In less than two years, the University of Baltimore has met its goal of raising $15 million in private funds to build a new law school, and the man who made the first donation was the one who put the campaign over the top.
Baltimore attorney and Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos, who pledged $5 million in 2008 to help build the law center, has pledged another $5 million toward the project. That combined gift of $10 million from Angelos, a law school alumnus, represents a record in giving to the public campus and paves the way for construction to start on the $107 million project.
The private donations will be combined with state funds to build the John and Frances Angelos Law Center, named after the lead donor's parents, at the northeast corner of Charles Street and Mount Royal Avenue.
"The University of Baltimore has been an important part of my professional life, and I am pleased that I can support the development of this world-class facility," Angelos said in a statement Wednesday. "The continued striving for excellence of the University of Baltimore law school will enhance the legal community in the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland."
With Angelos' latest pledge, the university has scheduled an Aug. 26 groundbreaking for the project, which is expected to be the sixth-largest public law school in the country when completed in late 2012. University President Robert L. Bogomolny said Angelos' support was instrumental in attracting other donations and enabling the project to move forward in a tough economic climate. Other major donors include the Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff, and Jana Howard Carey.
"I want to express my deepest appreciation to Peter Angelos for his continued support," Bogomolny said. "His generosity is integral to our success."
Bogomolny said he kept talking with Angelos after he made his first gift about the possibility of increasing his support, and "he stepped up." The president said he believes Angelos increased his contribution because he is grateful for the education he received there and enthusiastic about the project and the impact it will have on the campus and the Charles Street corridor.
"He has a deep connection and loyalty to the University of Baltimore," Bogomolny said. "He's excited about what's happening with the law school."
With funding from the Abell Foundation, the university conducted an international design competition to select architects for the building. The winning design was submitted by Behnisch Architekten of Stuttgart, Germany, and Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore. Their latest plan, which calls for a 12-level building that looks like a series of interlocking cubes, has received high praise from both city and state architectural review panels.
The UB law school's alumni account for 30 percent of Maryland's Circuit Court judges, 34 percent of its District Court judges and more than a third of its elected state's attorneys.
Even though the $15 million target has been met, Bogomolny said, the university will continue to seek more private funds to cover any construction overruns or unexpected costs. "We're not going to stop" raising funds, Bogomolny said. "I have very little sympathy for anything that's going to reduce the quality of this building."