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About 60 years after her debut as an actress in Westport High SchoolJoy Fisher returned to the stage in the school auditorium.
A member of the class of 1965, Fisher recited lines from the play in which he acted, which became a family joke: “Don’t worry, dear little lamb, I’ll treat these judges right.”
Fisher, known as Gooch at the time, was back at her alma mater on Thursday for the open house. The Residences at Park 39 Apartmentslocated in the converted high school building.
“This was a very innovative construction. It’s amazing what they’ve done here,” Fisher said.
Once home to the Pep Club and cheerleading tryouts, the auditorium now houses a two-story structure with meeting rooms and a pool table, with the building’s original plaster molding accented by lights.
The new 138-unit apartment complex, located in the historic building at 39th and McGee, has studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments with rents ranging from $925 to $2,499, pre-utilities. As of Thursday, the building was 45% leased and offered a special month of free rent if residents moved in before June.
Originally built in 1908, Westport High School educated Kansas City students until 2010. Famous alumni include Royals owner Ewing Kauffman and Looney Tunes animator Fritz Freleng. With capacity for 1,429 students, the building was sold to Sustainable Development Partners in 2016. Construction began in spring 2022 on the 181,000-square-foot facility.
Most apartments have 12-foot windows under 16-foot ceilings. The renovation of the old building created some unique spaces: a 221 square foot studioa games room hidden behind the auditorium curtains and some two-story apartments in the former women’s gymnasium.
Units feature 12-foot windows set into 18-foot ceilings, microwave-combi ovens, washer and dryers, and miniature dishwashers.
Listed on National Register of Historic Placesthe building would have to maintain its historic character to qualify for federal and state tax credits.
Crews removed false ceilings, preserved historic woodwork and covered lead paint to make the building habitable. Although wide hallways designed for hundreds of students are not necessary in a residential building, they have been preserved.
The floors tell the school’s story: concrete stairs painted and worn by generations of high school students and wooden floors changing direction in the middle of an apartment, showing where one classroom ended and another began.
Westport High School is one of the more than 20 old school buildings sold by Kansas City Public Schools. Some were transformed into apartments – West Side Lofts It is West Hill Apartments – or senior living communities – Blenheim School Apartments and Seven Oaks Estates. Others have taken on new lives as tutoring centers – DuBois WEB Learning Center — and offices — The Offices at Park 39, formerly Plexpod.
Neighbors were initially concerned about parking at the new Parque 39 Residences, but there is one space per unit in the parking lots, according to the developer Chip Walsh. And the upcoming Main streetcar will connect residents to the Plaza and downtown.
Sustainable Development Partners purchased 16 acres of property it named Park 39. In addition to the former Westport Middle School, which has been turned into offices, the company currently plans to build more apartments east of the school and north of the middle school.
The Residences at Park 39 Apartments
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315 E. 39th St., Kansas City
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Rents from $925 to $2,499 per month
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For rental information, call 816-408-3772
