Thomas W. Levitt

Tom Levitt, community leader and devoted Kansas Citian, died on Monday, September 21. 2009. Tom was a man of remarkable intelligence, vision, and creativity. He was passionate about art, architecture, history, and the development of Kansas City. What Tom loved most deeply, though, was his family. Tom was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Aaron and Louise Levitt. The family moved to Kansas City in 1956, where Tom spent the majority of his life. Tom attended Border Star Elementary School and graduated from Pembroke Country Day School, Yale University, and Stanford Law School. He met and married the love of his life, Molly Grossman, in 1990. Together they have raised three daughters of whom Tom was tremendously proud. Tom’s love of family and community shaped his dream for a vibrant, revitalized urban core. Since 1991, he has been involved in real estate development of many historic properties. Tom has served as Vice President of the Crossroads Community Association, Chairman of the Main Street Design Review Committee, and has been a leader of the Main Street Corridor Development Corporation (MainCor). He received notable recognition for his successful lobbying efforts to bring federal dollars to the Freighthouse District for sewers and sidewalks, and for securing historic designations for nearly a dozen Crossroads buildings. His selfless devotion to Kansas City and his community also drove quieter efforts, such as planting trees in KCMO parks, advocating for the 18th Street connector, and constantly working to rebuild Kansas City’s urban infrastructure. He provided free space for annual holiday parties for homeless Kansas Citians, the Kansas City Spay and Neuter Clinic, and multiple shows for students of the Kansas City Art Institute. His other civic endeavors included serving as President of the University Associates of UMKC, Chairman of the Society of Fellows of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Director of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Red Cross, and board member of the Mission Hills Planning Commission. Tom’s many honors included: the Preservation Award, Historic Kansas City Foundation (2000); Preserve Missouri Award, Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation (2001); Community Service Award, National Council of Jewish Women (2003); and the Alumni Service Award, Pembroke Hill School (2009). Tom worked tirelessly, paying keen attention to every detail. He was always willing to express his opinion if he believed it was for the public good. Tom is remembered as a man with a huge heart and a friend to people from all walks of life. He had a great capacity for making other people feel recognized and special. Tom is survived by his wife, Molly; three children, Ellen Louise, Anna Rachel, and Jennifer Eden; sister Jean Birnberg (Neal) of Lexington, Massachusetts; brother Jim Levitt (Jane) of Belmont, Massachusetts; mother-in-law Jean Grossman of Scottsdale, Arizona; and his nieces and nephews. Tom is preceded in death by his parents, Aaron and Louise Levitt, and his father-in-law, Harold I. Grossman. Funeral services will be held at the Congregation Temple B’nai Jehudah, located on 12320 Nall Ave. on Friday, September 25 at noon. Friends are also invited to the Levitt home on Saturday evening, September 26, at 7 pm for a brief prayer service. Friends, if they wish, may remember and honor Tom with contributions to The Thomas W. Levitt Memorial Fund, care of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, 1055 Broadway, Suite 130, Kansas City, MO 64105.