The emergency demolition order issued by Kansas City inspectors in 2021 nearly erased the city's oldest surviving commercial structure. Then Chris Sally stepped in. The local developer bought the former Seiden's Furs at 935 Broadway in October 2023, buying time and money to save a building that had been rotting for years. This move halted the municipal process that would have turned a 152-year-old landmark into rubble.
The structural damage was severe. Heavy rainfall in July 2021 collapsed a large section of the roof, prompting engineers to estimate repair costs at $2.1 million. Before Sally's intervention, the building was a liability. Workers eventually hauled out more than 20 dumpsters of abandoned stock and pumped dangerous standing water from the basement. The interior size remains a point of contention in local records, with Flatland KC citing 14,000 square feet while The KC Pulse lists 7,500 square feet. Regardless of the square footage, the physical decay was undeniable.
Sally's renovation team has already completed the heavy lifting. They installed a entirely new roof, repaired exterior brick mortar, and restored second-floor windows to their original dimensions. The project aims to preserve the building's retail DNA. The new restaurant, Loretta Jean's, will feature a preserved walk-in fur storage vault, an old metal safe, vintage advertising posters, and original fashion mannequins. Chef Rick Mullins and Candice Moore are developing the food concept, which includes a private dining area or basement bar called Josephine's. The upper floors will convert into residential apartments.
This rescue is part of a broader shift in downtown preservation. The project earned a 2025 Historic Kansas City Preservation Award for Neighborhood Stabilization. Mayor Quinton Lucas recently introduced three city ordinances to prevent similar historic decay. Meanwhile, the non-profit Historic KC published its first Most Endangered Places list in five years. Loretta Jean's is expected to open in autumn 2026, marking the survival of a structure that first opened as the Brackett Brothers Drug Store in 1874.