Fanshawe College's downtown expansion plans got another boost Friday with a $500,000 donation from philanthropists Andy and Helen Spriet.
“The Spriet family is pleased to play a role in this exciting venture of Fanshawe in downtown London,” Andy Spriet said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing Fanshawe students and staff learning and engaging in an innovative new space.”
The City of London has provided a $19-million grant, MainStreet London and the London Downtown Business Association Board a $1-million grant, and several others have made private donations in support of the project.
Fanshawe said in a statement, "The project is the single-largest capital investment the College has undertaken to date and will support the City’s vision of revitalizing London’s downtown core."
New drawings of the plans for the iconic Kingsmill's building were also unveiled at the celebration, as well as the companies that will be involved in the conversion.
Diamond Schmitt Architects and Philip Agar Architect Inc. along with building construction contractor EllisDon will be handling the transformation of Kingsmill's.
Fanshawe students are already in the city's downtown core, across the street from Kingsmill's at the now-complete Centre for Digital and Performance Arts.
When the Kingsmill's renovation is complete, there will be an estimated 2,000 students at Fanshawe's downtown campus, in programs including tourism, hospitality and IT.
In a statement, Fanshawe president Peter Devlin said, “To accommodate enrollment growth and provide an environment that supports the learning of relevant, contemporary skills, new facilities were a must for the College...Locating these specific programs downtown makes perfect sense as it puts them in a flourishing education and arts district.”
