The Garvey Center, located in the heart of Downtown Wichita, has been a longtime staple in the city’s skyline with a strong legacy tied to developing our community – a legacy now continued by Bonavia Properties. At 300 feet tall, the 250 building of the Garvey Center enterprise is the 2nd tallest building in Kansas. The Garvey Center has seen great success throughout the years, standing 26 stories tall as one of Wichita’s most iconic buildings and proudly attesting to one family’s legacy and commitment to community.
Our Beginnings
The Garvey Center stands 26 stories tall and is located between the R.H. Garvey Building and its companion, the Olive W. Garvey building – both standing 10 stories tall. Since its opening in the late 60s, the Garvey Center has served Wichita as a commercial, residential, venue space. In the beginning, 250 Place served as a Holiday Inn hotel as well. The Garvey Center has constantly adapted to the commercial, residential, and business needs of Wichitans throughout its 50 years.
Garvey Center now provides 600,000 square feet of residential and commercial space, offering a unique Wichita wedding and banquet venue as well. Garvey Center offers shopping, dining, retail, office suites (200, 220, and 300 buildings), 250 Douglas Place luxury apartments, and venue options for Wichitans to live, work, & play…all in one place.
Garvey and Bonavia Family’s Strong Ties to Community
Ray Hugh and Olive White Garvey were a powerful entrepreneurial couple who moved to Wichita in the late 1920s with their four children: Ruth, Willard, James, and Olivia. The Garveys moved from farm operation and expanded business opportunities to include grain storage, petroleum, construction, residential properties, and investments – eventually including the entire 200 block of West Douglas in Downtown Wichita.
By 1951, the business savvy Ray Garvey oversaw an enterprise that owned more than 100,000 acres in Kansas and Colorado, a thirty-station service oil company, a large wheat/farming business, a lucrative oil production company, large grain elevators, a mortgage company, an insurance company, and Wichita-based, Builders Inc.
Generations of Garvey Entrepreneurial Genes
By their 20s and 30s, all of Ray and Olive’s children were involved in the family businesses. Willard managed Builders Inc., James worked in farming along with Olivia’s husband while Ruth’s husband worked in the grain business. Willard remained in Wichita and he and his wife, Jean, had 6 children who would eventually carry on the family’s strong entrepreneurial legacy.
Each of Willard and Jean’s children eventually took over running areas of the family’s businesses including Garvey’s Petroleum, Inc. oil company, Nevada First Corporation ranching enterprise, Builders Inc. properties and development, and Garvey International grain and transportation subsidiary.
Emily Bonavia, daughter of Willard and Jean, has passed the Garvey family’s strong entrepreneurial genes to her son, Nicholas Bonavia. Nicholas has served as President and CEO of Bonavia Properties since 2014. Staying true to his grandfather’s and Garvey family roots, Nicholas has developed a deep passion for the Wichita community and enthusiasm for community outreach program contributions.
Continued Commitment to Community
The Garvey family has been a strong supporter of such Wichita institutions as The Independent School, Wichita Swim Club, Garvey Athletic Center at Friends University, Wichita Symphony, and the YMCA.
Nicholas Bonavia now oversees Bonavia Properties and the Oregon ranching operations, which now include hunting, timber, and cattle properties. Bonavia Properties owns and operates the Garvey Center, which maintains its successful presence in Downtown Wichita as a commercial and residential property.
what a view
250 Douglas Place
250 Douglas Place offers upscale amenities in high-rise apartments that have a modern feel in a premier, iconic Downtown location. The sky-rise apartments overlooking Wichita range from 600 to 1,000 square feet and offer amenities such as key access, gated access, indoor reserved parking, on-site laundry, free fitness center, fire suppression system, and 24-hour maintenance staff. Check out more information and availability for your new apartment with a view!
come celebrate with us
Art Appreciation
Garvey Center is also home to several artist residents in our Open Studios galleries. We proudly display local art in our three Kiva area art galleries year-round, which we provide to local artists.
Whether you’re a tenant or passerby, please feel free to stop by and take in Garvey Center’s public art. We take pride in offering art galleries, flowers, fountains, sculptures, ducks, a fish pond, and our colorful mural for visitors to enjoy anytime.