AP today reports that Canisius College received a $5.1 million donation from the family of Carl and Carol Ann Montante for the creation of an interdisciplinary science center at the college--the largest in the Jesuit college's 136-year history.
The science center will be developed in the HealthNow building and parking pavilion at 1901 Main Street. The building is best known as the site of the former Sears Roebuck store, which operated there from 1920-1980. It consists of a four-story building with 237,000 total square feet (170,000 net usable square feet) set on three and a half acres. It includes a three-level parking ramp with a total of 1,350 spaces.
The center will bring together in one location the college’s biology, chemistry, biochemistry, bioinformatics, environmental science, physics, psychology, computer science and mathematics programs. In addition to classrooms, laboratories, offices and other support space associated to accommodate faculty with research programs, the building will also have five interdisciplinary research training groups in bioinformatics, quantitative sciences, cellular molecular biology, analytical chemistry and neuroscience.
Carl Montante graduated from Canisius in 1964 and is the founder and president of Uniland Development Company, the largest developer of commercial real estate in Western New York. Uniland was recently chosen to develop the 120-acre Buffalo Outer Harbor, the community’s largest public/private venture. Montante has undertaken numerous leadership roles at Canisius including serving as chair of the Canisius College Board of Trustees from 1997-2001.