This is an excerpt of a story published by the State Journal-Register on July 22, 2022.
Trustees for the University of Illinois have approved the purchase of a downtown building to house the planned UIS Innovation Center, designed to provide a hub for technology, business, policy and workforce development.
The university announced Thursday that it approved the purchase of 401 E. Washington St. for $950,000 from the Illinois Sheriffs Association, to provide a home for the university's workforce initiatives. ISA currently has its main office in the building.
The three-story, 26,400-square-foot building will be renovated and modernized, with design work scheduled to start later this year and construction likely starting in 2024.
The site will be the home of the university's Innovate Springfield program, currently housed on the Old State Capitol plaza, as well as offices for university staff, labs for entrepreneurs and developers and collaborative space for the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and other groups to develop public policy.