Nothing For Dinner

Now Walker wants to sell. "I had to be insane," she says of her decision to open on 18th and Vine. But even Walker has some hope: She also owns the old Club Mardi Gras and says she wants to reopen it later this year.

For his part, Fleming is proud of his work. "I think the JDRC has done an excellent job to get the project off the ground and running," he says. He notes that the residential parts of the buildings are almost 100 percent occupied -- proof, he says, that the area is about ready to "kick off." Redevelopment projects to the south could bring in more than 1,000 housing units in the coming years. By the fall, he says, the district will also be home to a new jazz club and a lounge.

"I've never second-guessed my process," Fleming says. "I think it's laid out in a way that is fair to everyone."

But if 18th and Vine continues to be beset by delays and hollow promises, the message will be clear: Kansas City was once great, but now it's second-rate.

Behind the Jazz and Negro Leagues museums is the Jay McShann Pavilion, a small concrete plaza covered by a white tent designed to host outdoor concerts. The structure is only a few years old, but a hole has already ripped through its center. Nearby, a giant, oddly disconcerting Charlie Parker statue keeps its eyes closed. As if Bird refuses to watch.