Downtown Wichita
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Downtown Wichita is the central business district of Wichita,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The political and financial hub of the city, it is home to several of the area's major landmarks and event venues including the
Epic Center The Epic Center is a high-rise building located at 301 N. Main St. in Wichita, Kansas. At 320 feet (top floor)/ 385 feet (tip of sloped roof), it is the tallest building in the state of Kansas. The tallest structure in the state is the KWCH 1 ...
, Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center,
Intrust Bank Arena Intrust Bank Arena is a 15,004-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the northeast corner of Emporia and Waterman streets in downtown Wichita. The arena is the second largest indoor arena in the state of K ...
, and the Old Town entertainment district.


History

In 1872, the community of Wichita opened a toll bridge on Douglas Avenue to
Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...
across the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
, and the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...
opened a line through the city, triggering an economic boom. Local industries in banking, meat packing, and real estate emerged. A large
warehouse district This is a list of notable warehouse districts. A warehouse district or warehouse row is an area found in many urban setting known for being the current or former location of numerous warehouses. Logistically, warehouses are often located in indust ...
developed along the rail lines south from Central Avenue. By the late 1870s, the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Main Street had become the downtown hub of local commerce. Continued economic growth through the 1880s spurred further downtown development, including the completion of the Wichita City Building in 1892. The building housed all city government offices, both the police and fire departments, and the city's first public library. During the subsequent decades, a number of manufacturers constructed plants downtown, including the
Coleman Company The Coleman Company, Inc. is an American brand of outdoor recreation products, especially camping gear, now owned by Newell Brands. The company's new headquarters are in Chicago, and it has facilities in Wichita, Kansas, and in Texas. There are ...
in 1901. The Forum, Wichita's convention center and primary event venue, opened downtown in 1911. It was built on the site of city co-founder Dutch Bill Greiffenstein's homestead. The Orpheum Theatre opened downtown in 1922 and became a popular venue on the
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
circuit. By the 1960s, sections of downtown had entered a period of decline. To commemorate the centennial of Wichita's founding, the city razed The Forum and in its place built the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center which opened in 1969. The city government relocated to a new City Hall in 1975. In 1981, the former City Building reopened as the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. In 1987, construction finished downtown on the
Epic Center The Epic Center is a high-rise building located at 301 N. Main St. in Wichita, Kansas. At 320 feet (top floor)/ 385 feet (tip of sloped roof), it is the tallest building in the state of Kansas. The tallest structure in the state is the KWCH 1 ...
office tower, the tallest building in the city and in the state of Kansas. In 1989, the city initiated a redevelopment plan to revitalize Downtown Wichita. Among the plan's results was the redevelopment of the old warehouse district into Old Town, an entertainment district home to numerous restaurants and night clubs. The city implemented further development plans, including the construction of
Intrust Bank Arena Intrust Bank Arena is a 15,004-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the northeast corner of Emporia and Waterman streets in downtown Wichita. The arena is the second largest indoor arena in the state of K ...
, a new multi-purpose indoor arena which opened in 2010.


Geography

Downtown Wichita is located at (37.688888, −97.336111) at an elevation of . It mainly consists of the area between Murdock Street to the north,
U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific and ...
(Kellogg) to the south, the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
to the west, and Washington Street to the east. Portions of Downtown overlap with the Midtown neighborhood to the north,
Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...
across the river to the west, and Riverside to the northwest. In addition, it borders the McAdams neighborhood to the northeast,
The Hyde The Hyde is a locality in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England, and is also the name of its accompanying main road on the A5. It is located to the east of Kingsbury, west of Hendon and south of Colindale. The area contains Hyde Ho ...
(also called Kellogg School) to the east, and South Central to the south.


