New owners weigh future for Heroes building in Old Town

The new owners of the Heroes building in Old Town Wichita are still not sure what they’re going to do with it. The purchase, one of the buyers said, was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

But they do know for sure what many people want them to do with it.

“A lot of people just want us to bring back Heroes,” said Brian Brundage, the Old Town investor who bought the building at 117 N. Mosley at an auction in August along with business partner Mike Pelfrey, a local baseball coach and former Major League Baseball pitcher.

Former MLB pitcher Mike Pelfrey and business partner Brian Brundage bought the old Heroes building in Old Town at an August auction. GoShockers.com Courtesy

The owners, though, haven’t made any decisions about the building, which played a big role in the development of Old Town Wichita. Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, along with Larkspur and River City Brewing, was one of the first businesses in the burgeoning entertainment district back in the early 1990s.

“We talk about just leasing it,” Brundage said. “We’re open to ideas and concepts for the space.”

Brundage and some partners own several buildings in Old Town, including the building at 238 N. Mead that once held Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute, the empty Walker’s Jazz Lounge space at 252 N. Mosley, and the Distillery 244 Old Town space at 244 N. Mosley.

Heroes originally opened in 1991 and has gone through several owners. Its most recent owner was developer Ted Timsah, who leased operations to partners Hussein Alkasasy, Raed Mansour and Ehab Mansour. They ran Heroes as more of a nightclub than a sports bar but closed the business in April 2022. The building has been vacant since.

Heroes Old Town first opened in 1991. Its most recent owners closed it in 2022, and it’s been vacant since. Denise Neil The Wichita Eagle

Brundage and his partners also own the space at 300 N. Mead that Alkasasy and Raed Mansour are leasing for their Lvl 1 Nightclub & Lounge.

In addition to bringing back Heroes, some people have suggested to Brundage that it would be a good space for a country bar.

“Like a honky-tonk, if you will,” he said.

Brundage has already been talking to a few people interested in taking over the space, he said. One has mentioned keeping it as Heroes. Another has said they’d change the name and open a new type of bar.

Either way, Brundage said that he doesn’t think it will be long until the Heroes building is up and running again. Since the auction, people have discovered that he’s the buyer, and he’s been contacted by many people who are interested in the space and who talk about their own memories of hanging out there over the years.

“I think it’s going to be way quicker than we thought,” he said.

This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 12:26 PM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.