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KyCAD Makes Move Toward Independence With Speed Mansion Purchase

Photography by AerialState.com
Aerial State Media Co.
Photography by AerialState.com

The Kentucky College of Art and Design announced it has purchased the Speed Mansion on Ormsby Avenue, which will serve as the college’s new home.

The Speed Mansion was once owned by James Breckinridge Speed, for whom the Speed Art Museum is named as well.

In a release, KyCAD president Moira Scott Payne called it "an incredibly important day for KyCAD."

"This beautiful building will be a place of creativity and learning," said Scott Payne. "Students will love their new home. KyCAD will have a wonderful base for the research-focused, entrepreneurial art college we are building.”

KyCAD has been searching for new space for the past year to accommodate its growth. In April, after eight years with Spalding University serving as a host university, school officials decided to pursue accreditation and independence. It was a move that accelerated the need for a new building.

The school will continue using its current Third Street location, which includes a gallery, classrooms, event space, and office space. Classes will be held in both buildings, but administrative offices, design space, studios, and other uses are envisioned for the mansion.

The Kentucky College of Art and Design intends to move into the new 16,000-square-foot space by the end of June; classes will be held there during the 2019-2020 school year.