September 28, 2011

If you’re familiar with the historic City Market area of Kansas City, you have no doubt driven past the DeFeo Produce building situated directly across the street from the Cold Storage Lofts at Third and Oak streets.

This week we feature the building that houses the DeFeo operation with an official address of 414 E. Fourth St. This is the old Schlitz facility that was previously occupied by the George Muehlebach Brewing Company from 1932 to 1955 when Schlitz bought the Muehlebach operation in 1956.

The three-story building features over 13,000 square feet of space on each one of its three floors, totaling almost 40,000 square feet of usable floor space. The south frontage of the building has ample parking and dock space for up to four tractor-trailers with 53-foot trailers. Just inside the dock doors are five huge coolers and two moderately sized offices for company administration. The floors are all comprised of concrete and are in very good condition. Upstairs there is a wide open warehouse space that would be perfect for dry storage or industrial loft photo shoots.

The lower level features frontage access to bustling Third Street via two large drive-in doors and another dock door for loading and unloading. There are three more coolers on the lower level, one of which can double as a freezer if need be.

The building is part of the City Market Urban Renewal District, so tax credits could be available for any revamping project considered for the building. Currently zoned for heavy manufacturing (M2A), it’s a perfect location for any distribution hub, given its proximity to not only major highways, but also its central location in the metro.

Victor Ross Commercial Real Estate has just slashed the asking price by another $100,000 to $850,000. If you’d like a closer look, call Victor Cascio at (816) 483-0500. He or any of the quality commercial real estate brokers would be happy to take you on a tour of this versatile building. The owners will also entertain creative financing options for the right buyer.

– Michael Bushnell