About
What we do
Curls Jude Joseph is a real estate development firm. We work on:
- site acquisition and land assemblage
- development consulting, project planning and design
- project and construction management
- compliance monitoring on public programs, including HUD Section 39
Our focus is inner-city Kansas City: better housing, more homeowners, and investment that stays in the neighborhood. Most of our projects sit along the Linwood and Prospect corridor and in the 18th & Vine District, where our office is.
Our history
- 19521
- Fred Curls founds Fred Curls Realty Co. in Kansas City, Missouri. He becomes one of the city’s first African-American real estate brokers and its first African-American appraiser.
- Late 1950s to early 1960s1
- The firm, now Curls & Associates, grows into one of the largest African-American real estate companies in Missouri. Despite racial barriers, it provides consulting, sales and appraisals for homes and commercial property.
- 1962
- Fred Curls sets out the firm’s values: deal honestly, put the client first, and expect homeowners to look after their property.
- 20051
- Curls & Associates merges with Jude Joseph LLC, a locally owned firm, to form Curls Jude Joseph.
- Today
- We carry Fred Curls’s and Jude Joseph’s work forward, buying, renovating and developing property to rebuild inner-city neighborhoods.
My policy during the decade has been dealing squarely and fairly with my clients…
— Fred Curls, 1962
Who we work with
Our projects depend on partners. We work with community organizations, banks and other lenders, city, state and federal agencies, private entrepreneurs, and faith-based organizations. Several of our housing and retail projects began as initiatives of Kansas City churches, and we help congregations turn plans for their neighborhoods into buildings.
Our team
The firm is led by Dr. Karen E. Curls, President2, who has managed real estate development in Kansas City and Los Angeles. She works with a group of consultants in economic development, finance and community programs.