CHICAGO—Aparium Hotel Group will transform the historic Pabst and Pendergast buildings in Kansas City, MO, into an upscale, independently branded hotel. It is scheduled to open in mid-2017.
A joint venture between Chicago-based Aparium Hotel Group and Agman Partners, the adjacent buildings were formerly bottling and distribution plant and warehouse buildings. Designed by local architectural firm el dorado inc, the hotel will feature approximately 125 guestrooms, meeting spaces, and ground-floor food and beverage venues that will be designed to complement the neighborhood and utilize local and regional sourcing.
David Dowell, principal of el dorado inc, stated, “This project is unfolding at a pivotal moment in the renaissance of urban Kansas City, specifically the Crossroads Arts District. It’s going to be a great gathering place for locals and visitors in one of the neighborhood’s irreplaceable, vintage warehouse buildings. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of it.”
The building was originally constructed in 1911 as a bottling and distribution plant for The Pabst Brewing Company. The company expanded its offices with the addition of what later became known as the Pendergast Building, which was named for political boss Tom Pendergast, whose Pendergast Distilling Company leased the building in the 1920s. Pendergast Distilling Company sold near-beer and bottled water during the Prohibition Era, and was rumored to run an elaborate bootleg liquor operation in that location. Later, the Pabst building served as a warehouse for the Jones Store Company and then Davidson Furniture Company, while the Pendergast building became a warehouse for various furniture and hardware companies.
This joint venture adds to Aparium’s collection of independently branded properties. The portfolio consists of a mixture of owned, operated and developed properties. Hotels in which the company has ownership, part-ownership, and manages operations include The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, a 100-year-old warehouse transformed to a one-of-a-kind hotel; Hotel Covington in Covington, KY (opening 2016); Detroit Foundation Hotel located in Detroit’s historic Fire Department Headquarters (opening 2016); and The Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis’ Jackson Building (opening 2016). Managed properties include The Charmant Hotel in the historic former Joseph B. Funke Candy Co. in La Crosse, WI, opening this summer; and The MC Hotel in Montclair, NJ (opening 2016).