Economy

As of 2018, several national and regional companies maintain offices in Downtown Wichita. The headquarters of agricultural conglomerate Cargill’s Protein Group is located there as are the central offices of IT company High Touch Technologies, shipping firm King of Freight, and area commercial banks Emprise Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Intrust Bank. Other firms with offices downtown include telecommunications conglomerate
AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
, life insurance company
New York Life New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...
, engineering consultancy PEC, home security firm Protection One, and regional electric utility
Westar Energy Evergy, Inc. is an American investor-owned utility (IOU) with publicly traded stock that has its headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, and in Kansas City, Missouri. The company was formed from a merger of Westar Energy of Topeka and Great Plains En ...
. Once the largest bank in Kansas,
Bank IV Fourth Financial Corporation was a Wichita, Kansas bank holding company that was formed in 1968, the largest and one of the oldest banks in Kansas as well as a dominant bank in Oklahoma when it was bought by Boatmen's Bancshares in 1995. History ...
was headquartered in downtown Wichita from its foundation in 1887 to its acquisition in 1995 by Boatman's Bank. Outdoor equipment maker Coleman, founded in Wichita in 1901, operated a factory downtown from 1929 to 1990 and then a factory outlet store and museum until 2018. Several national hotel chains have locations downtown. The Hyatt Regency Wichita and the historic Broadview Hotel, operated by
Drury Hotels Drury may refer to: Places * Drury, New Zealand, a town * Drury, Flintshire, Wales, a village * Drury, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Drury, a village in Florida, Massachusetts, United States * Drury, Missouri, United State ...
, are near the Century II Convention Center. Other hotels include the Ambassador Hotel, Hotel at Old Town, and Hotel at WaterWalk as well as a
Courtyard by Marriott Courtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's mid-priced brands, the hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families. Rooms have desks, couches, and fre ...
,
Fairfield Inn by Marriott Fairfield by Marriott is a franchised economy to midscale hotel brand of Marriott International. The properties target guests willing to accept fewer amenities for lower prices. Cost-saving measures included standardized building architecture an ...
, and Wyndham Garden Motel.


Government

The portion of Downtown north of Douglas Avenue and west of Washington Street is in City Council District 6. The rest of Downtown is in City Council District 1. Wichita City Hall is located downtown at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. Downtown Wichita is in the 29th district of the
Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...
and the 103rd district of the
Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafti ...
. The Wichita U.S. Courthouse, one of the three courthouses of the
United States District Court for the District of Kansas The United States District Court for the District of Kansas (in case citations, D. Kan.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Kansas. The Court operates out of the Robert J. Dole United States Courthouse in Kansas Ci ...
, is located downtown at the corner of 3rd Street and North Market Street.


Media

The offices of '' The Wichita Eagle'', the primary newspaper published in the city, and the ''
Wichita Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...
'' are located downtown in Old Town. The
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita The Diocese of Wichita ( la, Dioecesis Wichitensis) is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kansas. It covers Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harpe ...
publishes its official newspaper, ''Catholic Advance'', from its offices in downtown Wichita. KMUW, the
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
member station in Wichita, broadcasts from studios in Old Town.


Parks and recreation

The city government's Park and Recreation Department manages several parks and recreational spaces downtown. A. Price Woodard Park occupies on the east bank of the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
immediately south of Douglas Avenue. Named after a former mayor of the city, it includes an amphitheater, a lighted decorative fountain, and a number of bronze sculptures. Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park is a small, "pocket park" on Douglas Avenue with water fountains and bronze sculptures. Named after a local civil rights leader, the park is located on the site where the Dockum Drug Store sit-in took place in 1958. Finlay Ross Park is a mini-park east of
Century II A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...
consisting of landscaped, multi-level pools, fountains, and waterfalls. The Heritage Square Park, located on East William Street, includes a gazebo and rock fountain pool. The Mayor's Pine Grove is a space at Water Street and 2nd Street developed in 1978 to help beautify the area. Naftzger Memorial Park covers on East Douglas Avenue and includes a gazebo, decorative waterfall, and a fountain dedicated to
temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
radical
Carrie Nation Caroline Amelia Nation (November 25, 1846June 9, 1911), often referred to by Carrie, Carry Nation, Carrie A. Nation, or Hatchet Granny, was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition. Nat ...
. Veterans Memorial Park occupies on Greenway Boulevard and hosts 16 memorials to U.S. military veterans and their families. Designed by
California Skateparks California Skateparks (or CA Skateparks) is a skate park and action sports facility builder and designer. Founded in 1989 and based in Upland, California, CA Skateparks has constructed municipal city and county parks, action sports competition ar ...
, the Wichita Skatepark is a , all-concrete skateboarding park on South St. Francis Street beneath the U.S. Route 54 overpass.


