This story has been corrected to reflect New Castle County's involvement in the project.
The post-secondary education center project in Downtown Wilmington, known as The Bridge, continues to move toward becoming a reality.
The Community Education Building (CEB) recently hosted a public conversation to explain more about the planned project to turn part of the vacant Bank of America complex into a higher education hub.
CEB already hosts k-12 educational programming in adjacent buildings, but the new project would bring Delaware State University’s nursing program to Wilmington, as well as Widener University Delaware Law School.
Delaware Law School Dean Todd Clark says the new location would be a 71% decrease in space, but a faculty member affirmed this move would be more beneficial for Wilmington’s growth in the long run.
“After he visited the CEB, he said, ‘I've been looking at this the wrong way. This is not about how this benefits Delaware Law School. This is about how Delaware Law School can help and be an agent of change in the Wilmington community, and I'm excited to be a part of this experience,'" Clark said.
Ryne Johnson of economic development nonprofit Grow America explains the group is supporting The Bridge from a financial and real estate perspective, but also sees the hub as a novelty investment.
“An HBCU, a land grant university and a law school connected with an early childhood to high school in one campus area with centralized management that is so connected to the community – It doesn't exist anywhere else in this country," Johnson said.
DSU and Widener Delaware Law would join the University of Delaware’s Associate in Arts Program, which is already housed in the Community Education Building, but would move to the new space.
The project carries a $60 million price tag, but all the necessary funding has seemingly been secured following the recent approval by the Wilmington City Council to allocate $10 million to the project.
Bank of America would donate the building — known as Bracebridge II — to the Longwood Foundation, worth an estimated $10 million.
The state has provided $10 million in the FY25 Bond Bill, with the intention of funding an additional $13 million. Longwood and other grants have pledged $10 million and corporate providers have provided an additional $10 million.
The project is still hoping to secure roughly $5 million form New Castle County.
UD, DSU and Widener would then lease the space from Longwood.
CEB Chief Operating Officer Tamarra Morris says securing the building is still underway, but a new website with updates on the project should be completed by the end of the calendar year.
The Bridge hopes to bring more than 2,000 full-time students, faculty and staff to Downtown Wilmington and have an annual state economic impact of $250 million. If all goes according to plan, the complex will open in fall 2027.
