photo by: PGAV Architects/City of Lawrence

A rendering shows a view of the south side of KU's proposed entrepreneur hub near the end of Naismith Drive on University of Kansas main campus.

The “top of the Hill” used to be a place to buy your books. Soon, it will be a place to build your business. (In between, it was a place to bulge your belt, if you recall the days when it was a bakery.)

We’ve reported a few times over the last few months that the University of Kansas intends to turn the site that used to house the Jayhawk Bookstore at 1420 Crescent Road — near the top of Mt. Oread — into a new center for KU entrepreneurs. Now, university officials have filed plans with Lawrence City Hall showing the most detailed vision for the project yet.

The KU Endowment Association is seeking to build a nearly 40,000-square foot, three-story building that will house everything from classrooms for students to learn about entrepreneurship to actual office space to house emerging companies.

We reported in June that KU had received a $10 million anonymous donation to spur construction of a “entrepreneurship hub building.” That $10 million gift was in addition to a $50 million gift from the same anonymous donor in 2023. That gift to the KU business school was earmarked more broadly to “foster entrepreneurship and innovation.”

photo by: PGAV Architects/City of Lawrence

A rendering shows a view of the southwest corner of KU’s proposed entrepreneur hub near the end of Naismith Drive on University of Kansas main campus.

This new building is a key cog in that vision, and it won’t just be for KU business students. The university has noted that 70% of students who are pursuing entrepreneurial activity are not in the School of Business. Thus, it is not accurate to assume that Capitol Federal Hall — the expansive and high-tech space that houses the business school — is the right place to center entrepreneurial activities on the KU campus.

The very top of the Hill is the right place, KU leaders have determined. If you are still having a hard time picturing the location, it indeed is what awaits you after making the long climb up the southern face of Mt. Oread. (That makes it sound like you need a rope and pulley, and in fairness, I would have taken one on some days.) The location most recently housed a McClain’s bakery, but that business closed in 2023 after opening a new location on Iowa Street. Before that, it was home to the Jayhawk Bookstore (its advertising jingle branded its location as at “the top of the Hill.”) Before that, the location was a men’s clothing store, many moons ago, I believe.

All that is to say that for decades, the location was privately owned. The KU Endowment Association, however, bought the location in early 2024, and it will oversee the development of the entrepreneur center.

photo by: PGAV Architects/City of Lawrence

A rendering shows a view of the southwest corner of KU’s proposed entrepreneur hub near the end of Naismith Drive on University of Kansas main campus.

In terms of what will be in the center, it is a mix of uses. KU officials previously have said it will be a space to “concentrate, collaborate and create, accelerating learning and building entrepreneurial competency.”

And, maybe, a place to have a cookie too. (Cookies were part of one of the world’s most important mergers. It involved a glass of milk.) The first-floor space of the new building will include a small catering kitchen, cafe and seating area, according to plans filed with City Hall. The ground floor space also will include an event space, which the designs depict as a corporate-presentation type of space, with seating for about 50 people.

The first floor also includes an “ideation lab” that has workspaces for more than 20 budding entrepreneurs. That theme continues on the second and third floors. The second floor includes three classrooms, a large open study area, and three small conference rooms. The third floor also includes a large, open study area and a “seminar” room. But the floor appears to be more geared to space for resources needed by actual start-up companies. That includes four private offices, one large flex office space, two conference rooms, and a recording/content production room. I imagine that can be a key resource for businesses that sell or promote themselves online.

The most intriguing space on the third-floor, though, is a large open area called “catalyst” space, which appears to be white box space that could be adapted for any number of uses, including housing the entire operations of a more advance start-up firm.

photo by: PGAV Architects/University of Kansas

A rendering shows a view of the north side of KU’s proposed entrepreneur hub near the end of Naismith Drive on University of Kansas main campus.

The floor also open onto an outdoor terrace that overlooks the campus.

No word yet on when construction work will begin on the new building. The project needs site plan approval from the city’s planning office. The site, however, already has the necessary zoning in place, thus the approval process may be a few weeks rather than a few months. Demolition of the old building already has taken place.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Crews have demolished the former Jayhawk Bookstore location at 1420 Crescent Road on the KU campus, pictured on Dec. 23, 2025.