The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has unveiled a plan to build a $20 million research facility in downtown Rapid City on land that was home to a hotel.
The facility — dubbed the South Dakota Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing — would be built on the site of the former Imperial Hotel. Before the project can proceed, it needs to receive funding from the Board of Regents and the state legislature.
Wilson says property owner Ray Hillenbrand donated the hotel site to the School of Mines under the condition that it be used for research. The property covers half a city block and would provide plenty of space for the proposed 42,000-square-foot research facility.
Wilson expects the institute would create 200 high-paying jobs in the industry by 2025, and add an estimated $15 million in materials-related research being conducted at the school.
