Laurentian University approves sale of Bell Mansion

Laurentian University is putting another of its assets up for sale.

The school confirmed this week that it plans to sell the Bell Mansion, a 100-year old stone home near Sudbury's lakefront. The university has owned it since 1968, and was home for more than 20 years to the Art Gallery of Sudbury. The building was closed for repairs in October 2023.

The agenda for an upcoming board of governors meeting, to be held on Dec. 13, confirms the board has unanimously approved the sale of the property.

"Following a thorough assessment of the work to be remediated at this university-owned property since its October, 2023 closure, and the costs associated with remediation work, the sale of the property was being recommended as the most prudent and fiscally responsible option," the board agenda said.

Engineers identified the building's interior staircase as a major issue. Without that structure, there is no bathroom access, which is why the Art Gallery of Sudbury had to close its doors to the public.

The art gallery's director and curator, Demetra Christakos previously told CBC News that the closure came as a surprise.

"Laurentian University was doing work on the chimney on the west facing wall. We could see something was happening in terms of access to that particular structure. But the news came as a surprise to us," she said.

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Nicholas Bonderoff, who purchased the former traditional home of Laurentian University’s presidents, gives the CBC’s Warren Schlote a tour of the property.

In May, Laurentian sold another property nearby that had served as the official residence of its presidents. Nicholas Bonderoff bought the home for $925,000.

To pay back creditors following its insolvency, Laurentian has identified several properties it could put up for sale, including five buildings on its campus that it could sell to the province for $53.5 million.

Those buildings are:

• East Residence

• Vale Living with Lakes Centre and Watershed Building

• Northern Ontario School of Medicine

• Health Sciences Building

• Security and Maintenance Building

The university has not yet provided updates on the status of the five properties and its plans to sell them.

In the same non–binding term sheet presented in 2023 Laurentian also listed  69.75 acres of land it could sell to the province, which represents about nine per cent of the university's 750 acres.