Century-old corner reopens as boutique hotel with echoes of art deco, hints of Disney history

Already a downtown landmark in its own right, a building near the Jackson County Courthouse that might’ve housed one of Walt Disney’s first art studios is now an 84-room boutique hotel that its redevelopers are calling a “labor of love.”

“We’re a family business just working hard, but our roots are here and we are happy we got to improve something in Kansas City,” said Mary Meiners, a member of the Meiners family behind the new Aiden Kansas City Downtown hotel. (Doors opened this week at 405 E. 13th St. for a special preview of the space, following an earlier soft opening this summer during the FIFA World Cup.)

This century-old building sits at the thriving vortex of the T-Mobile Center, the Power & Light District, and government complexes from city to federal.

Guests enjoy the lobby of the new Aiden Kansas City Downtown hotel during a special preview event; photo by Joyce Smith

When the Meiners family purchased it in April 2024, they knew it would continue to languish as a courthouse-adjacent office building popular with nearby attorneys. Such tenants only filled up a fourth of the spaces. A series of coworking spaces had come and gone. Long-delayed maintenance issues related to electrical, plumbing, and the elevators piled up.

The family ownership group already had a Best Western Plus Hotel & Suites in Lee’s Summit, and figured the company’s boutique hotel brand, Aiden, would be the best use for downtown Kansas City.

An undated historic photo shows the then-Mutual Building at E. 13th and Oak streets; courtesy photo

They brought in local Exact Architects for the redevelopment.

“That’s what we do, historic conversions,” said Bob Mayer, senior partner at Exact. “We did everything for them. We provided the predevelopment work, the historic overview, financial and economic incentives, the interior design — all in conjunction with the family, who were very involved and had a clear vision of what they wanted.”

Exact sought PACE funding, a private-public funding mechanism that allows private owners to  borrow 100% of the upfront costs for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other upgrades.

The hotel also qualified for Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s START (Sustaining Transportation And Reinvesting Together) program. Developers and redevelopers must offer access in four areas — housing, education, job and/or healthcare. Aiden offered more than 80 new jobs in the downtown transportation corridor — positions with annual salaries of $55,000 or more.

And it’s not just about employees, but the added guests — many of whom will need to take advantage of public amenities during their stays, said Michael Riley, who runs economic development for KCATA.

“They have the opportunity to navigate with buses, the streetcar, bikes,” he noted.

The Meiners also had a loan from Country Club Bank, now FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha). Level Builders in Parkville was the contractor.

Over the past century the building has been known as the Mutual Building, the Griffith Building, and the Kessler Building. Of course, the new owners are calling it the Aiden.

It’s now a nominee for Historic KC’s 2025-2026 Historic Preservation Awards under the “Best Adaptive Reuse” category. The awards ceremony is planned for Nov. 12th at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

The group is working on an in-depth history of the building; background already provided by them includes an article in Clio that says the Sullivanesque-style structure could be the site of Disney’s first art studio — because of a very short stint by the now-iconic animator and industry titan in a converted restroom on the lower level.

The Meiners family can’t confirm its historic status, but in another nod to young Disney and his partner Ub Iwerks, the Aiden has duo’s portraits — by a local artist — hanging in a new restroom on that level.

(The former Laugh-O-gram Studios near 30th and Troost is long-thought to be Disney’s first animation house, starting in 1922 before the former Kansas Citian headed west with his fellow animators.)

The boutique hotel boasts 84-rooms spread across six floors, giving guests a choice of a king-size bed, or two queen-sized beds — all with views of the downtown cityscape from large windows.

In recognition of its circa 1919 beginning, guests will see subtle Art Deco touches in the wallpaper, light fixtures, vintage-style phones in each room, and even the stylized half-price appetizers notice in the elevators.

An Exact architect curated wall-size, Kansas City-themed photos greeting guests as they exit the elevators on each floor. And some of the rooms also feature art by local artist Kelly Meiners Art — also a member of the Meiners family.

Rates are always dynamic in the hotel industry, but in Aiden’s prices range from $119 to $600.

“We are a family business and locally owned, so we will be very competitive in the downtown market,” said David Meiners, partner. “We want to make it affordable.”

The hotel’s restaurant, The Bistro on Oak, offers specialty cocktails (the Oak 76 with Tito’s Vodka, lemon, simple syrup and sparkling wine is its signature drink), and such appetizers as vegetable potstickers and pork egg rolls, along with cheesecake souffle, and cookie butter beignets. A new entree menu will be rolled out next month.

The Coffee Corner features coffee drinks, summer specials such as Mango Creamsicles Ice, breakfast sandwiches, French toast sticks, Danishes and more.

On the lower level, guests will find a meeting room, an exercise facility and the original Mutual Bank vault.

The hotel has more than 100 parking spaces in its two-level underground garage and surface lot on the south side.

The Aiden is expected to offer its guests complimentary bicycles for exploring downtown, and it will provide a map of area murals of note including one colorful piece that spans the six stories on the hotel’s south side. The Meiners “donated” the wall to the SpraySeeMO Mural Festival in May 2025. The organization matches buildings as canvases for homegrown, national and international artists. In return, the artists have free rein with the design.

The piece adorning the Aiden features a tiny mouse snoozing in the purple Iris — a nod to Disney?

The former office building at 405 E. 13th St. in May during renovations; photo by Joyce Smith

BWH Hotels operates such brands as Best Western Hotels & Resorts, SureStay Hotels, and WorldHotels, but the company is rapidly expanding with the Aiden concept. So far this year, it has opened locations in Velbert, Germany; Bangkok, Thailand; and Sacramento, California.

And now Kansas City.

More than 20 are in development worldwide, with openings planned in Denver; Tempe, Arizona; and Toronto, Canada, for fall; and Pullman, Washington, for summer 2027.

Brad LeBlanc, senior vice president and chief development officer at BWH Hotels, said travelers today aren’t looking for another hotel that feels exactly like the last one. Instead, they want places with personality, a sense of discovery and a connection to the destination.

“Aiden Kansas City Downtown demonstrates how adaptive reuse can transform a historic property into a contemporary experience while preserving the architectural details and character that make it special,” LeBlanc said in a statement.

Nathan Hermiston, senior vice president of sales and services at Visit KC, said that while the Central Business District isn’t necessarily yearning for additional hotel rooms, enhancing the visitor experience throughout the market is always welcome.

“A thriving, diverse hotel landscape provides essential hospitality jobs and offers visitors more options to customize their stay in Kansas City,” LeBlanc said in a statement.