Ken Baker is prepared to spend nearly $2 million to bring upscale dining back to downtown Lawrence.

The proprietor and executive chef of Pachamama’s New World Cuisine in southwest Lawrence is moving his restaurant operation to 800 N.H., in the former home of Midwest Graphics.

The lure of bustling downtown sidewalks, a vibrant nightlife scene and the $9 million Hobbs Taylor Lofts going up nearby proved too appetizing to pass up.

“We’ve got the tower going up next door, there’s tons of investors coming in down there to build up that area, and location wise — the downtown visibility — solves my biggest problem,” said Baker, describing his current place as “in the boondocks, behind a strip mall” northwest of Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive. “I’m tired of fighting it. I’m not going to fight it anymore.”

That’s why Baker bought the downtown building, with 13,000 square feet of space along what is fast becoming high-profile real estate a block east of Massachusetts Street. He closed the deal Monday, paying $1.3 million for the building and its lot, which has 15 dedicated parking spaces on the south side of the building.

He plans to relocate in six to eight months.

The new building is nearly twice the size of his current restaurant at 2161 Quail Creek Drive, which overlooks Alvamar Golf Course, and will be reserved for receptions, other special events and Baker’s expanding catering operations. He plans to add a gazebo out back.

Catering already accounts for about a third of restaurant sales, a figure he intends to “bump up” considerably with the restaurant relocation.

Baker now employs 35 people, and he hopes to add more by separating the restaurant and catering operations.

With visions of well-heeled residents poised to move in nearby, Ken Baker is planning to relocate his restaurant, Pachamama's New World Cuisine, into this building at the southeast corner of Eighth and New Hampshire streets. Baker closed the .3 million purchase Monday, when windows on the north side of the building reflected construction of the Hobbs Taylor Lofts north of Eighth Street. The lofts will include a bank at street level, offices on the second floor and 31 condos upstairs, each selling for up to 95,000.

By moving downtown, Baker will take his “new market American cuisine” to an area where other upscale restaurants failed within two years of their opening:

• BleuJacket closed in 2002 after offering French-American cuisine at 811 N.H., in the renovated Kansas Seed House across the street from the former Midwest Graphics building. BleuJacket was replaced with The Meat Market, a bar and grill that closed late last year.
• PrairieFire: An American Bistro, 724 Mass., closed soon after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and was replaced by Thai House, which continues to operate.

Baker is confident that recent restaurant history will not repeat itself.

“I’ve got reputation, first of all,” he said. “If I’m able to make it out here, I’m definitely going to be able to do better business downtown.”

He intends to spend up to $650,000 weaving the former home of a screen-printing business into a comfortable portion of downtown’s eclectic fabric.

“I try to put all the pretension aside,” Baker said. “We’re not white gloves and tablecloths. I don’t require jackets. I want people to enjoy their food. It’s supposed to be an experience. The food’s the star.”