The first AC Hotel in Kansas is set to make its debut this summer in downtown Wichita. Managed by Hotel Equities, the AC Hotel Downtown Wichita is slated to opens its doors on July 16.  Read more>>

The historic Wichita Orpheum Theatre in downtown is preparing to close its doors at the end of May for one of the the biggest restorations it's undergone in decades. Read more>>

Multiple hotels are in the works for downtown Wichita that are expected to open over the next couple of years, leading the way for steady hotel growth in the market in the next decade. Read more>>

Longtime Wichita-based nonprofit Mennonite Housing has joined the team that's turning a historic downtown building into affordable residential units. They plan to convert the Landmark Square building at 212 N. Market St. into The Elks Club Residences, a nearly $20 million project that will bring 68 new units to the market. Read more>>

The office market in downtown Wichita could grow substantially over the next decade. Read more>>

Downtown Wichita is celebrating the hosting of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships' First and Second Rounds by transforming storefronts into basketball inspired art installations. Read more>>

Seven years after the NCAA men's basketball tournament made a long-awaited return to Wichita, one of the most high-profile events on the U.S. sports calendar returns next week. Read more>>

More than 260 people have signed up for an Open House hosted by the Downtown Wichita Organization on Tuesday night at the Wave. The Open House will be from 5-8 p.m. and it marks the beginning of what the organization calls the Downtown Wichita Action Plan. Read more>>

With the installation of a massive tower crane moving forward at the site, signs of construction progress are impossible to miss at the future home of the Wichita Biomedical Campus. Read more>>

Chase Koch quietly has amassed about half a dozen properties for a venture in the city’s core that — if his vision succeeds — could have a profound impact. Read more>>

Bastian said he's tracking how the under-construction, $300-million Wichita Biomedical Campus — expected to be a transformational part of downtown's future, which didn't exist when Fidelity first rolled out its plans — impacts market demand. Read more>>

The Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Kansas is moving part of its operations form Wichita State University to Groover Labs at Third and St. Francis just north of Wave. Read more>>

The second Kansas Global Holiday Market returns to downtown Wichita on Saturday, moving this year from Riverfront Stadium to Naftzger Park. Read more>>

Plans for a new apartment project — targeted toward students and on the doorstep of the Wichita Biomedical Campus — remain on track following a Tuesday City Council vote. Read more>>

The future of downtown Wichita is already being planned. The planning and design firm Sasaki is partnering with Downtown Wichita to develop an action plan for 2035. Read more>>

The local artist behind a well-known Wichita grain elevator mural has opened a new temporary pop-up store in a prime spot downtown. Read more>>

Downtown Wichita businesses are getting into the holiday spirit as voting is underway in a season-inspired contest. Read more>>

Wichita State University plans to dive into the research of assistive medical technology with a new center that will open at its downtown biomedical campus in 2027. Read more>>

Businessman Bruce Rowley said there’s a killer view of Intrust Bank Arena and the downtown skyline from the southeast corner of Commerce and Waterman, and now anyone can have it. Read more>>

ComfortCare Homes, one of the city's most well-known providers of care for those living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, will soon have a new home office. Read more>>

Heather Schroeder and her husband could've instead moved from her hometown of Syracuse, N.Y., to his native Sweden. She had filed migration papers. It was that close to happening. Instead, a first trip to Kansas, then a second, led to a new home and adventure when months earlier she had probably never fathomed living on the plains. Read more>>

With the Wichita Biomedical Campus poised to bring 3,000 students and 200 faculty and staff in early 2027, local leaders have regularly emphasized the need for more lower-cost housing options downtown. Read more>>

It was quite the time for Heather Schroeder to take on the role of Downtown Wichita executive director. Read more>>

The owner of an 11-story downtown building secured a key approval Tuesday to move forward with a refreshed project. Read more>>

The final Open Streets ICT of 2024 took over Douglas Avenue on Sunday. Read more>>

It’s a place to park and then walk, ride a bike or a scooter, and meet up with friends before going to the stadium or other amenities in downtown Wichita. Read more>>

Site work has been well underway for several weeks at the site of the Wichita Biomedical Campus at the southeast corner of Broadway and William. Ready more>>

Open Streets, the big annual street party that shuts down 4.1 miles of Douglas to traffic and fills it with bikers, walkers, skateboarders, live music, dancing, street vendors and food, returns for its fall installment on Sunday. Read more>>

Wichita will break ground on a new transportation hub in downtown on Friday at 9 a.m. Read more>>

An educator-turned-entrepreneur is opening a bookstore dedicated to authors of color in downtown Wichita. Read more>>

A U.K.-based technology company is headed to Wichita. Bloc Digital, a technology and software company, has secured a lease for a 3,400 square-foot office inside the Epic Center at 301 N. Main. Read more>>

There's a coffee shop swap in the works at one of downtown Wichita's most prominent developments. Read more>>

Steve Martens of NAI Martens, who represented Law Co. and LK Architecture in the deal, said there is so much activity near the building, particularly with the Wichita Biomedical Campus coming in and everything that it is attracting. Read more>>

