A distinctive vacant brick building off Troost Avenue in Kansas City could be saved and once again house neighbors and local business.
The owners of what’s known as the Bancroft Apartments, 4301 Troost Ave., are seeking local historic status for the three-story building, which was built around 1913. An adjacent building that was once used as a theater is not part of the historic status application.
Local historic status would help document the building’s history and add new protections and regulations over what can be done to the structure. On Friday, the city’s historic preservation commission voted to recommend the historic status for the Bancroft, part of a multi-step process that includes final City Council approval at a later date.
The Bancroft serves as an example of a mixed-use building — with commercial space on the ground floor and apartments up top — and architectural style from the early 20th century. It’s currently vacant and appears to have suffered some damage, but many of its historic fixtures and elements are intact…