The former Welborn Clinic at 421 Chestnut Street in downtown Evansville is in rough shape currently — broken windows, exposed interior rooms, wall tiles and insulation hanging inside.
But in 2026, the state-of-the-art Innovation Center for Health and Science is expected to be open.
This will house an expansion of Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) programs — namely the Academy of Science and Medicine (ASM) and the Health Sciences program.
The University of Evansville (UE) will also have their Doctor of Nursing Anesthesiology program on the first floor, said EVSC Superintendent David Smith.
“So they will have ready mentors for our students there, and then this building will come online August of 27 if not before,” Smith said. Regarding the full details of the collaboration, he said those conversations have been ongoing. “Those conversations will continue and deepen as we get closer to actually having that ribbon cutting.”
UE president Chris Pietruszkiewicz said both UE students and professors will be mentors to the EVSC students.
He said such partnerships are good for both schools and the community.
“We know that we need more medical professionals in southwest Indiana, and this provides yet another pathway for our students to be able to stay here and help Evansville grow and prosper,” he said. “One of the ways to be able to do that is to create partnerships.”
Pietruszkiewicz said in the past, universities were not as active in their communities, mainly sticking to their campuses.
According to the UE news release, “the Innovation Center will serve as a hub for students, educators, and healthcare professionals uniting high school and college-level learning under one roof. As a key partner in the project, UE will maintain a small but meaningful presence in the facility, deepening its role in preparing future healthcare leaders and creating direct college-career pathways for ASM students.”
Construction is set to begin immediately, with the facility expected to open in 2026.
Smith said this project is historic. "I think 20 years from now, maybe 15 years from now, perhaps even 10 years from now, people are going to put a pin on this date in the history of Evansville and say this was a monumental undertaking that paved the way for generations to come, and I'm really proud to be part of it."
UE and EVSC expect this location to become a national center for excellence.
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