Plans at Park Central for a large-scale project that will help more Arizona physicians train and practice within state lines is currently underway, with new renderings and conceptual drawings showing a glimpse of the future.
Construction on the expansive, two-phased Creighton University Health Sciences Building is slated to start this spring. Plaza Companies will oversee construction on the endeavor, and the local construction team has now been formed. A pre-application has been submitted to the City of Phoenix for the new building.
The addition to one of the city’s most iconic properties will become a training ground for approximately 800 medical students. It will house a four-year medical school, a nursing school, a physical therapy school, a pharmacy school, a physician assistant school and an emergency medical services program.
In the meantime while the campus is being built, Creighton’s College of Nursing has moved its local presence into Park Central, where more than 100 students began their coursework in the new facility on Monday.
The state-of-the-art new health sciences campus, which will rise over a currently vacant parking lot at Park Central in midtown Phoenix, will considerably expand learning opportunities for medical students across the state and region.
“Creighton University is changing the landscape for medical students looking to train and practice here in Arizona, with the goal of enhancing not only learning opportunities for students, but also the quality of medical care patients currently receive in the state,” said Plaza Companies President, CEO and Founder Sharon Harper. “There is a clear, undeniable need to keep more Arizona physicians practicing close to home, and this is a critical step in encouraging change.”
“We are preparing for an exciting new era in Phoenix, one that combines our tradition for educational excellence in the health sciences with our distinctive Jesuit, Catholic mission,” said the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, president of Creighton University. “Creighton University has strong connections to the Arizona medical community, and we look forward to expanding our impact by educating many more exceptionally qualified health care professionals to serve the community.”
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.
Plaza Companies is working closely with Creighton to assemble a team that understands the vision and mission of the university and its commitment to Arizona. Okland Construction has been selected as 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.
The Creighton Health Sciences Campus promises to serve as a focal point of education and learning within central Phoenix. The structure will provide students, faculty, staff and the healthcare community with easy access to the amenities at Park Central, two nearby light-rail stations and close proximity to some of Phoenix’s most established neighborhoods. The first two floors of the building will include active learning classrooms and a 300-seat community room that will be available for public use, as well as a 30-seat non-denominational chapel. Upper floors will feature state-of-the-art medical simulation and experiential learning environments.
Construction on the new medical facility will begin this spring and is expected to be completed in spring 2021.
