After 7 years, Kansas City's downtown convention hotel breaks ground

Kansas City Mayor Sly James, center, is joined by development officials and Loews Hotels & Co. President and CEO Jonathan Tisch, center-right, at a groundbreaking ceremony for the city's downtown convention hotel. Allison Kite akite@kcstar.com

BY ALLISON KITE

A years-long struggle to bring a convention hotel to the evolving Kansas City skyline ended Thursday with a groundbreaking ceremony officials dubbed a "new chapter" in the city's downtown.

Standing before the dug-out city block where workers began construction last month, Mayor Sly James celebrated the addition to Kansas City's downtown, saying it was a culmination of hard work by several organizations.

Construction of the $325 million hotel is expected to wrap up in May 2020. The hotel, to be named the Loews Kansas City Convention Center Hotel, will create 600 permanent jobs.

Read more at The Kansas City Star.