Mayo purchases Days Inn site for $10 million

Mayo Clinic has closed on a $10 million purchase of the former Days Inn site in downtown Rochester.

The transaction was made official on December 29, property records show. As part of the deal, the previous owners of the property, Mark and Kris Kramer, made a charitable contribution to Mayo in excess of $3.7 million.

Mayo officials say there are no immediate plans for the site.

“While there isn’t a planned use for the site at this moment, Mayo Clinic feels the proximity of this site to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Rochester, Methodist Campus, and the Downtown campus provides opportunity for future expansion and growth to support Mayo Clinic’s mission,” said Doug Holtan, chair of Facilities and Support Services at Mayo Clinic. “We are grateful to Mr. Kramer for his generosity in offering this bargain sale.”

The transaction was brought on after the Kramers, who operate under MKDI LLC, approached Mayo to see whether it would be interested in a “bargain sale of the property to support Mayo Clinic's ongoing mission.”

The property, 17 West Center Street, is located directly to the east of Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus and is the former home of the Hotel Carlton and, more recently, a Days Inn. The lot has sat empty since the demolition of the hotel structure in December 2018.

Previously, there had been a proposal from developer Bob Dunn to build a 16-story tower on the site. Those plans, however, were scrapped in 2017.

Before this latest Mayo deal, the five-acre site last changed hands in November 2005 for $3.3 million.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.