Artwork found outside the 40-year-old Kemper Arena. There are talks of demolishing the Kansas City icon and replacing it will a smaller, $70 million facility. What do you think: Tear it down, or keep it up?
A forty-year history: Is it worth keeping around?
Host of the NCAA basketball tournament regionals, the Final Four in 1988, the American Royal, and concerts galore, Kemper Arena has been a hotspot for Kansas City’s entertainment past. But the Sprint Center is on the scene and thriving, and things are about to shift for an old relic we love.
Do you remember your favorite experience at Kemper? And more importantly, what were you driving then? According to my favorite ad guy, Jim O., he sported a 1978 Toyota Celica without “the limiter” for speed. He was on his way to see The Who perform in 1979. Who could forget that?
Whether it’s dirt bike races, monster truck rallies, hockey, wrestling matches, Harlem Globe Trotters, or The Who, it’s been a place for many of us to enjoy some good ole entertainment.
But a proposal is on the table to demolish the current building and construct a smaller arena with just 5,000-6,000 seats rather than continuing to pour money into the current building, which is no longer hosting the big events it was originally built to accommodate.
“Let’s stop holding onto the past and living in the past and let’s build for the future,” Mariner Kemper, a member of the American Royal board, told the Kansas City Star.
So, what are your thoughts? Tear it down or keep it up?
1 Comment
Keep Kemper just the way it is. I have kids that haven’t been there yet cause they’re to little to enjoy it. I want to share it with them still!