KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leaders at Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial are now getting ready for the 2023 NFL draft on their grounds.
“They’re going to be closing us down for nearly an entire week, a huge financial impact to Union Station,” Union Station President George Guastello said in a recent interview with FOX4.
Guastello followed that up with saying the event will be a great gift to the Kansas City community. He says there will be nearly four weeks of buildout on the south side of the building. Because of the closure the week before the event, Guastello says they hope to make up that money with the large amount of people that will be on the property.
“So, we hope people will become members of Union Station and come down and support us. We’re a 501(c)(3) not for profit,” Guastello continued. “We get no state, federal, or even local money.”
Leaders at the National World War I Museum and Memorial are in the same boat. During the draft, their leaders say they will be open though.
Friday, a spokeswoman told FOX4 that for $20 during the event, fans can get all access to the museum, much like they could for the Chiefs parade and rally on Wednesday. On that day though, that access cost just $10.
“We certainly hope to be able to make some money,” museum President Matthew Naylor said in an interview with FOX4 Wednesday. “As is lots of businesses, we are certainly impacted by what the draft brings but believing that in the long run, this is really good for the city, and it’s certainly wonderful for our mission to showcase the memory of those who served in the Great War.”
Friday, a spokeswoman for Naylor told us they’ve received a verbal commitment from the Kansas City Sports Commission that the museum will be made ‘whole financially’ from the losses they’ll take on in setting up for the draft. Friday night, the Sports Commission did not respond.
A spokeswoman for Union Station says their portions of the building like Science City, will be closed to the public starting Monday, April 24.
A manager at Harvey’s inside the building says they know they’ll be closed that day too, but they could close to the public even earlier than that. A spokeswoman at Pierpont’s inside the building said they’ll be closed to the public starting Sunday, April 23.
The draft starts Thursday, April 27 and goes on until Saturday, April 29.