The city of Wichita has an agreement with a development group to convert four downtown buildings into a medical school, student housing, a culinary school and a hotel.
The city council has approved an agreement with Douglas Market Development, which owns the four buildings. The former State Office Building will be converted into the Kansas Health Science Center, and the former Sutton Place building will be remodeled to have 119 units for student housing.
The former Henry’s building at 124 South Broadway will be converted into a commercial kitchen and culinary school, and the former Broadway Plaza Building at 109 South Broadway will be remodeled into a 119-room hotel that will be operated as a Marriott hotel.
Assistant city manager Scot Rigby said construction on the medical school is expected to begin by March, 2020, and the first class will begin in August of 2022. Work on the other buildings will also begin by March and they would be ready for occupancy in 2022. The entire project is a $90 million investment.
Jason Gregory with the Downtown Wichita organization said the project will bring life back to four vacant buildings and it will strengthen the Douglas Avenue and Williams Street corridors.
(above image is a rendition of the State Office Building as the medical school)
