The renovation took 15 months, plus $200,000 more than expected.
Burglaries, thefts and vandalism occurred during construction. At one point, a moving car jumped the curb and plowed through the stacked limestone wall surrounding the garden, mangling the wrought-iron fence before slamming to a stop.
Now, in what is being described as a “huge relief” by Kansas City developer and TikTok celebrity Johnny Youssef, his demolition and renovation of William Rockhill Nelson’s “clubhouse” – a 6,800-square-foot clapboard house with an eye toward Nelson – Atkins Museum of Art – is ready.
It went on sale this week. Asking price: $1.485 million. There will be an open house Sunday for the home in the affluent Rockhill neighborhood at 610 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd.
“It’s clear that the ultimate relief will happen when we actually get a buyer for it,” says 38-year-old Youssef. “Someone asked me, ‘Do you regret doing this?’ I would say it is still a privilege to be able to restore a beloved home in Kansas City.
Built for Nelson around 1902 in the style of an old-fashioned lodge or cottage, the wealthy and powerful founder of The Kansas City Star used the house as a guest house or lodge for his friends. Its conservatory windows, which span the width of the second floor, make it perhaps one of the most visible houses in the neighborhood, located across the southeastern base of the museum’s rolling lawn.
Nelson was born in 1841 and died in 1915. The house was transferred to other owners.
“I mean, I’ve probably had at least 20 people come up to me and say they visited the house over Christmas,” Youssef said. A previous owner, he said, “filled the sunroom with Christmas trees.”
“So it’s an honor to restore an iconic house of an iconic name. I’m just very proud that I can do that.” Youssef said.
Julee Sanders, who grew up in the more than 120-year-old house and whose parents owned it from 1977 to 2022, had previously said she was not happy the house would be so extensively renovated. Tearing out walls for a more open floor plan would wipe out much of its historic character.
While the exterior of the house looks as it always has, Youssef has virtually gutted the interior, although he said he has retained about 70% of the house’s original hardwood floors, the wide staircase in the center of the hall and the curved has retained wooden railing and wall panels.
The rest of the house – with six bedrooms, six fireplaces, five bathrooms – has been updated: electricity, plumbing, walls, insulation, foundation jacked, floors leveled, 80 windows repaired. Three fireplaces on the first floor have been converted to gas.
The third floor, which was previously a warren of smaller rooms, has been opened up to create a large bedroom and bathroom.
“Whoever gets this house will get a brand new house in the shell of a beautiful, historic house. It’s all new,” Youssef said.
The former small kitchen was converted into a utility room. The new kitchen has custom cabinetry, quartz countertops and a large center island.
Youssef and his wife, Abby, 29, bought the house in 2023 for $400,000 in a bank sale.
His original idea was to invest $400,000 to $500,000 to redo it and sell it for between $1 million and $1.3 million. Youssef planned to use the profits from the sale of the house to finance the renovation of the Broadway Baptist Church in Westport, which he also purchased in 2023.
His plan was to turn it into a wedding venue called Melrose Abbey. Originally a $1.5 million project, Melrose Abbey cost $3 million to complete, a price that includes the $700,000 sale price for the church. The Youssefs held a grand opening in July.
Phase 2 of the wedding location includes four hotel rooms at the rear of the church. The rooms are still under construction. Youssef still hopes to use the proceeds from the sale of the Rockhill house to finish the hotel rooms.
“So we are currently completing Phase 2,” Youssef said. “I definitely hope we can sell it (the clubhouse) quickly because that money will allow the plan to be implemented.”
