ECPZone.com |

It was designed by Wight & Wight, a Kansas City architectural firm responsible for other major local buildings, including Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral; the First National Bank building, now the Central Library of the Kansas City Public Library; the Wyandotte County Courthouse; and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The original complex included a 10-story hotel, a seven-story office building, a three-level parking garage and the Union Bus Terminal. The hotel closed in 1968. Over the years it has served as an elderly housing development called the Royal Towers and is now low-income rental housing operated under a contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The 50,000-square-foot office building has been vacant for more than 30 years, according to its owner, Bob Rowe. He also owns the vacant bus terminal and the 400-space garage, which is in use.

Rowe said he is willing to sell his property or partner with Gold Crown.

"I think it will make a great project if it gets under way," he said.

Other developers in the past have considered the Pickwick complex, but a major challenge has been obtaining the old hotel building, which now has 233 apartments. Its ownership situation is complicated, and the HUD contract requires anyone purchasing the building to find replacement housing for its approximately 125 residents.

Smith said the building is owned by Bergen Capital, which took over after a foreclosure in 2003. Wells Fargo is the trustee, and the bank has hired The Neighborhood Group to manage the property.