Houston-based fund leads effort to restore KC’s iconic Garment House with $3.2M already invested
January 14, 2025 | Startland News Staff
A strategic investment in Kansas City history is expected to bring new purpose to a downtown building known locally as The Garment House — creating what developers envision as an eclectic, but contemporary experience.
Revitalization Unlimited — a fund dedicated to preserving historically significant U.S. real estate and legacy industrial businesses in local communities — recently announced its latest investment effort in Kansas City: a multimillion-dollar deal with 10 Broadway, LLC, the property owner of The Garment House, which shuttered during the pandemic.
A historic Garment House as seen in a photo dated 1950 within the Robert Askren Photograph Collection at the Kansas City Public Library
The Houston-based fund already has committed $3.2 million to the restoration with an additional $3 to $4 million allocated for renovations. The iconic building at 1000 Broadway was once a thriving hub of clothing-related businesses and key piece of Kansas City’s famed Garment District, which made KC the epicenter of fashion in the early to mid-20th Century.
(The Garment House’s most recent incarnation was billed as a “multi-level entertainment district with a speakeasy, made-from-scratch restaurant, arcade, and live music venue all under one roof.” It closed in 2020.)
Plans for the building include modern upgrades and the creation of a diverse tenant mix featuring restaurants, bars, catering services and entertainment venues. Targeted rents are projected at $20 per square foot (full service), with $1 million in tenant improvement allowances available for qualifying tenants.
Revitalization Unlimited — in collaboration with 10 Broadway, LLC and Haith & Company, Inc., a commercial real estate brokerage in Overland Park — remains committed to investing in properties with strong growth potential and high returns on investment, said Dustin Webber, COO of the fund.
“This partnership demonstrates our ability to bring the capital, expertise and determination required to make timely and transformative investments,” he added.
Kansas City’s commercial real estate market presents strong growth opportunities, Webber said, noting the partners on the project are positioning The Garment House to capitalize on that upward trajectory — while adhering to Revitalization Unlimited’s steadfast commitment to safeguarding America’s historic assets and creating lasting value for investors and local neighborhoods alike.
“This project will help preserve Kansas City’s heritage while providing a vibrant, modern experience for the community,” added Josh Haith, managing principal of Haith & Company.
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Three fathers bring Whizz Bang potty-training game to market through Make48, Handy Camel
The Whizz Bang gamifies potty training and saves the bathroom floors of all parents, said Amy Gray. The device, which hooks on the underside of a toilet seat lid, emits a LED light target at the bottom the bowl. Once hit, the device plays musical praise, said Gray, the head of sales for Handy Camel,…
Reconciliation Services hopes to heal trauma in the heart of stigmatized Troost corridor
Commanded by Scripture, David Altschul journeyed into parts unknown, said his successor, Father Justin Mathews. In the mid-1980s, a philanthropic pull tugged at the heart of Altschul — a white, insurance salesman from Johnson County — and eventually led him into the distressed, history-rich neighborhoods that lined Troost Avenue on the east side of…
Thelma’s Kitchen cooks up pay-what-you-can cafe concept to preserve community
Twenty people once filled the kitchen of Thelma Gardner’s apartment in search of their next meal. Their hunger for food fueled her hunger for humanity, recounted Father Justin Mathews as he sat sipping coffee in the newly opened Thelma’s Kitchen. The pay-what-you-can restaurant — located inside of the Reconciliation Services building at 3101 Troost Ave.…
Operation Breakthrough bridge over Troost symbolizes ‘real community’ at an intersection
With reflection in his voice, Alvin Brooks paused. “The city has to be a partner,” the Civil Rights activist and veteran Kansas City Police Commissioner said as he spoke of the redevelopment of Troost Avenue — the well known racial dividing line, that has long isolated the east side of the Kansas City metro from the…