Mayor Quinton Lucas honored former Kansas City Mayor Sly James.with the unveiling of the
Sylvester “Sly” James, Jr. Pavilion at the Kansas City Convention Center
In addition to his name, the pavilion located on the southeast corner of the convention center at 16th and Wyandotte has a bust of James in front of it. A pavilion is a freestanding, open-air structure that is often used for relaxation, entertainment, and gatherings.
The pavilion will be a lasting tribute to James’ positive impact on “both our city’s infrastructure and our children’s futures,” said Mayor Lucas during the ceremony.
The surprise dedication, organized by Lucas, was attended by city officials, community leaders and city residents.
James served as Kansas City Mayor from 2011 to 2019.During his eight years as Kansas City’s 54th mayor, James’s first major accomplishment was creating Turn the Page KC (TTPKC), now an independent 501c3 organization dedicated to achieving reading proficiency for all Kansas City 3rd graders.
He also spearheaded major infrastructure and economic development initiatives, including the Kansas City Streetcar system and planning for the new Kansas City International Airport terminal.
“Having served on the City Council during Mayor James’s tenure, I witnessed firsthand how his visionary leadership played a role in transforming Kansas City into a nationally and internationally recognized city,” said Mayor Lucas. “Through infrastructure improvements, he positioned Kansas City on the global stage, while his commitment to our youth through Turn the Page KC ensured we were building a foundation for future generations.”
Former Mayor James expressed his appreciation for the honor, stating, “I love this city, always have. I’ve never been ashamed to tell people, regardless of what year it was or where I was, that I was from Kansas City,” said James.
“The one thing that we wanted to work on when we were elected was changing the attitude of the city from a city that’s when the first time something was mentioned, the response was, ‘No, we can’t do that’ to ‘How do we get it done?’ And we got that done; the attitude changed, and now people wear Kansas City, KC, on all sorts of things on their bodies, including tattoos, underwear, socks, hats, shirts, and whatever else. But people are proud to be from Kansas City.”
