UMKC-owned properties on Holmes Street that house university groups are in poor condition

  Many UMKC-owned houses on Holmes and East 53rd St. are in different states of disrepair due to their old age.

    The university owns several houses in neighborhoods near its Volker campus. Some properties on Holmes and East 53rd St. are used as offices for groups like the UMKC Institute for Human Development and Roo News.

  The houses were built in the 1920s, making them around a hundred years old.

  “Due to their age, they are going to have some issues and continue to need regular maintenance performed on them,” said Robert Wren, director of campus facilities management. “We’ve been working on solutions.”

  5327 Holmes St. currently houses Roo News, but it was home to KCUR from 1976 to 1985, until they moved to the recently vacated location on 4825 Troost Ave.

  A property on the same street was one of two locations housing the English department decades ago, along with another space directly on campus, according to a campus map located in the university archives.

  Many of the properties are still frequently being used today.

  “Several of the houses are occupied and have had significant work done to ensure folks can work from the houses safely and comfortably,” Wren said. 

  The university-owned houses that are not currently occupied are often checked on by campus facilities.

  “The ones not occupied have had the utilities turned off and are monitored on a regular basis to ensure windows are not broken and no one has tried to make a residence out of them,” Wren said.

  Wren said there are developments with the 10 houses that UMKC sold to CORE Urban Renew for renovation in January, with “one under contract to sell” and another “under negotiations.”

  “We are exploring options that best benefit our neighborhoods and community,” Wren said. 

  Plans for specific repairs in the occupied houses are unclear.

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