Fisher More College, the small Catholic liberal arts school that was located next to the TCU Police station, is now scheduled for renovation after being purchased by TCU, Fisher More president Michael King said.
King said that the college that was located on Lubbock Street for 28 years is moving to the former location of the Victory Heights Art Center at 801 W. Shaw St. The new location is a better fit for the college, King said.
King declined to name the selling price of the school, and said he "is not allowed to discuss it." TCU spokeswoman Lisa Albert also declined to name a price for the college, noting that the deal was a private transaction.
According to the Tarrant County Appraisal District website, the property that the new campus sits on is valued at just more than $2.1 million.
King expressed gratitude for the way that TCU administrators treated the Fisher More administration, specifically praising Chancellor Victor Boschini and vice chancellor of finance and administration Brian Gutierrez.
“I appreciate tremendously the way Chancellor Boschini and Brian Gutierrez handled the whole process of acquiring our campus and treating us fairly,” King said. “They were very good to us.”
Chancellor Boschini called the sale a "win-win" for everyone involved.
"I don't think [Fisher More] would have sold it if they weren't happy about it," Boschini said.
Gutierrez was out of his office on vacation leave and was unavailable for comment at the time of this writing.
According to King, the initial plans for the property are to tear down all 11 buildings on the campus and to build a parking lot in the college’s place. The demolition also includes the chapel where Mass was celebrated daily.
“I think the chapel’s going to be torn down, and we’re fine with that,” King said. “For Catholics, if it’s no longer considered sacred space, once that space has transferred to somewhere else, it’s best to just tear it down.”
Albert confirmed King’s statement in an email, writing that “the space at Fisher More will be used for temporary office space for staff, as well as parking for [TCU] students.”
Albert wrote that this move would add to TCU’s physical campus plan and allow students another area to park instead of on the street.
“These [elements] support the University's goal of creating an optimal campus environment and allow[s] for student growth (which is capped at 10,000), as well as taking students' cars off neighboring streets,” Albert wrote. “All of these elements support the University's goal of becoming a well-known national university.”
King said that negotiations for the property sale began as far back as 2003, but didn’t really pick up until the winter of 2011. He said that the Fisher More student body supported the decision to sell the campus and make the move.
“It’s been universal – everyone’s happy. Our students love it,” King said.
At the time of this report, there are chain link fences around the campus. According to Albert, work on the campus will start at the end of the summer and should be completed by late October.
