Where Owen Hart Fell in 1999
1800 Genessee St, Kansas City, MO 64102
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Event admission varies. Youth sports facility — check website for current events and pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved, fully accessible interior
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1974 · 1976 Republican National Convention · Owen Hart Death · Helmut Jahn Architecture · Kansas City Sports History
Kemper Arena was constructed between 1973 and 1974 in Kansas City's historic West Bottoms district, a neighborhood that once served as the center of the American livestock industry. The facility opened September 30, 1974, replacing the smaller Municipal Auditorium as the city's primary large-venue arena.
Architect Helmut Jahn designed a structure that was genuinely innovative for its era. The arena eliminated interior support columns entirely, suspending the roof from exterior steel trusses — a solution that maximized sightlines and earned architectural recognition in the 1970s. Its 19,500-seat capacity made it one of the largest arenas in the Midwest.
The arena's event history spans decades of American public life. The 1976 Republican National Convention — where Gerald Ford narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan for the presidential nomination — was held here. The facility served as home to the NBA's Kansas City Kings and the NHL's Kansas City Scouts. Multiple NCAA Final Fours visited the arena.
In June 1979, a severe thunderstorm partially collapsed the roof while the arena was unoccupied. No injuries resulted, and the structure was repaired.
The defining tragedy at Kemper Arena occurred on May 23, 1999. WWF professional wrestler Owen Hart fell 78 feet from the rafters during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event. Hart was being lowered by harness into the ring as part of his Blue Blazer character entrance when a quick-release mechanism opened prematurely. He landed chest-first on the top rope, suffered a severed aorta from blunt force trauma, and died within minutes. He was 34. The WWF continued broadcasting the event after Hart's death was announced — a decision that drew lasting criticism. His family later settled with the organization for $18 million.
Following years of declining use, the arena underwent a $39 million renovation in 2017-2018, converted by Foutch Architecture and Development into a youth and adult sports facility. It was renamed Hy-Vee Arena after the Iowa-based grocery chain secured a 10-year naming rights agreement.
Sources
The paranormal accounts attached to what was Kemper Arena are almost entirely organized around a single event: the death of Owen Hart on May 23, 1999.
Reports circulated in paranormal databases shortly after Hart's death describe sightings of his figure at the top of the arena, still dressed in the Blue Blazer costume he wore that night, cable attached, looking down into the ring below. The accounts describe a residual quality to the apparition — not interactive, not aware of observers, simply replaying the moment in silence.
Staff and visitors have also reported flickering lights and unidentified sounds late at night, attributed by those who experienced them to Hart's presence.
The building itself has been substantially transformed. The $39 million renovation completed in 2018 reconfigured the interior entirely, adding basketball courts on two levels and removing the ring-ready floor. The upper reaches of the arena — where the rafters from which Hart descended once formed the backdrop for the tragedy — are now a different space than the one witnesses from 1999 would recognize.
Owen Hart's death remains one of the most discussed tragedies in professional wrestling history. His wife Martha established the Owen Hart Foundation, a charitable organization providing scholarships and community support.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The arena operates as a youth sports and community facility with 12 basketball courts and a 350-meter indoor track. Visitors attending events can observe the Helmut Jahn-designed interior, which retains the distinctive suspended roof structure from the original 1974 construction — the same roofline above where Owen Hart fell in 1999.
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