| Freight House | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of the Freight House area | |
| General information | |
| Location | 101 W 22nd St,Kansas City, Missouri |
| Current tenants | Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue Grunauer Lidia’s Kansas City |
| Completed | 1887 |
| Renovated | 1998 |
TheFreight House is a historic railroad building just north ofUnion Station in theCrossroads Arts District ofKansas City, Missouri. The renovatedFreight House is now home to three award-winning restaurants:Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue, Grunauer (German and Austrian food) and Lidia's. The building is located immediately east of theStuart Hall Building, and it is connected via pedestrian bridge to Union Station. The pedestrian bridge was added in 2003, and its main component is an 1892 railroad span that had been sitting unused on the river bluffs until it was moved to its new location.[1]
The Freight House was originally constructed in 1887. The building housed freight unloaded from the trains until merchants picked up the freight and transported it to the numerous warehouses nearby.
Over the years, the structure fell into severe disrepair until it was purchased by a group of investors in 1995. The 500-foot (150 m) long and 40-foot (12 m) wide Freight House would probably have been demolished, but the group of investors, led by Dan Clothier, envisioned developing three restaurants on the property.[2]
The first restaurant to open at the Freight House was Lidia’s Kansas City. Lidia's is an Italian restaurant that was opened by celebrity chefLidia Bastianich in October 1998. The interior of the restaurant was designed by architect and designerDavid Rockwell.[3]
Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue was the second restaurant to open in the Freight House. It opened its third location at the west end of the building in Fall 2000, and it continues to occupy that location.[4]
City Tavern opened in 2002 in the middle of the three Freight House restaurant spaces, and enjoyed success over the years until it closed in April 2010. Following the closing of City Tavern, acclaimed Austrian-born chefPeter Grunauer opened aViennese restaurant in May 2010 in the space formerly occupied by City Tavern. The restaurant, known as Grunauer, is operated by Peter, his daughter Elisabeth, and his son Nicholas. Other relatives of the Grunauer family also operate a restaurant of the same name in the artsyNeubau district ofVienna, Austria[5][6]
39°05′15″N94°35′07″W / 39.0875°N 94.5853°W /39.0875; -94.5853