Apartments enliven old Jazz District

? The strains of smooth vocals and Count Basie-style swing returned to the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District several years ago.

Now, different sounds an alarm clock’s buzz, a pencil scratching out a grocery list, the bubble of water boiling on the stove are providing a different sort of music to the ears of the district’s backers.

Dozens of people have moved into the new Jazz District Apartments, located in upper levels of commercial buildings along 18th Street between the Paseo and Woodland Avenue.

“I absolutely love it,” said retiree Catherine B. Hill, who moved into her apartment in March. “It feels great to live in such a historical place.”

The Jazz District Redevelopment Corp., a state-chartered agency, is leading the renovation efforts.

Hill’s one-bedroom apartment faces 18th Street, just east of the Gem Theater. The theater along with the Blue Room, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has long been a destination point in the district.

But the 73 new apartments, along with the influx of people, are helping create a new buzz for the area, City Councilman Troy Nash said.

“People living in the district develops the kind of momentum we want,” Nash said. “That momentum will help build a sense of community on 18th Street.”

For decades, the seven-block 18th and Vine area contained only about eight homes. Scores of buildings were boarded up, standing in stark contrast to the district’s heyday in the 1930s.

When World War II ended, so did the neighborhood’s popularity. Desegregation allowed black residents to move to other parts of Kansas City and shop in stores that once barred them.

The Jazz District Apartments represent a breakthrough in bringing people back to 18th and Vine, said Al Fleming, president of the Jazz District Redevelopment Corp.

“The sights, the sounds and the gathering of people on the street is what made the district so unique, and we are striving to bring that back,” Fleming said.

Most of the apartments are rented at market rate, with the two-bedroom units priced at between $550 to $570 a month. Rent for other units is based on income. For those who qualify, rents for two-bedroom units range from $430 to $530 a month, with one-bedroom units beginning at $376 a month.

There is a waiting list, said Fleming.

The apartments are only part of the first phase of redevelopment. Five new buildings recently were finished, and three others are being rehabilitated.