Bolles School broke ground on a $4 million arts and innovation center at its Middle School Bartram Campus in Jacksonville. The 6,802-square-foot Alban Arts and Innovation Center will occupy a historic building on the campus.
The project carries a lead gift from Bree R. Alban and David Alban. Additional support for the center came from the Cangemi, Griffis and Von Der Ahe families, according to the station's report.
The Bartram School for Girls merged with Bolles in 1991, according to The Bolles School. Female boarding students moved off the Bartram Campus in August 2021 into the newly renovated Llura “Lulie” Liggett Gund '58 Residence Hall on the Upper School San Jose Campus.
A Building With a Long History
Gordon Gund made a landmark gift in memory of his late wife Lulie Liggett Gund, herself an alumna of the old Bartram School for Girls, as reported by Jacksonville Magazine. That donation stood as the largest single gift in Bolles' history at the time, the outlet notes.
In September, the City of Jacksonville issued a $2.98 million commercial building permit to Mako Development Group LLC, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.
What Middle Schoolers Will Find Inside
Once complete, the center will support arts and innovation programming for middle school students.
Outdoor features are part of the design too, with expansive porches fitted with swings, a paved courtyard with tables and benches, and a new turfed lawn planned for the site, the station reported.
Bolles operates a residential boarding program and offers fine and performing arts courses, according to FindingSchool.
The Bartram Campus is undergoing renovation.
