The Connelly Center at Villanova University will be undergoing major renovations after a $10 million gift was received by the Connelly Foundation, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The 67,000-square-foot student building was built at the center of Villanova’s campus in 1980 after a Connelly Foundation gift. The center is named after the foundation.
It includes a cinema, art gallery, ice cream and coffee shops, a dining facility, lounges, and a 500-seat multi-purpose room. It often hosts campus events, including dinners, shows, and watch parties.
The renovations will update the center for “today’s student needs,” according to the university,
The project should be completed by fall and includes a new common space named for Emily Riley, a Connelly Foundation executive vice president emerita and a former member of Villanova’s board of trustees.
Villanova said the building will “increasingly serve as an important student hub for those traveling between” the institution’s main campus and its recently acquired Cabrini Campus, set to open in 2026.
“Our goal with the renovation is to ensure that the Connelly Center remains a vibrant hub for our entire community,” Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue said in a statement.
Find out more about the Connelly Foundation and Villanova’s campus projects in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
