He’s No Angel

The Reeders dispute the union officials' assertions that the View is somehow unique. "We're not any more or less union than anyone else," Leslie Reeder says. "There are projects that are doing the exact same thing that we're doing. There's no difference. We're not going anywhere anyone else hasn't gone."

Her father notes that union members installed plumbing, glass and sprinkler systems. "I don't know why you're singling us out, when Western Auto and all these other people have had bigger problems." But even when Huffman drops his sign for a quick nap in his car, the View is an unusual-looking work site. Outward appearances suggest a do-it-yourself approach. The absence of mesh screens allows anyone standing outside the chain-link fence surrounding the area to see all the demolition that misses the dumpsters. The beware-of-dog signs and other posted warnings look homemade and match those hanging from the gates at Interstate Warehouse.

The View LLC opted not to hire J.E. Dunn, the area's largest commercial contractor and the builder of the original Vista del Rio, or another local company. In fact, the developers decided not to hire a general contractor at all, instead appointing what Reeder calls "property manager overseers."

The overseers are from California. Leslie Reeder says the decision not to hire a local company was made for comfort. "We really felt like working with someone we had a history with, because we were dealing with some unknowns in that building," she says. "It's a blighted building. There are a lot of variables that could come into play, and we needed someone we could trust. They're someone I trust."

Not hiring a traditional contractor will also save money. The developers expected a return of between 21 percent and 24 percent, according to a memo Figuly wrote last December.

In addition to construction costs, the Reeders also are saving on loan charges. They did not go to a bank. "They've been funding it all on their own," Larry McMillin says. A document at the PIEA office lists the Reeder trust, Richard Turner and five other individuals as the ownership group. Four of the five individuals have invested with the Reeder family for at least 25 years, the document says.

Absent a big check from a bank, the View LLC wants to move in buyers before the entire building is renovated. Workers will finish three or four floors at a time, after which buyers can move in, and the workers will move up to the next set of floors. Other residential projects in the downtown have proceeded in this way, McMillin says. "When it's an existing building like that, you can do it in stages."

Yet the architects hired at an early stage of the building's redevelopment are no longer working on the project. When the View LLC was negotiating with the PIEA and city officials, Crawford Architects was part of the team. Crawford, a firm with offices in Sydney, Australia, and midtown Kansas City, is working, with star architect Frank Gehry, on landing the commission to design the new downtown arena.

The more obscure Bradley and Associates took Crawford's place 4 months ago.

Leslie Reeder says the View never entered into a formal agreement with Crawford, whose expertise, she notes, is sports architecture. "I think they're an excellent firm," she says. "We felt our needs were a little better suited to Bradley and Associates."

While experienced in stadium and arena design, the architects at Crawford also handle high-rises. They are turning the Law Building at 12th and Grand into residential units. Tom Proebstle, a principal at Crawford, says the firm resigned from the View because of "philosophical differences." "Die honky."

A spray of graffiti in a stairwell reminds a visitor to the View that for the last decade or so, vagrants ran the place. Windows were removed. Aluminum frames were sold for scrap. Fires were set for warmth and for the hell of it.

But no bum could damage the structure itself. "This place was built like a fortress," says View LLC co-owner Richard Turner.

An unlikely-looking certified public accountant, Turner wears gold jewelry and the thick-framed eyeglasses of a Hollywood producer. A cigarette appears in his cupped hand as he and McMillin lead a brief tour of the View. They point to the future location of the swimming pools (outdoor and indoor) and basketball courts. Future residents also will enjoy a massage room, sauna, fitness center and artificial putting green

A one-bedroom model is finished and ready for display. A larger unit, with a three-sided view, was being readied when the Pitch toured in mid-August.

The project is behind schedule. Models were supposed to be completed in May. McMillin blames a wet spring. Leslie Reeder blames the difficulties of working with an existing building. "Although it was structurally sound, we might have been a little ahead of ourselves on the projections," she says. Leslie admits to being a bit meticulous: "It's got to be perfect or it's not going to work."

The PIEA's Al Figuly is not concerned. He understands the project to be coming along "very, very nicely."

Figuly says the PIEA entered an agreement with the View LLC with eyes wide open. He notes that no cash subsidies have been handed out. The existing property taxes continue to be paid. The public, Figuly says, is exposed only if the View LLC is not able to finish the job, and the building will continue to bring to mind a rough section of Beirut or Sarajevo.