Culture


Points of interest

* Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center * Commerce Street Art District * Douglas Design District *
Epic Center The Epic Center is a high-rise building located at 301 N. Main St. in Wichita, Kansas. At 320 feet (top floor)/ 385 feet (tip of sloped roof), it is the tallest building in the state of Kansas. The tallest structure in the state is the KWCH 1 ...
*
Great Plains Transportation Museum The Great Plains Transportation Museum is a railroad museum in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Collection The museum's collection includes 6 locomotives and several pieces of rolling stock used on freight and passenger trains. * Atchison, Topek ...
*
Intrust Bank Arena Intrust Bank Arena is a 15,004-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the northeast corner of Emporia and Waterman streets in downtown Wichita. The arena is the second largest indoor arena in the state of K ...
*
Kansas Sports Hall of Fame The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is a museum located in Wichita, dedicated to preserving the history of sports in the state of Kansas. The museum provides exhibits, archives, facilities, services, and activities to honor those individuals and te ...
*
Museum of World Treasures Museum of World Treasures is a world history museum in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Among the many items on display are ''Tyrannosaurus'', ''Daspletosaurus'', and '' Tylosaurus'' specimens (Including "Ivan the T. rex"), Egyptian mummies, sig ...
* Old Town * Orpheum Theatre * Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum


Transportation

Broadway Street is the main north–south street through downtown; Douglas Avenue is the main east–west street. Other arterial roads include: Central Avenue, which runs east–west along the central business district's northern edge; Washington Avenue, which runs north–south along its eastern edge; and Kellogg Avenue (
U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific and ...
and
U.S. Route 400 U.S. Route 400 (US 400) is a mostly east–west U.S. Highway, commissioned in 1994. The highway's western terminus is in Granada, Colorado, at an intersection with US 385. The highway's eastern terminus is southwest of Joplin, Missouri, ...
), which runs along its southern edge. The base point for the numbering of all postal addresses in the city and Sedgwick County is the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Main Street. Douglas is the divider between north and south; Main Street is the divider between east and west. The Wichita Transit Center,
Wichita Transit Wichita Transit is the public transportation department of the City of Wichita which operates paratransit and transit bus services within Wichita, Kansas, United States.
’s main bus terminal, is located downtown at South Topeka Street and East William Street. Most of Wichita Transit’s bus routes service the central business district including the 11 through 17 and 21 through 29 routes. All four routes of the free Q-Line trolley also service downtown. BNSF Railway and
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
operate freight rail lines which run north-south through downtown Wichita, parallel to Santa Fe Avenue. There has been no passenger rail service to Wichita since 1979.
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, the former passenger rail station in the city, has since been repurposed as an office building.


Gallery

File:Broadview Hotel.jpg, Broadview Hotel (2012) File:Wichita City Carnegie Library Building.jpg, Carnegie Library Building (2012) File:WichitaCathedralExterior.jpg, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (2016) File:Commerce st 1.jpg, The Commerce Street Arts District (2008) File:Eaton hotel (186951042).jpg, The Eaton Hotel building (2006) File:Epic Center.jpg, The Epic Center, the tallest building in Wichita (2006) File:First United Methodist Church - Wichita, KS.jpg, First United Methodist Church (2018) File:R. H. Garvey (3876790132).jpg, The Garvey Center (2009) File:Keen Kutter Building - Old Town - Wichita, Kansas.jpg, The hotel at Old Town (2010) File:InTrust Bank Arena.jpg, Intrust Bank Arena (2013) File:Lassen Hotel.jpg, Market Centre (2012) File:Rock Island Depot (Wichita, Kansas).JPG, The Rock Island Depot (2013) File:Scottish Rite Temple 2012.jpg, Scottish Rite Temple (2012) File:Sedgwick County Memorial Hall and Soldiers and Sailors Monument.JPG, The Sedgwick County Soldiers and Sailors Monument (2013) File:Skywalk between Sutton Place and parking garage.jpg, Sutton Place Skywalk (2006) File:Wichita Kansas Old Town Warren Theater (2740872262).jpg, The Warren Theatre in Old Town (2008) File:U.S. Courthouse, Wichita, KS.jpg, Wichita U.S. Courthouse


References


External links


Old Town Wichita

Wichita Downtown Development Corporation
{{authority control Geography of Wichita, Kansas Neighborhoods in Kansas Wichita