A whole campus. Under $20 a foot.
Built in 1960 as the Sisters of Mercy convent, then home to Fort Scott Community College's nursing program. A three-story main building with brick wings on a 4.3-acre corner lot, with large rooms, wide corridors and room to build.
Walk the campus
12 photos · tap any photo to enlarge · Photos: ReeceNichols Sunflower Realty Group- ExteriorThree-story main building with ribbon windows
- ExteriorMain entrance and stone facade
- LandLawn and brick wings from the east
- LandOpen lawn across the 4.3 acres
- LandDrone view of the campus and lawn
- LandDrone view with the paved lot
- InsideLarge former classroom
- InsideBeamed hall with a wall of windows
- InsideCommons with tables
- InsideGlass connector corridor
- SiteCourtyard pad between the wings
- SiteDrive and detached multi-bay garage
The Charlotte Place playbook, one block over
A block away, a developer converted the former Fort Scott Manor nursing home, about 20,000 square feet, into 24 market-rate apartments. This campus is larger, sits on more land, and costs less per foot to buy.
Planning estimate only, scaled from the Charlotte Place conversion. The open acreage could also take new townhomes or cottages.
| Program | What it does | Fit here |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas Commercial Restoration and Preservation Credit | 10% tax credit on $25,000 to $500,000 of rehab, plus 10% on fire sprinklers | Building is 66 years old; the program needs 50 or more |
| Kansas state historic credit | 40% of qualified rehab costs in towns under 50,000 | Not yet listed. The building is old enough to nominate, and its history ties to the Mercy nursing school, the first in Southeast Kansas to train Black nurses |
| RHID (Reinvestment Housing Incentive District) | Returns new property taxes to the project for up to 25 years | The city creates the district after a housing needs study |
| MIH (Moderate Income Housing) and KHITC (Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit) | State grants and investor credits for rural housing | Bourbon County is under the 75,000-person cap |
| Neighborhood Revitalization Program | Property tax rebates on improvements over $10,000 | Applies inside Fort Scott |
The city wants an operator for this
In July 2026 the Fort Scott City Commission toured this building for a transitional housing project and voted not to own and run it as a city. The city manager said the city would welcome a qualified nonprofit that owns and operates such a project itself.
- Built as a convent: a residential building designed for a community living together
- Classrooms, a skills lab, offices and a conference room for counseling and job training
- A student commons for shared meals and meetings
- 4.3 acres with parking and a detached multi-bay garage
- Funding paths include federal Continuum of Care grants, opioid-settlement dollars and Federal Home Loan Bank grants
- Precedent: a Wichita convent now houses young adults aging out of foster care
A finished campus for a congregation or school
The college ran a full nursing program here with lecture classrooms, labs, a library and a commons. A beamed hall with tall windows suits worship or gatherings. Move in, use what's ready, and grow into the rest.
Religious and educational owners in Kansas can often apply for a property tax exemption on buildings used for their mission. Confirm with the county appraiser.
A professional building is 300 feet away
710 W 8th Street, a two-story former clinic with tenants in place, is also for sale under the same ownership. Together they make a six-acre site for housing, services or a campus.
What's verified, what to price in
We would rather you hear these from us than find them in a records search.
- VerifiedListing: $505,000, multiple listing service #2616431
- Verified4.3-acre corner lot; FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood Zone X
- VerifiedBuilt 1960 as the Sisters of Mercy convent; college nursing campus from 2005
- VerifiedAnnual property tax of $26,091
- Price inHeating and cooling: college records from 2022 describe an ongoing problem, with a repair estimate near $1 million from about 2019. Get a current mechanical inspection.
- Price inSingle-pane windows, noted by the city during its July 2026 tour
- RequestedSquare footage: the listing says 25,778; public records say 19,557
- RequestedElevator, sprinkler and asbestos status, plus zoning for residential use near the elementary school
Walk it this week.
Jason Kulha · Zen Companies Inc.
(267) 505-7824
Sources (14)
- Listing, description, price and photos: ReeceNichols Sunflower Realty Group listing, photos used with the broker’s cooperation
- Price history: crownrealty.com
- Size, lot, stories, taxes: charlesburt.com, totalpropertyservices.com; 19,557 sq ft: compass.com
- Convent and college history: Fort Scott Community College; nursing school history: Legends of Kansas
- Nursing program facilities: fortscott.edu
- City commission vote and tour, July 2026: Bourbon County Monitor, fortscott.biz
- Heating and cooling history: college board packet, April 2022
- Charlotte Place: fortscott.biz
- Flood zone: FEMA flood hazard layer
- Restoration credit: Kansas Department of Revenue; historic credit: Kansas Historical Society
- Housing incentives: Kansas Commerce, RHID overview
- Neighborhood Revitalization Program: fscity.org
- City funding plan for supportive housing: fscity.org agenda, July 2026
- Wichita convent precedent: KCUR