Marking the anniversary of the Negro National League’s founding in Kansas City, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum updated the community on its $35 million expansion announced in 2023.
The update featured new renderings of the planned 30,000-square-foot facility, confirmation of the connected 132-room Pennant hotel, and progress on supporting infrastructure already underway in the 18th & Vine district.
Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District is in the middle of a transformation that leaders say is about more than construction — it’s about reclaiming cultural identity.
At the center is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which plans to complete a $35 million, 30,000-square-foot expansion by late 2028.
The new two-story museum facility will be built southwest of 18th Street and The Paseo, just north of the historic Paseo YMCA. The expanded museum will feature enhanced exhibits, immersive and tech-enabled displays, expanded galleries and improved visitor amenities.
The new building will connect directly to two major components: the restored Paseo YMCA — which will become the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center — and a new 132-room boutique hotel called The Pennant.
“When you’re talking about the development here, it’s not just digging a hole and doing a deal,” Grayson Capital CEO Michael Collins said at a recent media event. “It is bringing back the most authentic cultural identity of Kansas City.”
Grayson Capital is developing the hotel, which will be a Marriott Tribute Portfolio property. Estimated at $53 million, The Pennant will be physically attached to the museum. Grayson Capital CEO is Michael Collins and the new hotel is being described as the first majority Black-owned hotel in Kansas City since the historic Street Hotel.
In addition to the hotel, Grayson Capital is developing approximately 150 to 155 mixed-income apartments as part of the campus. The residential units will be constructed around and above the 470-space city-owned parking garage at 1819 Lydia Ave. The project also includes ground-floor retail space designed to add street-level activity and support small businesses in the district.
The parking structure is designed to support the museum, hotel, housing and district visitors. Additional public participation includes streetscape work and utility improvements. However, the city does not own the museum or the hotel. Unlike the Jazz Museum, which is owned by the City, the museum operates as an independent nonprofit.
The organization launched its $35 million capital campaign in 2023. Fundraising is ongoing.
The museum and the American Jazz Museum have shared space at 1616 E. 18th St. since 1997. That arrangement will end once the baseball museum relocates.
The Jazz Museum also announced the launch of its own renovation and expansion this month. Phase one plans include relocating and enlarging the Blue Room jazz club from 120 seats to as many as 200, expanding its café and Swing Shop retail area, reorganizing exhibits and making back-of-house improvements.
The Kansas City Council recently awarded $3.2 million toward that effort — $2 million from sports complex funds and $1.2 million in Third District public improvement funds — with the Jazz Museum contributing $300,000.