Who Bought Into Westport's Pennsylvania Avenue During Construction

"The construction is really what killed us," Amante Domingo told Axios Kansas City in September, about Le Champion, the coffee and wine spot he ran at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave. for a little over a year. "The streets were closed all around us, and we were doing really well."

He sold the business to Gerald Pittman, an industry newcomer who plans to open a ramen bar at the address by Halloween. That trade is a small version of what happened up and down Pennsylvania Avenue in 2026. The roughly $30 million stormwater project that tore up Mill Street put some Westport businesses under strain. It also gave newcomers a reason to buy in before the barricades came down. Three Pennsylvania Avenue addresses changed hands or changed concepts this year. Each new owner is betting on what Westport looks like after the construction, and none of them is building around the late-night crowd alone.

Why Le Champion changed hands

Le Champion was squeezed from two sides. To the north, KC Water's stormwater work kept Mill Street and nearby blocks closed for long stretches starting in 2025. To the south, Saint Luke's began demolishing the old Plaza Embassy Suites after the World Cup. Domingo said the hospital crowd had been a big part of his day. "The hospital people used to come and get coffee," he said. "You couldn't even walk to Champ anymore."

The city told Axios it is working with the Westport Regional Business League, stakeholders and crews to keep access and communication open as much as possible. Axios also reported that construction is starting to ease and foot traffic is rising again as Mill Street paving wraps up. Domingo said he will "probably kick myself for selling Champ," and he may reopen the concept somewhere else. He still owns The Russell and Noka in Midtown, and he is looking at more Russell locations in Lee's Summit, Prairie Village and the Northland.

The Star describes Pittman as the next tenant. Blurred Bar is his first concept, and he is opening it with co-owner Bryan Hilgemann, whom he met while they both worked security. The Kansas City Star reported that Domingo is staying on as a consultant, and that Broderick Hayes, who managed at Gram & Dunn, will be general manager. The plan is an izakaya-style bar with anime-inspired decor. Its drinks are nonalcoholic by default, including matcha, hojicha and a melon soda ice cream float, and bartenders will suggest a spirit for anyone who wants one spiked. The menu includes Neoguri and Buldak ramen, Sapporo Ichiban loaded with house chashu and marinated eggs, and chashu sandos on house milk bread. Pittman told Axios he "wanted to make it more welcoming to nondrinkers."

"If you have nothing to do with anime, you can get yourself a good bowl of ramen," he told the Star.

Halloween is a target, not a confirmed date. As of this writing, the latest dated report still describes Blurred Bar as opening "by Halloween."

Two owners who moved in while the street was still torn up

Six blocks north, Matt and Tessa Ortiz bought in at an even less certain moment. In late April, with the stormwater work still months from done, they bought the 7,000-square-foot complex at 4010 Pennsylvania Ave. Startland News reported that fans of Green Room Burgers & Beer and Westport Coffeehouse Theater had worried a new owner might subdivide the building or tear it down for condos. "We were just going to lease it, but it was a huge opportunity," Tessa said. "A lot of people were looking at the space."

GreenHorn Bar & Grill opened on the lower level Aug. 21. It is a bar, restaurant and live-music venue, and the old "Best Burger in KC" sign is still up. The couple wants the GreenHorn Burger to earn that sign on its own: an 8-ounce patty with Tillamook cheddar, iceberg lettuce, pickles and secret sauce on a Farm to Market Bread Co. salt and pepper bun. Chambre Coffee, which replaced Westport Coffeehouse upstairs in 2025, stays on as their tenant. The Ortizes have also planned a weekend brunch with pozole, chicken and waffles, and breakfast tacos. GreenHorn's own website still says brunch is "in the works," with times and a menu to be posted once confirmed.

Midway between the two, The Social Room opened in July at 4057 Pennsylvania Ave. and started serving food in August. Owner Cody Hill brought the concept from Columbia, where it serves a college crowd. He expected an older crowd in Westport and built the menu to draw people in earlier in the evening. "You can get a Busch Light and still get crab legs and lobster," Hill told the Star. The room has 250 seats, a capacity of 600, three bars including one on the patio, free pool and karaoke nights. Dinner includes lemon pepper-crusted catfish for $20 and a Cajun cream pasta called The Big Easy for $22. By late September it was also open for weekend lunch.

