It’s about to get busy at Park Central in midtown Phoenix, as construction of Creighton University’s nearly $100 million health sciences campus began July 8.
Plaza Companies is the developer, and Okland Construction will be the general contractor for the first phase of the Creighton University building. Butler Design Group will serve as the architect, and the conceptual and tenant design and improvement architect is RDG Planning & Design.
“We are very pleased to be working with Creighton University to make this exceptional medical facility a reality,” said Sharon Harper, President & CEO of Plaza Companies. “The new building will help fill a critical need in the Arizona medical community and will be a tremendous asset to the Valley of the Sun.”
Creighton University — a Jesuit, Catholic University located in Omaha, Nebraska — reached an agreement last year to purchase land and build the 180,000 square foot building, which will be located along Central Avenue on the revitalized Park Central property. The first phase of the new campus is expected to be completed in spring of 2021. When completed, the building will be home to nearly 900 students, seeking degrees in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assistant programs.
“Creighton University has strong ties to the Arizona medical community where more than 250 Creighton-trained physicians currently practice,” said the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, president of Creighton University. “We look forward to expanding our impact by educating many more exceptionally qualified health care professionals to serve the community moving forward.
Plaza Companies and Tucson’s Holualoa Companies are teaming up to redevelop Park Central Mall, which once was the city’s first official large-scale shopping mall. The companies are transitioning the expansive space from a retail center to an almost 500,000-square-foot bustling community hub ideal for playing, working, congregating and celebrating the arts.
Creighton University’s presence in Phoenix is expanding to meet the growing demand for health care professionals in the coming years. In June 2018, the Creighton University School of Medicine assumed sponsorship of physician graduate medical education training programs at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS), in conjunction with District Medical Group (DMG), encompassing 11 programs with 325 residents and fellows.
Additionally, the four partners formed the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance, which was officially launched on Sept. 1, 2017, to improve and expand current health education programs offered by each of the entities. The Alliance’s activities will also be based out of the new Park Central facility.
A celebration of the new campus will be held Sept. 25, 2019. The event will mark the University’s commitment to Phoenix and the expansion of health education in the Valley.
For more than a decade, Creighton University has been an academic mainstay in Phoenix, sending medical students to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center for rotations. The relationship expanded significantly in 2009 when the University and St. Joseph’s established a Creighton campus for third- and fourth-year medical students at the Phoenix hospital. The St. Joseph’s campus is home to approximately 100 Creighton medical students. Creighton University’s College of Nursing launched its first Phoenix-based Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 2018.
Creighton University, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. It enrolls 4,255 undergraduates and 4,399 graduate and professional students among nine schools and colleges. No other university its size offers students such a comprehensive academic environment with personal attention from faculty-mentors. Creighton has been top-ranked by U.S. News & World Report for more than 20 years. Visit: www.creighton.edu
The new Park Central includes 450,000 square feet of Class A creative office and retail space available for lease with the ability to accommodate tenants ranging from 3,500 square feet to more than 100,000 square feet in size. It features exclusive tenant patios, on-site restaurants and amenities, a stunning mid-century modern design, 15-25 foot ceilings, convenient bike path and light rail access and ample parking. For more information on the project, visit www.parkcentralphoenix.com.
