Old downtown firehouse has new mission after culinary school cease-and-desist

A former fire station on Topeka Avenue downtown will become a shared workspace for artists and business startups after Wichita State University objected to Butler Community College’s proposal for a culinary arts school there.

The Wichita City Council voted to accept the proposal from Commerce Street Development Partners LLC., which will pay $100,000 for the 16,000-square-foot property at 500 S. Topeka and redevelop it into a shared-space concept called FireWorx.

“I hope it will do what it’s designed to do and truly be a catalyst for that area,” said Mayor Jeff Longwell.

The council didn’t have much choice.

Of the original five proposals for the building, a staff committee had narrowed it to two — FiireWorx and a proposal from a development company that wanted to renovate the building and lease it to Butler Community College for a $4 million culinary arts school.

But Butler withdrew its proposal after the college got a cease-and-desist letter from Wichita State University objecting to the potential competition for students.

(Read more: Local News |)