I’ve always wanted to be a landlord

As we were zooming around in Kansas City today, looking at sites, we stopped in at the HQ of the National Catholic Reporter.

The building is actually for sale

They say location is very important and NCR’s building is within sight of the diocesan chancery.

I’d buy it but I hear they have a shaky foundation.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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27 Comments

  1. EnoughRope says:

    Hilarious! Anyone want to open a Catholic newspaper there? :)

  2. Craig says:

    I suggested to a priest with a society that they should buy it for a local priory, the priest responded that he didn’t think he had the strength for all the exorcisms it would most likey need to be made habitable.

    The building really is in a great location, and with some work, be a beautiful structure once again.

  3. Great pic, Fsther Z!
    Is that a blessing (exorcism?) you are doing???
    Did anybody come out and greet you? No hospitality?
    Probably better off, if not!

  4. Matthew in Vancouver says:

    “I’d buy it but I hear they have a shaky foundation.”

    Zzzziiiiiinnnnngggggggg!

  5. TNCath says:

    This is definitely one of the great photos of all time! I clicked on the real estate listing and couldn’t help but laugh at the following “selling points.”

    * Current owner/occupant NCR will consider partial lease back of building
    Does this mean that the NCR no longer needs the entire building due to lack of readership?

    * Originally constructed as a single family residence
    This surprised me. I thought it looked like an abandoned convent that used to house an LCWR-friendly community that long since abandoned it.

    * 17,000 sf asphalt paved parking lot with 44-spaces
    All that parking for Tom Fox, Michael Sean Winters, and Tom Roberts?

    * Located in Hyde Park, a historic neigborhood in the heart of the City
    Lord, let’s hope they don’t try to put the building on the National Register of Historical Places so that it can qualify for federal funds!

    * Many improvements have been made from 1997 – 2007
    Does this mean that there are back issues of the NCR stuffed in the windows for insulation?

    Honestly, I wish a traditional order would buy it.

  6. r.j.sciurus says:

    Well, as a matter of fact there are.

  7. r.j.sciurus says:

    Papers in the windows that is.

  8. Ioannes Andreades says:

    It’s a good thing you didn’t touch the anti-Catholic matter inside the building or else you would have annihilated each other.

    We’ll, it’s a good thing YOU weren’t annhilated. Just stay away from Richard McBrien if you see him…unless you’re willing to take one for the team.

  9. Fr_Sotelo says:

    These comments are funny. And a picture is worth a 1,000 words. I hear that Fr. Z posted this on an Al-Qaida website informing the Arab world that more blasphemies against Allah and the Prophet had come from this building than any other building in America. LOL.

  10. JosephMary says:

    Too funny!

    Did you sprinkle any holy water or blessed salt around the periphery?

  11. Tim Ferguson says:

    If next week’s issue of the NCR includes a recipe for shu mai, an interview with Malcolm Ranjith and a feeder update, we’ll know that the infiltration was successful.

  12. greg the beachcomber says:

    JosephMary: Perhaps he wrote “Repent” in blessed salt on their lawn.

  13. jmgarciajr says:

    Built on sand, is it?

  14. Agnes says:

    Yuk Yuk…

  15. ipadre says:

    Did you do an exorcism? I think there may bee some demons lurking around that building!

  16. An American Mother says:

    I love running stuff like this down. It WAS originally a single-family residence, built in 1900 for one of the wealthy Hyde Park residents (the “Armour” in the name was the meat-packing Armours). The top story is a much later addition (note the cornice at the original roof line), and of course the hideous excrescence of a porch is not original. I’ve identified the owners of the original houses on the OTHER three corners of Warwick and E. Armour, but not this one. They were all quite well to do – this foursquare style of mansion seems to have been very popular then.

    The area’s glory was brief, as KC moved quickly out to swallow up the suburbs, and all the houses were being torn down or reused by the late 1920s. By 1957 this address was occupied by a surveying company.

  17. An American Mother says:

    Got it. Originally the address was 3502 Warwick. Alfred Toll and his wife, nee Marv Lee. He was first a general merchant, then a lumberman, founded the Fort Smith Lumber Co. Architect was William B. Fair. He lived there until 1907.

  18. FrCharles says:

    LOL! Great photo, Fr Z. “shaky foundation.” Ha!

  19. catholicmidwest says:

    So, where is the website coming from? An old mac in somebody’s garage now? Do they even have a print newspaper anymore?

  20. catholicmidwest says:

    Too bad liturgy training publications can’t be flushed down the crapper too.

  21. John 6:54 says:

    Fr. Z you should put a donation request

    Price:$845,000.
    Building Size:14,529 SF.
    Price/SF:$58.16

    I doubt the tenant will be able to pay the bills much longer.

  22. If I only had the money…..

    1st would be to kick NCR out, have the building blessed and then rent it out to the diocese if they needed office space.

  23. irishgirl says:

    Hey, nice picture, Fr. Z!

    I’d like to see some good traditional Order come and take over the building-but only after It gets a good exorcism!

  24. RichR says:

    What a great post. Love it!

  25. sherlockgael says:

    Nice fedora

  26. wanda says:

    Is this the one called ‘fish wrap’? Just trying to catch up..
    Thank you!

  27. TJerome says:

    What was the stench like emanating from that building? Tom

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