In May 2018, a fire destroyed the former Kansas City home of baseball legend Satchel Paige. Paige was a pitcher and hall of famer for the Negro Leagues and for Major League Baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, the Kansas City Athletics and other teams.
The house was not listed on any historical register but that over the years, he and others dreamed of someday doing something with it to remember Paige's legacy. There never was enough money, however. Neighbors said they occasionally had to call police over squatters at the property, which has not been in the Paige family for years.
The current owner, Brian Cushon, said that his mother had purchased the property and it had passed to him. He said he had intended to put some work into the house. Jackson County property records show the house had a market value of $17,250 and an assessed value of $3,278.
In 2019, Kansas City announced it received a grant of up to $150,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to repair and stabilize the home ruined by fire near 28th and Prospect.
The Kansas City Homesteading Authority purchased the home earlier this year, and the city said in a news release that improvements will allow it to put together a request for proposal for the home's redevelopment.
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