For those who could not make the trip to Arrowhead, Festive ICT held a big public watch party at Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita. Read more>>

Those involved with the $300 million Wichita Biomedical Campus have said it will serve as a "magnet" for businesses and other entities wanting to locate within a downtown health care corridor. Another domino has fallen in that vision. Read more>>

Wichita Public Schools has launched a pilot classroom project in downtown's Union Station, with hopes of meeting demand from district parents for innovative learning opportunities. Read more>>

One of the most highly-anticipated projects in Wichita's history has hit its latest landmark moment. Read more>>

Downtown Wichita has its next executive director. The affiliate of the Greater Wichita Partnership announced the hiring of Heather Schroeder — who has most recently served as deputy director and director of economic development for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. in New York — to the position. Read more>>

Wichita has seen significant growth in the commercial real estate market for two years in a row. There have been sizable investments in downtown, new industrial campuses, medical offices and higher education institutions. These projects are spurring strong momentum in downtown Wichita. Read more>>

Buffalo Brew Coffee Co. has landed in one of downtown Wichita's most prominent developments. Read more>>

Wichita ranks among the strongest when it comes to downtown recovery after the pandemic. Read more>>

The last year in downtown Wichita development has been highlighted by many long-vacant buildings being given new life: from Keycentrix's new headquarters at 423 E. Douglas and the 10-story, mixed-use The National at 150 N. Main, to HiTone Lofts in Old Town. Read more>>

A huge name in Wichita business and global aviation is giving a big boost to Exploration Place's much-anticipated Destination Playscape. Read more>>

Along with the stores and vendors coming to Eaton Place this spring, there’s going to be a new bar called Bubbles. Read More>>

"We've always wanted to contribute to the downtown area because we believe in the downtown area, and that's really the heart of our city." Read more>>

Over the last decade, Wichita has seen people migrating downtown to the city’s core. Businesses are doing the same. Cargill moved into its new $60 million headquarters in 2018. IMA left Rock Road for downtown in 2020. Now, KeyCentrix has found a home at Douglas and Emporia. Read more>>

The city jumped 66 spots from 2023 to hit No. 88 on Milken's 2024 Best-Performing Cities Index. Read more>>

There are now renderings of what the first phase of the downtown Wichita Biomedical Campus will look like, and those involved say it’s a game-changer aesthetically. Read more>>

Following the launch of its luxury apartments in 2023, one of downtown Wichita's most high-profile projects has hit another milestone. Read more>>

New public art will installed on South Commerce Street and South Saint Francis Avenue between East Waterman Street and Kellogg Drive. Read more >>

A little over a year after laying out a vision to transform one of downtown Wichita's historic — but long-vacant — buildings, Keycentrix is now settled into its new headquarters. Read more >>

Downtown Wichita hosted an engaging public open house for students from the Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and Design on Nov. 30. Read more >>

The recovery in the city's core ranked ninth among U.S. metros — and No. 1 in the Midwest region. Read more >>

A new-to-Wichita developer's conversion of a historic Old Town building into apartments is about to go live. Read more>>

Exploration Place's planned multimillion-dollar outdoor expansion is one of the most eagerly anticipated developments in downtown Wichita. Read more >>

Chef Josh Rathbun is opening a new dinner restaurant called Lotte in the space at Fidelity Bank’s RISE Car Park, Market and English, that First Mile Cantine vacated in April. read more >>

Wichita crochet artist Tamara Gonzales is using brightly colored yarn to "dress up" a collection of bronze sculptures installed along Douglas in downtown Wichita. Some trees are also getting the crochet treatment. read more >>

Renderings are turning into real life at a long-vacant downtown Wichita building being transformed into luxury apartments and coworking space. read more >>

It’s like all the Wichita organizations picked the same weekend for their big events. Good luck deciding this weekend between Open Streets, Autumn & Art, Kansas Railfest and a couple of Hispanic Heritage Month events, which are all going on at the same time. Here’s a rundown of the many big events scheduled outdoors in Wichita this weekend: read more >>

In just a few years, a $300-million biomedical campus is expected to rise in place of nondescript parking lots near Broadway and William streets and a neighboring city transit center destined for replacement. read more >>

For the first time since construction of Riverfront Stadium was completed in 2020, the downtown ballpark will host a concert. Tribute bands for Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam will be taking the stage on Sunday, Oct. 8 for a “90’s Rock at the Park” experience, the Wichita Wind Surge announced on Wednesday morning. read more >>

The new agreement for mixed-use commercial development with the Overland Park-based EPC Real Estate still includes plans for an eight-story, 155-room hotel from the New York City-based Dream Hotel Group. read more >>

A buyer has purchased two prominent Delano properties along West Douglas and plans to redevelop them. read more >>

On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council will consider a last-minute agenda item that’s a memorandum of understanding between the city, the University of Kansas Medical Center and Wichita State University for the new Wichita Biomedical Center in downtown. read more >>

Big changes could be coming to Exploration Place in the next three years, including an amphitheater and an outdoor playscape and education center, as well as indoor renovations at the science museum. read more >>

