Four Helix Clients Honored at Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Awards

Across Helix’s diverse portfolio of work there is a common thread – creating spaces that have a positive impact on our community. Four projects that exemplify this approach will be recognized this evening at the Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Awards ceremony.

The Capstone Awards celebrate projects that have demonstrated excellence in commercial real estate development over the past year. Whether it is an transforming a historic structure for a new life, providing a welcoming space that serves children or creating one of the city’s most celebrated hospitality venues, our clients continually receive accolades for investing in buildings that make our community a better place to work, learn and play.

We are honored to work alongside each of these organizations to bring their vision to life.

Boulevard Brewing Co. hosted approximately 60,000 tour guests in 2015. However, the limited size of their existing space meant they were turning away thousands of additional visitors. In response, Boulevard acquired the four-story, 87-year-old Skelly Oil building located immediately adjacent to the brewing campus and transformed it into their new Tours & Recreation Center. The first floor features an “Experience” area with exhibits about beer and Boulevard, an expanded retail shop and a larger tasting room. The 10,000-square-foot second floor is devoted to a Beer Hall and features a new 1,250-square-foot deck with outdoor seating and downtown Kansas City views.

Originally home to the first Children’s Mercy Hospital, this 100-year-old building was acquired by KCU in the 1970s. Today, the newly renovated building functions as both the Administration Building and Welcome Center. A new open floorplan provides increased accessibility and amenities, including a Welcome Center, coffee bar and shared social/study spaces for the building’s 1,000+ users. The project achieved LEED Gold certification. This preservation and modernization of the building reflects KCU’s past, and celebrates a future of continued collaboration, research and service to the communities it serves.

The new Jennifer and Jamie Children’s Center expands Synergy Services’ ability to provide shelter and services for children who’ve been abused, neglected or have other serious family problems. In addition to renovating the existing 2,500 sq. ft. home located on the property, Synergy invested in 6,500 sq. ft. of new construction on the site. The Center, which serves children from infancy to age 12, allows Synergy to double the number of children they are able serve. The project is designed to be a welcoming hopeful space, avoiding the institutional feel that most temporary foster facilities have.

Located prominently along the city’s new streetcar line, the 100-year-old Thomas Corrigan Building was renovated to create 9-stories of office space and 1-story of ground-level retail in the heart of the Crossroads Arts District. Helix worked closely with co-developers Copaken Brooks and 3D Development to develop a design that preserves the historic character of the building in accordance with National Park Service preservation guidelines. The building, which was largely unoccupied prior to renovation, has already attracted new corporate tenants to downtown Kansas City, including national coworking space WeWork.