Donahue Family Donation Supports New MCC Academic Arts Center

Renovation of the new Middlesex Community College Academic Arts Center in the former Boston and Maine Railroad Depot on Central Street is nearly completed and just as the building is being turned over to MCC, a well-known local philanthropist has provided a very generous donation to support arts education at the college.

For months, MCC President James Mabry and members of the college’s Advancement Team have been working with philanthropist and longtime supporter of the arts Nancy Donahue and the Donahue family of Lowell, who provided a generous gift to the MCC Foundation, and for whose family the new arts center will be named.

“I am thrilled to be able to help move this project forward and excited that MCC has been able to rebuild this wonderful historic structure,” said Nancy Donahue.

James Henderson, Chairman of the MCC Foundation Board, said the donation from longtime college supporter Donahue reflects an unprecedented investment in the future of arts education at MCC. The donation, coupled with Donahue’s longtime support of the college’s Celebrity Forum speaker series and several other funds, will result in the branding of the new facility with the Donahue name. Donahue herself has also agreed to be the honorary chair of a long-planned capital campaign to raise even more money for the center, with multiple other fundraising naming opportunities throughout the building.

“The Donahue family has long been a staunch supporter of so many of our initiatives to help our student population, but this philanthropic investment, in conjunction with the opening of our new center for the arts, a cause so near and dear to Nancy Donahue’s heart, will help enrich the lives of so many of our students,” Henderson said.

MCC Trustees Chairman James Campbell said the support from this well-known Lowell family spotlights the continued support the college receives from its community partners, and the financial support of the Donahue family will help push the naming campaign forward, particularly with her at the honorary helm of the giving campaign.

Campbell also lauded the support of local, state and federal legislators who have supported different facets of the academic arts center’s development throughout its evolution. “As is always the case when it comes to successful economic development in Lowell, there’s a tremendous amount of teamwork that helps these projects cross the goal line. Middlesex Community College has been fortunate to have an expansive team of legislative support throughout this process since it first embarked on the acquisition of this historic property more than a decade ago,” Campbell said.

Middlesex President James Mabry said the expansion of MCC’s footprint in downtown Lowell allows the college to offer premiere performance learning space for its theater, music and dance students. “Our students will have the opportunity to be taught by our talented faculty in a showcase space that will allow them to thrive in an environment conducive to learning,” said Mabry.

Built in 1876, MCC’s Academic Arts Center has stood as a multi-purpose facility in the heart of Lowell for nearly 150 years. The structure was saved from demolition in 1989 by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission. The exterior of the building was renovated by Lowell National Historical Park, which transferred ownership to Middlesex Community College in 2008.

To learn more about the building’s history, visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/academicartscenter/history.aspx

For more information about numerous other giving and sponsorship opportunities associated with the new Academic Arts Center, please visit: www.middlesex.mass.edu/AcademicArtsCenter