The largest donation in Emily Carr University's history will go toward filling a $20-million funding gap in the construction of the art school's new campus in east Vancouver.
Real estate developer Reliance Properties gifted the school with $7 million on May 2, launching a $25-million capital campaign that ECU hopes will fund the building of facilities at the Great Northern Way campus.
The art school announced in January 2013 it was moving most of its infrastructure and 1,800 students from its longtime home on Granville Island.
The cost of the new campus is pegged at $134 million.
The B.C. government committed to covering $113 million, but that still left the school with a shortfall of more than $20 million.
The original school was built to hold just 800 students, while the new campus has been designed to accommodate as many as 2,500 students when it opens in two years.
Reliance president Jon Stovell said at a press conference the donation will go toward building the Reliance Lecture Theatre and the Libby Leshgold Gallery.
"These facilities will strengthen the connection between arts, culture and commerce in the city. Whenever we take a creative risk, the reward is transformation, and the city and citizens share in that legacy," he said.
"Through supporting the great work done here at Emily Carr, we can ensure that creativity remains a renewable resource."
ECU chancellor Jake Kerr said the school couldn't ask for more.
"$7 million is absolutely incredible in the context of what we're doing. It's the largest of its kind for Emily Carr and an absolutely auspicious way to commemorate the public launch of this campaign."
With a file from Garin Fahlman
