Quick Read: Chase Koch nonprofit plans apartments, concert hall in downtown Wichita

Chase Koch’s Movement Musick nonprofit is planning three major projects on a single downtown Wichita block surrounding its music studio and school. The plans include renovating a century-old apartment building, constructing a new 3,000-person concert venue and creating an outdoor gathering space.

FULL STORY: After buying a downtown block last year, Chase Koch is now ready to transform it

Here are key takeaways:

• The nine-story Shirkmere Apartments, which opened in 1924 and has fallen into disrepair, will be renovated into about 100 apartments — a mix of market-rate and affordable units. About 40 will be affordable, aimed at people such as artists, hospitality workers and graduate students. The apartments should open in the second half of 2027.

• A new 3,000-capacity indoor concert hall and event venue will be built along First Street between Topeka and Emporia. It will have a flat floor to allow flexible configurations for as few as 500 people. Construction is expected to start next year, with the venue opening in 2029.

• An outdoor community gathering space will fill the area between the projects, with programming such as food trucks, yoga and seating areas. Movement Musick plans to seek public input on the design through a series of community meetings.

• The affordable and market-rate apartments will not be separated or look different. “They will be mixed in,” said Raffaele Fazio, a former Koch Inc. lawyer now leading Movement Musick.

• Koch and Movement Musick own additional downtown buildings and may acquire more, though Fazio said the current block of projects “will keep us busy.”

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by Eagle journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Eagle journalists.