Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, a landmark recognized for its “elegance” and “history,” and the oldest retail center in the United States, is set to change hands. The soon-to-be owners hail from Texas and are linked to a rich oil tycoon family.
The sale spotlights a lingering issue: the Plaza’s racist history rooted in blatant segregation and racial exclusion, established by its creator J.C. Nichols (who was funded and supported by the Founder of The Kansas City Star.)
Who Was J.C. Nichols?
For those who are not familiar, J.C. Nichols was the “racist mastermind” of Kansas City’s apartheid (often more kindly referred to as redlining and racial segregation). His most famous project was The Plaza, which set the tone on how to exclude Black people from prime real estate.
He’s the reason why Kansas City is sharply divided along Troost Avenue and his white supremacist segregation tactics were so effective that they became the blueprint for every major city throughout the entire United States. In fact, the 1999 Builder magazine named Nichols as the 3rd most influential figure in American housing during the 20th century (behind only President FDR and Henry Ford).
The Texas Connection: A New Chapter or Same Old Story?
The new owners of the Country Club Plaza are Texas-based Ray Washburne and HP Village Partners. Washburne’s wife, who is also on the board of HP Village Partners, is Heather Hill Washburne.
Heather is a direct descendant of H.L. Hunt, a Texas oil tycoon whose legacy includes founding the Kansas City Chiefs, a part of the family’s expansive $5 billion sports empire. Given that the Hunt family and their associated businesses have long navigated spaces of privilege, their entry into Kansas City’s real estate market begs the question: Will this ownership transition offer a moment for reckoning with the Plaza’s exclusionary past, or will it be another chapter in a long story of economic disadvantage for our city’s Black communities?
Why Reparations Matter
As the Plaza changes hands for an undisclosed amount, we are left to wonder: what could a sale like this mean for the Black community? It’s a glaring reminder that huge profits are being made from spaces that were initially built on the foundation of racial exclusion. Could some of these profits be directed toward community investments, reparative justice, or even shared ownership opportunities for Black Kansas Citians?
