Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City has expanded into the historic Taylor building in the Crossroads, turning a once-vacant structure next to its longtime office into a 25,000-square-foot hub for mentoring, workshops and career coaching. The organization, which pairs adult volunteers with local youth in one-on-one mentorship relationships, is calling the remodeled space the Big Futures headquarters.
As reported by the Kansas City Star, the nonprofit purchased the Taylor building at 1701 Walnut Street in 2022, right next door to its existing headquarters at 1709 Walnut Street, which it moved into back in 2015. The two buildings are now connected by a skywalk, and together they share an outdoor courtyard featuring a stage and a screen, according to the Star's report.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City first went public with its plans for the Taylor building in September 2024, when it launched a fundraising campaign to convert the structure. At the time, the organization described a nearly 25,000-square-foot space that would be remodeled to offer expanded rooms for events, workshops, activities and learning opportunities, including a panoramic rooftop with indoor and outdoor event space and a modern outdoor courtyard concept with an elevated stage and videoboard.
Programs Aimed at Life After the Match Ends
Most mentorships through the program end once a Little turns 18 or graduates high school, but the new headquarters is geared toward extending that support further. Per the Kansas City Star, the space will host workshops, career exploration events and one-on-one coaching sessions designed to equip youth with tools to succeed beyond graduation.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City CEO Micheal Lawrence said the organization wanted to build out post-graduation support for every Little, according to the Star's reporting, and that the agency was among the first Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in the country to support clients after high school graduation. Lawrence said the organization is leading the way for Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across America.
The 2024 announcement from Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City similarly described plans for programs focused on workforce development for Littles in eighth grade and beyond, along with group mentoring models for kids waiting to be matched with a long-term Big. The nonprofit said construction on the building, by then named the Big Futures building, would likely begin in spring 2025 once the fundraising campaign wrapped up.
A Big-Dollar Campaign and a Ground-Breaking
The campaign behind the expansion drew major philanthropic backing early on. Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City said the Sunderland Foundation invested a $3 million gift to kick off the campaign, while the Mabee Foundation issued a challenge grant of $1.8 million.
By late 2025, the project's price tag and timeline had come into sharper focus. KCTV5 reported the nonprofit had announced a $15.9 million expansion project it said would help provide more college and career readiness programs, describing the Futures Building as a 25,000-square-foot space for learning opportunities and activities tied to its mentorship programs. The Springfield Business Journal separately reported the organization broke ground on the $15.9 million project, with completion targeted for 2026, and described the 25,000-square-foot building as designed to offer more college and career readiness programs for area youth.
Event Space and a Nod to Downtown Growth
Beyond mentoring programs, the outdoor courtyard tied to the Big Futures headquarters will serve as a gathering and events space, and the Kansas City Star reports Big Brothers Big Sisters plans to rent out event space to other organizations for community and corporate functions, turning the rentals into a revenue-generating tool for the nonprofit.
Lawrence emphasized the importance of staying rooted in the Crossroads as downtown development continues, according to the Star, pointing to a future Royals stadium planned for Crown Center and the KC Streetcar, which opened through downtown in 2016, as signs of the neighborhood's momentum. He said visibility and a strong community presence could help the organization recruit more Bigs and Sisters willing to mentor local youth.
The Big Futures headquarters held a grand opening event in October, and a ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Friday morning, according to the Kansas City Star's reporting. Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City had also invited corporate partners and supporters to celebrate the opening of the new space on a June 10 event running from 8 to 10 a.m., per an invitation posted on the organization's website.
