Sisters Buy Hospital Land

By Michael Hooper

By Michael Hooper

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System has completed the purchase of 130 acres of property at the former Menninger campus near S.W. 6th and Wanamaker for $16.8 million.

St. Francis Health Center plans to use 40 acres for a hospital and related health services and will form a planning committee of St. Francis and SCL Health System officials to consider uses for the remaining acres.

“This is an exciting time for St. Francis and Topeka,” said Mike Schrader, president and chief operating officer for St. Francis Health Center. “And now we will begin a thorough, thoughtful planning process to determine which patient care applications to pursue and the delivery models that would be most beneficial and feasible for the community.”

He said planning discussions for the current St. Francis site would occur simultaneously.

The 130 acres, including the historic Tower Building, were purchased from seven separate owners, with the Menninger Foundation owning the most land.

Part of that historic property was formerly home to the world- renowned Menninger Clinic. Menninger moved to Houston in 2003.

On March 14, St. Francis Health Center’s board of directors voted 15-0 to move forward with plans for a new hospital on the Menninger campus. The hospital would cost between $200 million and $250 million and would take at least five years to construct.

Doug Kinsinger, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, said St. Francis purchased some of the best commercial property in the state.

“They’ve got some pretty good neighbors,” he said.

The governor’s house, Security Benefit, the Shops at RiverHill and Tallgrass Surgery Center are all nearby.

“We think it will be attractive to other medical offices and mixed-use for higher quality office and retail,” Kinsinger said. “You can’t have a better piece of real estate.”

One of the challenges involved with St. Francis moving is determining a redevelopment plan for the properties that St. Francis will no longer use at its current Topeka campus.

“There will need to be other discussions on the reuse of existing facilities,” Kinsinger said.

Michael Hooper can be reached

at (785)295-1293

or michael.hooper@cjonline.com.

(c) 2007 Topeka Capital Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.