Molzer Development – February Project Update

Momentum, Milestones, and the Messy Middle

Author

Zach Molzer
February 09, 2026

If there’s a single word that best describes where we’re at right now, it’s momentum.

Years of building relationships, looking at deals, working towards finishing our current projects, and now? It is all compounding.

The phase where nothing looks finished… but everything is happening.

Both of our flagship projects, The Aladdin and The Holtman Building, are deep into the heart of construction. This is the messy middle. The part nobody romanticizes, but the part that determines whether a project actually succeeds.

I wanted to share a true, detailed look at where things stand, what we’re seeing on-site every day, and why we’re more confident than ever about where these projects are headed.

Quick ask before we dive in

On Friday, March 6th, I’m stepping out from behind the development desk and behind the bar! I’ll be bartending from 8–10 PM to support Newhouse Worthy2026, a charity that means a lot to me.

This isn’t a commercial event, a product announcement, or something we normally spotlight here, but it matters. It’s a chance to give back, serve the community, and have some fun while doing it.

Here’s the link with details (and where you can support our team):
👉 https://p2p.onecause.com/worthy2026/team/zach-molzer-drew-douglas

Whether you swing by, share the link, or donate, I’d truly appreciate your support.

The Aladdin – Turning a 100-Year-Old Tower into Homes Again

When we bought The Aladdin, it had been vacant for years. Broken windows. Water intrusion. Layers of deferred maintenance. A building with incredible bones… but a long road back to life.

Fast forward to today, and the transformation is impossible to ignore.

Framing: Complete

One of the biggest milestones is officially behind us:

All unit framing is complete.

That means every apartment layou; walls, corridors, mechanical chases, door openings; now physically exists inside the building. You can walk floor-to-floor and actually feel the future building. It’s a massive psychological shift.

Framing completion is when a project stops feeling theoretical and starts feeling inevitable.

Drywall, Painting & Trim: In Full Swing

We’ve moved aggressively into finishes:

  • Sheetrock installation is ongoing across all floors

  • Units are being primed and painted

  • Interior trim work has begun

This is where spaces go from raw boxes to something recognizable as “home.”

Every week, more units flip from rough to refined.

Tile & Bathrooms Taking Shape

Bathrooms are one of the most detail-heavy components of any multifamily project.

Right now:

  • Tile is going into the bathroom floors

  • Shower surrounds are being installed

  • Waterproofing, backer board, and prep work is wrapping up in remaining units

Once bathrooms are in, the finish line starts to feel real.

MEP Rough-Ins: Nearly Complete

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing rough-ins are almost fully complete.

That means:

  • HVAC distribution is in

  • Plumbing lines are run

  • Electrical conduit and wiring is largely installed

MEP is the nervous system of the building. Getting through this phase without major issues is huge, and our team has executed extremely well.

Underground Infrastructure: Chilled Water Tie-In

One of the less glamorous but most critical scope items:

We ripped up the street to bring chilled water service into the building.

This is major infrastructure that supports long-term building performance and energy efficiency. It’s disruptive, expensive, and invisible once done; but absolutely essential.

Huge shoutout to both the Marriott ownership, the City of Kansas City and McCownGordon for working with us throughout various lane closures and constant construction.

It’s also a great reminder that redevelopment isn’t just about what you see inside the building. It’s about rebuilding the backbone of aging urban infrastructure.

Pre-Leasing: Coming Very Soon

We’re approaching the point where we can start showing real units. Pre-leasing will launch soon, and early interest has already been strong.

There is significant pent-up demand for well-designed apartments in this submarket, especially in an iconic building like The Aladdin. We’re excited to finally open the doors.

Cocktail Bar: Construction Started

The cocktail bar is officially under construction. This space is designed to be more than just an amenity. It’s a destination. A place that adds life to the building and to the surrounding neighborhood.

Framing and early build-out work is underway, and we’re finalizing finish selections to ensure the space feels timeless, warm, and worthy of the building’s history.

16th Floor Ballroom: Restoration Underway

One of the most special moments on-site recently: We’ve started restoring the 16th floor ballroom.

As demolition progressed, we uncovered beautiful original terrazzo floors that had been hidden for decades.This is why we do historic redevelopment.

Not just to build new spaces; but to rediscover what was already there and bring it back to life. That ballroom will become a truly special space when completed.

Big Picture

While we still have 6 months to go, we couldn’t be more thankful for all the members of our team, especially our general contractor, Haren Companies.

We’re firmly in the phase where execution matters more than vision.

And the team is delivering.

The Holtman Building: From Forgotten Shell to Mixed-Use Landmark

If The Aladdin is a skyscraper-scale transformation, Holtman is the definition of surgical urban infill.

A historic building. A tight site. Multiple uses. High design expectations. And a very ambitious timeline. Progress has been strong across all fronts.

Second Floor Residential: Framed & Drywalling

All second-floor apartment units are fully framed and sheetrocked

We are tracking toward the entire project (15,000 sqft of office, 8 of the nicest lofts in KC, 8,000 sqft rooftop bar, member club and bus bus stop) being completed by mid-May.

When we accomplish this, it will truthfully be one of the fastest conversion projects done in KC at this scale.

Rooftop Bar: Steel Arriving Next Week

Next week, structural steel will arrive on-site to begin building the rooftop bar. This is one of the most exciting components of Holtman.

The rooftop bar will be unlike anything else in Kansas City. Renderings, mood board and more to come soon.

Random Activation: Nearing Completion

The adaptive reuse bus stop project is expected to be completed by mid-March.

What started as a quirky idea has evolved into a real placemaking feature. It adds character. It adds foot traffic. It adds story. These kinds of details are what separate ordinary projects from memorable ones.

Mason from Mammoth Metals has been crushing it and we are so eager to get this activated.

Ontop of that, the mural is approximately 70% complete.

This piece has been one of the most logistically challenging elements of the project:

  • Cold temperatures

  • Weather delays

  • Material constraints

  • Scheduling hurdles

But despite all of that, the work so far is incredible. Once temperatures consistently warm up, we’ll push to completion. It will be a defining visual for the building and the block.

Still Tracking for Late May Opening

Despite the complexity and the inevitable curveballs, we are still on schedule to open Holtman by late May.

That’s a testament to:

  • The GC and trade partners (GPS-KC)

  • The design team (Pluribus)

  • City coordination (Thanks, Mario!)

  • And a lot of behind-the-scenes problem-solving

What’s next?

As I type this out, we are currently under contract and set to close on the following by mid-April:

  • 48,000 sqft 5-story historic building in KCMO

  • 200,000 sqft building & multiple other parcels in KCK (more coming very soon)

We are also very close to officially putting under contract our first “stabilized” deal, which will be HUGE for us (cash flow is king when trying to scale!)

While we have plenty of irons in the fire, our thesis remains the same; Every project is a protest against boring and a step toward curated.

A Quick Reflection

There are moments walking these sites where it still doesn’t feel real.

Two years ago, both of these buildings were largely ignored by the market. Today, they’re filled with people working toward the same goal: creating places that didn’t exist before.

That’s the privilege of this business. Not just owning real estate. Not just chasing returns. But shaping the physical fabric of a city. We don’t take that lightly. We know we are only getting started, but it is so important to celebrate the small wins.

These buildings don’t come back to life without a village.

We’re proud of where things stand.

And we’re just getting started.

More soon. Godspeed

—
Zach Molzer
Founder, Molzer Development

PS: we are still EXPLODING on social media, officially surpassing over 350,000 followers across our platforms, making us one of the most followed/ viewed development firms in the entire WORLD.