UIS officially takes ownership of the future downtown Springfield Innovation Center property

The University of Illinois Springfield has officially purchased the downtown building that will serve as the new home of the UIS Innovation Center. The purchase of the three-story, 24,600-square-foot building located near the Illinois State Capitol at 401 E. Washington St., was completed on Nov. 18, 2022.

Scheduled to open in 2025, the UIS Innovation Center will serve central Illinois as part of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) to drive innovation, economic growth and workforce development across the state.

Many redevelopment projects underway in downtown Springfield

There's a lot to look forward to in downtown Springfield with many major redevelopment projects currently underway.

The city is expecting to get its first rooftop bar by this summer and the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) could begin designing a new downtown space in the next few months. Other projects like new hotels and luxury apartment buildings however, are either out of money or have been scrapped altogether.

'Transformational project' in Springfield's South Town neighborhood takes its first step

A major redevelopment in the South Town neighborhood took its first step Tuesday as the committee of the whole sent to the full Springfield City Council an agreement authorizing The Springfield Project to purchase a building at 11th Street and South Grand Avenue using the city's community development block grant funds.

Downtown Springfield business incubator joins UIS becomes first hub of Illinois Innovation Network

Innovate Springfield, a downtown Springfield innovation and business incubator, has become part of the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) under an agreement aimed at expanding economic growth, entrepreneurship opportunities and social progress in the capital city, Chancellor Susan Koch announced today.