Widener Law School joins growing list of schools moving to downtown Wilmington

When Bank of America donated a couple of vacant buildings off Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware, schools immediately moved in.

And now, the so-called Bridge Project is blowing up Delaware’s largest city. Widener University Delaware Law School announced on Tuesday it will be moving from the suburbs to the new spot for the 2027-2028 school year.

The law school will join a plethora of education opportunities at the location, which totals 550,000-swuare-feet across three newly renovated buildings. There is already a community education building, a YMCA, University of Delaware associate’s degree programs and a public health and nursing program for Delaware State University.

“Today, there are four schools with six carefully curated resident nonprofits,” said Thére Dupont, of the Longwood Foundation

Widener, with its move, will also be bringing its popular free legal help programs to Wilmington as well.

“Over the past year, we did over 38,500 hours between our clinics and our externships and internships for pro bono related type work,” said Todd Clark, the dean of Widener University Delaware Law School. “I mean, that work will happen now within the city.”

The $250 million public-private partnership is expected to bring over 2,000 students, faculty and staff members to the city.

The added foot traffic will trickle across the larger Wilmington economy.

“So, they’re going to be looking for apartments. They don’t need dry cleaners these days, but they’re going to be looking for coffee shops, restaurants bars,” Dupont said. “Those are all entrepreneurial opportunities for Wilmingtonians to bring something special to the community at large.”

Jason Aviles, who owns Green Box Kitchen on Market Street in Wilmington, said the added foot traffic is music to his ears.

“Listen, we will take every little bit of the people coming into the city,” he said. “We want it. We welcome it. We invite it, and we need it.