All three new concepts lean the same way. There is a family-run grill with brunch on the way, a nightclub serving catfish at dinner and lunch on weekends, and a ramen bar built around nonalcoholic drinks. Each owner is planning for Westport visits that start before dark.

The corner with no announced successor

One closing on the block doesn't fit that pattern. Beer Kitchen served its last day on Sunday, Aug. 9, after 16 years at 435 Westport Road. FOX4 reported that the reason for the closure was unclear. Its parent group, Culinary Virtue, offered staff jobs at its other restaurants, including Char Bar. That keeps the group in the district, since Char Bar Westport held its Hatch Chile Fest there on Sept. 12. The Beer Kitchen name also continues at Strang Hall in Overland Park. As of early October, no new tenant had been announced for the Westport Road space.

What's still closed, block by block

Most of the stormwater project is underground and already finished. The design adds 3.5 million gallons of storage beneath Mill Street Station, the Sun Fresh lot and Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park to handle flooding from an overloaded combined sewer. In July, the project team reported that both underground basins were complete, along with the major Mill Street and 40th Street system upgrades. Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park is open to pedestrians again, though a few areas stay fenced during final surface restoration.

The city's update for the week of Sept. 28 shows what's still closed on the street:

Mill Street, Southwest Trafficway to the east driveway of Mill Street Station Shops: closed until late fall 2026. The detour runs via 39th Street, Broadway and Westport Road.
Westport Road, Mill Street to Bridger Road: closed until late fall 2026. The detour runs via 43rd Street and Wornall Road.
Mill Street, east driveway to Wornall Road: open, with access to Mill Street Station, Westport Landing, World Market and Sassy Nails. AC Hotel access is from Waddell Avenue.
40th Street, Southwest Trafficway to Pennsylvania: closed for resurfacing starting Sept. 29, with work expected to finish by the end of that week, weather permitting.
Sidewalks: pedestrian access stays open, but the south side of Mill near Southwest Trafficway, the east side near Westport Landing and the north side of Westport Road between Mill and Bridger are closed. Use the opposite side of the street.

The late-fall reopenings won't end the project. Sidewalk replacement and streetscape work come next. In March, KSHB reported a city target of June 2027 for full completion. Some coverage gave October 2026 as a finish date. That was an earlier forecast for final paving, made before the June World Cup pause, and the city's later updates have replaced it.

The strain was building well before Le Champion closed. In February, KCUR talked with Tony Teng, general manager of New Peking Restaurant, who said customer access and deliveries had become difficult and foot traffic had dropped. It also talked with someone who said the shifting, torn-up sidewalk route made getting to The Big Biscuit risky.

The south end of Westport is changing too

The other half of Le Champion's squeeze is already gone. Saint Luke's imploded the former 266-room Embassy Suites at 220 W. 43rd St. on July 12. In its place will be a gated surface lot with 157 employee parking spaces. The City Plan Commission approved it under a three-year special-use permit that requires landscaping and fencing. Saint Luke's has not said what it plans for the site long term. Its updated campus master plan will cover the property, and the hospital says that plan is still in development.

Le Champion's hospital customers are a big reason the empty lot matters. Domingo said hospital staff used to come in for coffee until the closures made the walk impractical. Once the lot opens, the land just south of 4149 Pennsylvania will be employee parking rather than a hotel.

Dates for the rest of the fall

Oct. 24: one year since the streetcar's Main Street extension opened, adding Westport, Plaza and Midtown stops to the free route between the River Market and UMKC.
By Oct. 31: Blurred Bar's target opening at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave.
Late fall: planned reopening of the closed stretches of Mill Street and Westport Road, weather permitting.
June 2027: the city's target for finishing the full stormwater project, including streetscape work.

If you're thinking about what Westport's post-construction stretch could mean for a home in Midtown or Westport, the team at Locate KC tracks these blocks closely. We're glad to walk you through what's changing near your street, and you can start with a free home valuation.

Who Bought Into Pennsylvania Avenue While Westport Was Torn Up