City Colleges of Chicago and Malcolm X College marked the grand reopening of the West Campus on Saturday, October 17, celebrating the completion of a $20 million renovation that transformed the facility into the Danny K. Davis Community Center, according to City Colleges of Chicago. The building at 4624 West Madison Street in Chicago's Austin neighborhood was renamed in August to honor former Congressman Danny K. Davis. The renovation added more than 3,000 square feet of space and increased enrollment capacity by 50 per cent, allowing the campus to serve up to 2,000 students annually. The ground floor houses adult education classrooms and a student engagement lounge, while the upper level hosts nursing, business, social science, STEM and computer science programs, including Malcolm X's signature nursing labs. The new facility also features a 600-person capacity student and community engagement space, a 5,000-square-foot library, an IT help center, a food pantry and a technology library. Construction began in November 2024, and during the renovation the campus temporarily operated out of the Chicago Center for Arts and Technology. Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Chancellor Juan Salgado and Malcolm X College President David Sanders for the reopening. The Citizen Newspaper Group reports that this spring's graduating class was the largest in Malcolm X history, with more than 1,770 graduates, and that this fall's total enrollment at City Colleges topped 52,800, up 3.6 per cent from last year. The reopening drew elected officials, community leaders and residents who were treated to a performance by the Chicago Urban Symphony. In-person classes are now back in the renovated building, giving West Side students a modern home for programs designed to connect directly to careers. The Citizen Newspaper Group reports the renovation is part of a broader enrollment surge at City Colleges of Chicago, which topped 52,800 students this fall, up 3.6 per cent from last year. With nursing labs, STEM programs and a food pantry under one roof, the renamed center blends academics with community services for West Side students.
Photo: Daniel X. O'Neil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons