Plans to replace a historic mansion in the Midwest with a luxury high-rise apartment have been halted, as the property has been purchased by a local art institute.
The mansion at 4526 Warwick Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, previously owned by brothers Steve and Matt Vawter, had been in their family for three generations. They inherited the 7,400-square-foot home, known as the George B. Richards House, following the passing of their mother, Susie, in 2020.
Constructed in 1913, this stately mansion boasts elegant features, including a classic white balustrade, Corinthian white pillars, ornate plaster ceilings, and intricately carved fireplaces. It also includes five bedrooms and a music room.
The Vawter brothers had contended since 2023 that the mansion was beyond repair and needed to be demolished. They proposed replacing it with an upscale residential apartment complex featuring studio and one-bedroom units, as detailed in a 421-page planning document obtained by the Daily Mail.
However, those plans were upended when the Kansas City Art Institute announced yesterday that it had acquired the Edwardian mansion, preserving its historical significance for future generations.
Yesterday, the Kansas City Art Institute announced that it had scooped up the historic Edwardian mansion.
It is unclear how much the institute paid for the mansion.
The art institute said it would repurpose the mansion into a ‘cultural hub that honors its past while stimulating the future of the arts.’
The George B. Richards House, a 7,400-square-foot Missouri mansion built in 1913 that its owners Steve and Matt Vawter were hoping to raze, was sold to the Kansas City Art Institute
The Edwardian mansion at 4526 Warwick Boulevard in Kansas City features classic white balustrade and Corinthian white pillars
Steve Vawter (pictured) and his brother Matt inherited the home after their mother Susie died in 2020
That plan could include using the historic site as an event space for lectures and exhibitions, having artists residences with private suites and offering students hands–on experiential learning related to event production and historic archive management.
The mansion has been empty since 2021. Its windows and doors were covered in plywood just two years later, the Kansas City Star reported.
The brothers have long insisted that the one-acre the property sits on is worth more than the actual historic home.
A ‘For Sale’ sign was put up on the front lawn in May 2023, suggesting that the mansion was going to be used for a high rise development in the future.
At the time, the brothers were asking for $2.5million, according to the outlet.
The Southmoreland Neighborhood Association pushed back, arguing that the mansion was a historic site and getting it listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places.
This protected the mansion from being demolished, but only for three years. That time period would have expired in November.
In the document sent to the Kansas City’s plan and permitting services viewed by the Daily Mail, the Vawters called the mansion ‘unfixable.’
They argued that the designation as a historic site would create ‘more vagrancy and blight.’
‘We have cared for this property thru [sic] three generations, but ultimately, we own this property and we should be the ones who decide what to do with it,’ the brothers wrote.
Restoring the house was estimated to cost up to $1.9 million, they said.
‘The fact is, you cannot save every building,’ the brothers added.
The Vawters said there were plans for an ‘upscale residential apartment project’ with studios and one–bedroom apartments to be built on the property after demolishing the mansion
The historic home also counts with ritzy plaster ceilings and carved fireplaces
The brothers previously asked for $2.5million for the historic site, according to the Kansas City Star
In the document sent to the Kansas City’s plan and permitting services service viewed by the Daily Mail that included this photo, the Vawters called the historic mansion ‘unfixable’
In the letter, the Vawters accused opponents of the demolition of wanting to ‘control what happens next on the site, which ought to be between a developer and the city with neighbors’ input.’
They said they had accepted an offer from George Birt, who planned to develop an ‘upscale residential apartment project’ with studios and one–bedroom apartments for art institute students and other tenants.
‘The highest and best use for this property is for much needed, multi–family housing,’ the brothers wrote.
Otherwise, they argued that the historic house would sit vacant and attract ‘vandals.’
The Vawters claimed that the mansion had been vandalized since it began drawing attention, with copper piping having been ripped from the floor joists and a wall safe having been torn from a wall.
‘We were then forced to board up the house,’ they wrote.
Photos showing a white door with broken glass, as well as a shattered window, were attached in the document.
A sleeping arrangement with bedsheets, a strewn pillow and littered food wrappers was also depicted next to one of the mansion’s white columns.
The brothers planned to seek rezoning in regards to their property currently being zoned for a single, residential home.
Photos filed in March 2024 showed bedsheets, a pillow and littered food wrappers outside the mansion
The brothers said that designating the mansion as a historic site had attracted vandals who damaged the property
The Vawters said they were forced to board up the mansion after being subjected to vandals and vagrants
Funds for the art institute’s purchase were provided by the William T. Kemper Foundation, which was established in 1989 after Kansas City philanthropist William T. Kemper Jr.’s death.
Kemper, a prominent banker who championed the arts, was a trustee of the institute for more than 40 years.
Other funds were provided by the Vawter family, the institute added, though no details were given.
The price point for Tuesday’s announced purchase is unknown, but the mansion was previously valued at roughly $1.3million, according to the Kansas City Star.
A future use for the site still has not been decided. An advisory committee will meet ‘in the coming months’ to evaluate options.
A three–week cleanup of the mansion is also expected to restore its appearance and artifacts, as well as remove possible hazards.
The Vawter brothers told the Daily Mail on Thursday morning that the outcome was ‘ideal.’
They said they were ‘enthusiastic about the philanthropic partnership with the KCAI, and are very pleased that this historical and family property will be re–purposed for good.’
‘Since the house will be restored to its former glory, we feel like this sale provides continuity for the neighborhood and for our family legacy,’ the brothers told the Daily Mail.
There were plans for the one-acre property, pictured from above, to be turned into an upscale apartment project with one-bedroom apartments and studios
At least one other buyer, Ryan Hiser and David Tran, had made an offer to purchase the historic Kansas City site
At least one other buyer was interested in buying the mansion but turned down.
Ryan Hiser and David Tran, who own a pair of bed–and–breakfast boutique hotels in the Southmoreland neighborhood, made a $1.3million offer, per the Kansas City Star.
Hiser and Tran would have had to spend up to $1million in order to renovate the mansion into a boutique hotel, according to the outlet.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Kansas City Art Institute for further comment.