Crews are working on the building on West Douglas in Delano that once housed a dance studio. Soon, it will be home to a new daiquiri and dessert bar. read more >>

Parker McCollum will headline a show on Saturday at Intrust Bank Arena. read more >>

Exploration Place parkrun is a free, weekly 5K that is open to walkers, runners, volunteers, spectators and even leashed dogs accompanied by their owners. It starts at 8 a.m. outside Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd. read more >>

This long Fourth of July weekend, Wichitans will have more ways to celebrate than just fireworks. With parades, concerts, pool parties and more, there is no shortage of events and activities to mark the holiday. read more >>

Wendy Mayes, who has worked in interior remodeling and design for around 30 years, is moving Wendy Mayes Design to 519 E. Douglas at Eaton Place. read more >>

John Michael has had a 30-year career in restaurants and hospitality at over 20 establishments across the globe — yet he's poised to build a legacy in Wichita, Kan. read more >>

Last year’s Asian Night Market drew unexpectedly big crowds so organizers decided to move this year’s to a larger venue. read more >>

An education collaborative with ties to Koch Industries will soon have a high-profile home in downtown Wichita. read more >>

The National, a downtown mixed-use development with luxury apartments, coworking space and more, is one of several high-profile projects throughout Wichita set to deliver new rental units in 2023. read more >>

The Hopping Gnome will close its old taproom on Douglas on April 30, and open up in the new one around the corner on Victor on May 2. read more >>

Adam Anderson designed this year’s River Festival logo and button. The artwork was unveiled during an event at Emprise Bank Monday. This year will mark the 51st year of the Wichita River Festival. read more >>

The Wichita Riverfest staff is ready to share the musical lineup for the 2023 festival, which will fill downtown Wichita with food, fun and music from June 2 to 10. read more >>

Justin McClure Creative is growing in clients, capabilities and team members. Now, the Wichita-based creative agency has a new headquarters at 420 S. Commerce that founder Justin McClure says fits the company's upward trajectory. read more >>

Chris Carlson is moving the Wichita office of the national Galloway & Co. architecture firm to the ArenaPointe building at the southeast corner of Emporia and Waterman. read more >>

Grow, the plant shop and bar in downtown Wichita, has just added coffee to its list of offerings, and the owner hopes people will now flock to the shop in the morning. read more >>

Dave Jewett is opening in the former District Taqueria called Forge ICT at 917 E. Douglas. read more >>

Old Town Square has a new dining option that will please fans of Japanese and Korean fare. read more >>

Brant Dumford and Anna Kate Tillison have teamed to launch the Colony, a new co-working space at 659 N. Market in downtown Wichita. read more >>

The transformation of a long-vacant piece of downtown Wichita's skyline is making notable progress — and is on track to have residents moving in within a few months. read more >>

A new master plan approved by the city in February recommends converting several downtown Wichita streets from one way to two way, including Topeka, Main, English and Market. read more >>

The Hudson St. Francis project has been several years in the making. It recently hosted a grand opening and is starting to book events. read more >>

Cargill's North American protein business, headquartered in Wichita, has donated $500,000 to support the relocation of the Kansas African American Museum. read more >>

Former KSN-TV anchor Emily Younger has left television to start a new role as the new public relations manager at the Greater Wichita Partnership, the region's economic development organization. read more >>

City crews will begin replacing the remaining grass in downtown Wichita’s Naftzger Park with artificial turf next week. read more >>

A new plan unveiled Tuesday to the Wichita City Council calls for investing $55 million in the iconic blue-domed Century II building. Other downtown buildings are also in the plan. read more >>

Plans for a new downtown child-care center took a major step forward this week with the demolition of a building to clear the site for construction to start likely early next year. read more >>

Newton-based artist and art therapist Ellamonique Baccus was commissioned to create artwork for the redesigned Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square in downtown Wichita. Baccus did extensive research on the life of Chester Lewis to create artwork depicting his civil rights work. read more>>

The Wichita City Council will vote Tuesday on a concept plan for redesigning downtown streets that calls for converting several one-way roads to two-way and reducing the number of lanes on other two-way streets. read more >>

A new task force aimed at addressing the number of people experiencing homelessness in downtown Wichita met for the first time earlier this month, and now we know who is involved. read more >>

A rower on the river, a runner crossing the finish line and a guitar flowing into fireworks in the sky all are part of the poster design. read more >>

Pickrell CEO and board chair Trent Sebits said an office near the city's core fits the company's history and the passions of his grandfather, Carl Sebits — who co-founded Pickrell Drilling with Lloyd Pickrell and Cecil Burton in 1948. read more >>

Orangetheory Fitness' third Wichita location is set to open downtown this spring. read more >>

David Jewett said he plans to open "Forge," a "casual steak joint" with an emphasis on craft cocktails, in February at 917 E. Douglas, the former home of District Taqueria. read more >>

The ICT Summit, taking place at WSU Tech's National Institute of Culinary and Hospitality Education, explored the three phases of downtown: the past, the present, and a strategic vision for the future. Read more >>