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Co-Designer: DRAW Architecture
At the heart of the historic 18th and Vine District, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Hotel Campus sits adjacent tothe historic Paseo YMCA, where Andrew “Rube” Foster formed the Negro National League in 1920.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) stands today as the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating this history, ensuring that the stories of resilience, talent, and social change are never forgotten.
The museum will feature expanded galleries, flexible event spaces, rotating exhibitions, and will be built adjoining the historic YMCA, which will house the new Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center, named after the NLBM’s late founding chairman who had long envisioned building the museum’s future home at the site where the league was chartered.
Multistudio is leading the architectural design for the museum and hotel as well as the master plan of the full block in partnership with DRAW Architecture, who will design the adjacent multifamily residential units and parking garage. The development group Grayson Capital will build a 144-key boutique hotel called The Pennant within Marriott Bonvoy’s Tribute Portfolio collection. Pendulum Studio is leading the interior design of the museum.
In 1997, Multistudio—then known as Gould Evans—designed the current Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum, both located in the historic 18th & Vine District, making this a full-circle project.
The design approach for this development draws inspiration from the rich history of America’s pastime as well as the vibrant cultural heritage of the 18th & Vine Jazz District, known worldwide as a historic hub for black music, art, fashion, and one of the Negro League's most storied franchises.
Positioned on a prominent corner of The Paseo, one of Kansas City’s major thoroughfares, the hotel and museum will become a new landmark in the historic district upon its arrival. The design team embraced the idea of being the new "home plate" for the neighborhood and continued to draw meaningful inspiration from baseball throughout the project.
The project-defining cantilever on 18th St. emulates the compression of walking beneath stadium stands, and the porte-cochère canopy on The Paseo can be illuminated to evoke the glowing magic of flood-lit night games pioneered by the Negro Leagues.
From the sandy, clay-hued concrete and steel to the high arches and columns reminiscent of vintage stadiums, the contours and textures found in the sport are woven into the project’s design language to create a dynamic and immersive experience.
The design also pulls certain Art Deco stylings reminiscent of the Jazz District’s heyday into the present, just as the Negro League’s bold and dynamic style of play transformed the game of baseball for future generations.
Today, the 18th & Vine District remains home to significant cultural institutions. However, for many Kansas Citians, the district is seen as struggling—rich in history but lacking sustained investment. Geographic isolation from downtown and inconsistent development have contributed to its challenges.
Now, leaders like Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Michael Collins, Founder and Managing Partner at Grayson Capital, and Pat Jordan, President of Pat Jordan & Associates, are working to revitalize this historic district.
Multistudio is honored to support their efforts and proud to help preserve and celebrate the district’s legacy while shaping a vibrant, thriving future for one of Kansas City’s most treasured cultural landmarks.
