Historic Kansas City Newspaper Building Slated for Demolition, Proposed for 20-Story Data Center

Historic Kansas City Newspaper Building Slated for Demolition, Proposed for 20-Story Data Center
March 20, 2026
A historic building in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, may be replaced by a 20-story data center, highlighting the ongoing tension between urban redevelopment, historic preservation, and the insatiable demand for digital infrastructure in major American cities. The proposed project underscores the trend of adaptive reuse and vertical construction for data centers as prime urban land becomes increasingly scarce.

Miami-based investment fund Revitalization Unlimited, which specializes in historic properties, is considering demolishing the former Western Newspaper Union Building at 304 W. 10th Street to construct a 384-foot-tall, 30-megawatt facility. The company and its architect, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), presented the plans this week to the Kansas Downtown Neighborhood Association to gather community feedback ahead of a final decision. The existing three-story, 29,990-square-foot structure, dating to around 1900, would be replaced by a 142,085-square-foot tower featuring 18 floors of data center space and ground-floor retail. The facility is reportedly planned to be equipped with natural gas fuel cells.

Revitalization Unlimited acquired the property in January. At the time of purchase, CEO Steve Austin emphasized the fund's commitment to preservation, stating, “We are not just preserving historic properties; we are ensuring their long-term viability through sustained capital investment and historic preservation easements that legally protect these buildings for the future.” However, the current proposal represents a significant shift from that stance, as the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and would likely require a special-use permit for demolition. The site was previously listed for sale at $5.4 million and is located near key connectivity infrastructure, including Netrality’s carrier hotel at 1102 Grand Avenue.

If approved, the project would transform a piece of Kansas City's publishing history into a modern digital hub, reflecting the powerful economic forces driving data center development into urban cores. The move from preservation to proposed demolition also raises complex questions about the definition of "revitalization" for historic assets in the face of high-value alternative uses. The outcome will be closely watched by both the data center industry and historic conservation groups as a test case for similar conflicts in other cities.

Source: datacenterdynamics