Ivy Tech unveils $43 million construction plans for downtown Muncie, Cowan Road

The downtown campus will include a $17.2 million Downtown North Building to be constructed on the site of the former Star Press building, which will be demolished, at High and Main streets, across the street from the MITS bus station.

The new structure will house the culinary arts program, including Chesterfield's Cafe and a chocolates laboratory, along with administration, testing and assessment, advising, and enrollment services.

The student-run cafe laboratory and culinary arts school are currently housed in the downtown's historic Patterson Building, which the college leases for $174,600 a year.

Plans for the long-awaited modernization of Ivy Tech Muncie were publicly announced during an event on Wednesday in the Patterson Building — where invited guests broke into lengthy applause when it was reported that the George and Frances Ball Foundation would be contributing $2 million in local matching funds for the rejuvenation.

The college will launch a capital campaign to raise the remaining $2 million local share  of the construction costs.