JWU and Excel Academy Announce Long-Term Lease Agreement with Purchase Option on Academic Center in Downtown Providence

PRESS RELEASE

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — June XX, 2026 - Johnson & Wales University and Excel Academy Rhode Island announced that the two organizations have entered into a long-term lease agreement that includes the option to purchase the Academic Center, located at 291 Westminster Street, in the coming years. The agreement, approved by the JWU Board of Trustees and the Excel Academy Rhode Island Board, includes an option for Excel Academy to purchase the building in the future.

The Academic Center, located at 291 Westminster Street in DownCity Providence, currently holds part of the university’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program and some administrative offices. The building has five floors with a capacity of 600 students. The Occupational Therapy labs will be relocated to another building on the Down City campus to be integrated with other Health and Wellness programs. Excel Academy Rhode Island High School will open in the building with its Founding Ninth Grade Class in September 2026.

“Johnson & Wales University has been honored to be stewards of this historic building since 1976 where our students have learned, grown, and thrived for decades,” said JWU Chancellor Mim Runey, LP.D. “It is our responsibility to ensure it is put to its best use, further contributing to the vibrancy of the downtown corridor. We are thrilled to be partnering with Excel Academy to further educational opportunities for Rhode Island students.”

“We are proud to launch our new high school in the heart of downtown Providence, a city that so many of our students and families call home. Johnson & Wales has been a great partner to us in shaping this deal, and we are excited about the possibilities of working more closely with them in the years ahead. We also look forward to contributing to the continued vibrancy and growth of this historic part of the city,” said Owen Stearns, CEO, Excel Academy Charter Schools.

About the Academic Center

JWU’s Academic Center, also known as the Burrill Building, was designed by architects Stone, Carpenter & Willson. It was the home of Gladding’s Department Store from its opening in 1891 until 1974. Founded in 1805 as Watson & Gladding on North Main Street, the Gladding Company was the oldest dry-goods store in Providence at the time of its closing.

Johnson & Wales purchased the building in 1976 and converted it into classroom space. JWU kept the Gladding’s name for its student merchandising laboratory that sold women's clothing even though the store moved locations. Along with Callendar, McAuslan & Troup, Shepard's, and Cherry & Webb, Gladding's was a major part of the Mid-Westminster Street retail shopping block.

The five-story building is an example of classic downtown Providence architecture, retaining much of the original stonework facade on the lower stories on the Westminster Street side, where the department store entrance was located. Currently the door on Mathewson Street is used as the entrance to the building by JWU students and faculty.

About Excel Academy

Excel Academy Charter Schools prepares students to succeed in high school and college, apply their learning to solve relevant problems, and engage productively in their communities. Excel Academy operates schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, serving 1,850 students in grades 5-12. The majority of Excel students identify as Latino or Hispanic, and many will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Families choose Excel because Excel students consistently achieve at high levels, outperforming their peers in academic growth and becoming five times more likely than their peers to earn a college degree. In 2025, Excel Academy Rhode Island students were number one for growth in Math and English Language Arts in the state.

About JWU 

Founded in 1914, Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students at its campuses in Providence, Rhode Island and Charlotte, North Carolina, and through JWU Online. An innovative educational leader, the university offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in arts and sciences, business and hospitality, dietetics and nutrition, food innovation and technology, and health and wellness. It also offers undergraduate programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. JWU’s unique model provides students with the personalized attention, academic expertise and industry connections that inspire professional success and personal growth. The time students spend at JWU is nothing short of transformative, as demonstrated by career outcomes, expected earnings and economic mobility rankings. The university’s impact is global, with alumni in 130 countries pursuing careers worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT Rachel Nunes, Senior Communications and Media Relations Specialist [o]401-598-2752 [c]401-895-7364