Look inside (and out): Corrigan Station expansion offers startups skyline views from within Crossroads

May 17, 2019  |  Tommy Felts and Austin Barnes

Decades have passed since the last new office building opened in the Crossroads Arts District, said Edna Martinson.

In a matter of weeks, startups and small businesses can “create their own vibe” when the 22,910-square-foot Corrigan Station expansion project — led by Copaken-Brooks — unlocks its doors and opens them to Kansas City innovators, added Martinson, Copaken-Brooks market analyst, as well as co-founder of Boddle Learning.

“[The third-floor is] really geared more toward the startup community with the companies that have fewer employees,” Martinson noted, further describing the space as an opportunity for startups that have outgrown neighboring WeWork at Corrigan Station.

Rich with such amenities as common areas, a kitchen, event space, and a park area with street-food creations — crafted by Michael Corvino, the Kansas City restaurateur behind the namesake Corvino Supper Club and Tasting Room at — and located between the two Corrigan Station buildings, the new workspace is an extension of history that dates back the original building’s opening in 1921.

Keep reading below the photo gallery.

Academy Bank serves as the Corrigan Station expansion’s anchor tenant, occupying the southern portion of the first floor, said Annemijn Steele, Copaken-Brooks marketing manager.

Additionally, the new project builds on momentum gained as a result of the reimagination of the Corrigan building as a mixed-use destination. Further traction was gained with the launch of WeWork, which added three floors of coworking space to the 10-story building in 2017, according to Copaken-Brooks description of the project.

The building’s design — which features light-planks of wood on the ceiling and sleek, black accents — is intended to be an extension of the original building, largely mimicking the feel of the space’s rooftop deck, said Steele.

“[The expansion] is for those people who are a little bit bigger [than a co-working space allows] but still want a collaborative workspace,” she explained.

A block-wide innovation project, Copaken-Brooks also broke ground in Janurary on Reverb — a $40 million, 14-story, 132 unit apartment building just north of the original Corrigan Station building.

The project could help enable entrepreneurs to live where they work, Steel added.

Arterra, the most recently completed luxury-apartment project for Copaken-Brooks, opened in April on Wyandotte Street in the Crossroads.

Leasing of the Corrigan Station expansion’s private and customizable office suites — which include balconies with views of the Kansas City skyline — is well under way, Steel said.

The building is expected to open in June.

Click here for Corrigan Station leasing information.

[adinserter block="4"]

2019 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Schukman: 5 reasons why KC is the capital of social entrepreneurship

    By Tommy Felts | May 18, 2015

    Take a walk in Kansas City’s startup scene and you’ll quickly hear something about KC’s devotion to becoming America’s most entrepreneurial city. This mantra is on everyone’s lips, from city leaders to corporate tycoons to scrappy startup founders. It’s amazing that in five years our city has created such clarity of purpose that millenials populating…

    KC Digital Drive creates lab to test drive gigabit apps

    By Tommy Felts | May 18, 2015

    Ever since Google Fiber announced Kansas City as its first fiber project, techies across the nation have wondered how gigabit Internet will shape a new wave of innovation and how the city would tap its new infrastructure. And thanks to a new KC Digital Drive initiative, Kansas Citians may have an up-close look at the…

    New UMKC center to engage entrepreneurs, community

    By Tommy Felts | May 15, 2015

    The University of Missouri-Kansas City recently solidified funds to build an innovation center to serve a broader set of students and the Kansas City community. The $14.8-million Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center will feature a variety of resources for students and the larger business community, including a lab, rapid prototyping equipment, 3D printers and…

    Claimkit snags ‘aspirational entrepreneur’ award

    By Tommy Felts | May 15, 2015

    Overland Park-based tech startup ClaimKit recently was dubbed 2015’s most “aspirational entrepreneur” by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 2011, Claimkit created a contract management platform for insurance companies, law firms and consulting groups to help them more efficiently collect and analyze documents. Now with five full time staff, the company in…