Will Arabia Steamboat Museum become a hotel? Renovations pitched for City Market spot

The Arabia Steamboat Museum in City Market could soon make way for a new hotel and retail space for local businesses.

The City Market Oversight Committee put out a request earlier this month for developers to submit proposals for turning the museum site at 400 Grand Blvd. into a space for a boutique hotel, retail and an underground parking garage. The request calls for maintaining the area's architectural look on the city-owned property, according to a news release .

The Arabia Steamboat Museum opened in 1991 and features recovered objects from the Steamboat Arabia , which sank in 1856 after hitting a snag of fallen trees and left behind over 200 tons of cargo. Bob Hawley, along with his sons David and Greg, discovered the boat's location in 1988 and worked with a team to excavate the pre-Civil War artifacts for preservation.

The request for developers says that the museum will leave its current City Market site in November 2026. The museum's plans after that date are to be determined. Talks have been ongoing for years about the museum's future, including a proposed move to St. Charles, a suburb of St. Louis.

The building has 11,500 square feet of space above ground plus 36,000 square feet below ground. Construction could also vertically expand the building and add more floors above the structure as it stands now.

The proposal calls for street-level retail space for new businesses, underground parking and a hotel with a three-star rating or above.

The Vision Fountain off Grand would need to be moved to make space for a building expansion. According to the City of Fountains Foundation, artist Jim Brothers' Vision Fountain was built in 1991 as a memorial to local businessman Cliff C. Jones, Jr. for his work in the River Market Area.

The deadline for developers to propose a project is Jan. 24, 2025. The City Market committee would review the proposals and send a recommendation to city officials in February 2025.

Museum owner Dave Hawley said the museum offered to extend the lease back in January and has also floated the idea of moving to the American Royal space in the West Bottoms, another city-owned property. American Royal is expected to move to a new campus in Wyandotte County.

The collection, which Hawley called a tresure of Kansas City and the nation, could otherwise have to move out of town.

"It will go somewhere," Hawley said.