the Power and Light district glitters two miles away, 18th and Vine can at least lay claim to authenticity when it comes to Kansas City’s heritage. Say what you will about the faux storefronts along 18th Street, but just turn onto Highland and visit the Mutual Musicians Foundation late on a Friday or Saturday night and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
You can howl at the moon in 14 different cities, rock with angels in 4, bowl a lucky strike in 13, and grab something off Ted’s grill in over 50. But as far as I know, there’s really only one place you can go to steep yourself in a musical tradition that contributed just as much to the art as such jazz meccas Basin Street, Beale Street, 52nd Street and Central Avenue.
If marketing is all about differentiation from your competitors, why would you want to spend over three-quarters of a million dollars to make yourself look just as plastic as they are?
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