City OKs downtown land buy to expand park, demolish building for DO school entrance

A downtown Wichita park named after one of the state’s civil rights icons — Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park — will be expanded after the City Council approved buying land and demolishing a building as part of an ambitious downtown development project.

Chester I. Lewis park, a pocket park near Douglas and Main, is being recast as an entry plaza for a private medical school. But it will also be an opportunity for the city to strengthen the park’s ties to its namesake, City Council member Brandon Johnson said.

The park was dedicated to Lewis in 2007 after a petition drive by several local youth organizations and includes a bronze sculpture commemorating the Dockum sit-ins of 1958, the first successful student-led lunch-counter sit-in protest of segregation in the United States.

The sculpture has long been interpreted as a commemorative piece, but does not directly represent the actual sit-in protests. Nor does the park include the history of Lewis, who was the local NAACP president at the time of the sit-ins and, as an attorney, was as part of the legal team that argued the landmark 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“There will be outreach to various groups — specifically, the family of Chester I. Lewis — to ensure that his legacy is highlighted in this reflection square, as well as groups like the local NAACP, which helped get this going in the first place.

Johnson’s comments came after he said he received concerns about the park’s future. Other downtown parks — such as Naftzger Park, Heritage Square and Delano Park — have been renovated into entryways or courtyards for private businesses as the city works to revitalize its core and promote redevelopment.

“This is not an attempt to get rid of reflection square,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to say that on the record.”

The building just east of the park at 217 E. Douglas, which has been a revolving door for restaurants over the past three decades, will be torn down to make room for an entrance to the Kansas Health Science Center.

Wichita’s City Council approved paying Douglas Market Development $265,000 to aid in the demolition and to buy 90 feet of property to expand Chester I. Lewis park.

The park expansion is the city’s latest contribution to developer Sudha Tokala’s education complex redevelopment that’s slated to renovate four downtown buildings.

▪ The former State Office Building at 130 S. Market is being converted into the Kansas Health Science Center, a school of osteopathic medicine. The school will have 680 students and 324 faculty, according to city projections.

▪ The Henry’s Building at 124 S. Broadway is planned to become a commercial kitchen and culinary arts program, according to Tokala.

▪ Sutton Place at 209 E. William will serve as student housing for the education complex with 119 apartments.

▪ Broadway Plaza at 105 S. Broadway will be renovated into a 119-room AC Marriott Hotel.

To make sure the project succeeds, the city is throwing almost every financing tool at its disposal toward the project, including millions of dollars for asbestos removal and facade improvements, industrial revenue bonds and tax abatement, an added city tax on sales within the project area and $1.3 million in tax increment financing that dedicates future property taxes to pay off the park project.

Before the sale is official, the Kansas Health Science Center must receive candidate status accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, according to the city’s agreement.

Troy Houtman, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said costs for maintaining the park are not likely to increase with the added space.

“The addition of the square footage is not that much,” he said. “The actual park is currently maintained within our budget, so . . . we don’t anticipate any extra dollars hitting our budget for maintenance.”

Mark Elder, an economic development analyst for the city, said the budget for the park project likely won’t be enough for a massive overhaul, but it could open it up to be more inviting to the public.

“The budget doesn’t allow for a huge renovation, but it does allow to upgrade and open up that park.”