photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The McLain's Market location at 1420 Crescent Road is pictured on Jan. 16, 2023. A new entrepreneurship hub building is planned for the site, thanks to a $10 million donation.

The University of Kansas has received an additional gift of $10 million from an anonymous donor for an “entrepreneurship hub” for students.

The university announced the gift in a news release Thursday morning, saying the $10 million would ensure the construction of a “entrepreneurship hub building” at 1420 Crescent Road, formerly the site of McLain’s Bakery and, previously, Jayhawk Bookstore. The building has sat vacant since 2023, when the Kansas City-based bakery and coffee shop announced it would close, as the Journal-World reported.

The gift supplements a previous $50 million donation from the same anonymous donor from 2023 to go toward entrepreneurship programs and scholarly research at the KU School of Business, as the Journal-World reported. It was the largest gift in the business school’s history.

The new hub will house all of KU’s entrepreneurship programs in one place and will look to “foster entrepreneurship and innovation” for KU students regardless of their field of study. The release noted that 70% of student participants in entrepreneurship initiatives are not a part of the School of Business, but having one physical location will allow students to “concentrate, collaborate and create, accelerating learning and building entrepreneurial competency.”

The anonymous donor, who the release identified as “a longtime KU supporter,” said the university is “in the midst of a transformational era.” The donor hopes the new entrepreneurship hub can give students skills that could lead to ideas to revitalize Kansas towns and develop new opportunities in critical fields for the state, such as health care delivery, energy sustainability and education.

“One of the ways KU drives economic growth in Kansas is by ensuring our graduates have the skills and the entrepreneurial ability to succeed in their fields,” KU Chancellor Douglas Girod said in the release. “This gift creates a greater KU for all students, with the hub expanding entrepreneurship’s reach and impact.”

KU Endowment President Dan Martin said in the release that the sizable donation would benefit students and create new opportunities “for generations.”