Private art school in Wilmington that closed in 2024 after 27 years of operation.
DCAD was a private art school offering studio and classroom instruction in the visual arts. The college operated as a two-year institution, with partnerships established to transfer students to four-year programs at institutions like Moore College of Art and Design and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design. The school was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
The college occupied the historic Delmarva Power & Light Building at 600 North Market Street in downtown Wilmington, an Art Deco structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Student housing was provided through Saville Apartments and a second residence hall at 707 North King Street, which opened in 2012 as a $4.7 million expansion. The former hotel kitchen was converted into a student cafeteria. As enrollment declined, the college sold the Saville residential property in 2021.
Established in 1997 by the Wilmington Renaissance Corporation as part of downtown revitalization efforts, DCAD reached peak enrollment of 250 students in 2011. Enrollment declined steadily to 160 by 2017 and further to 107 by 2024. On May 23, 2024, the college announced permanent closure due to low enrollment, with Moore College of Art and Design and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design agreeing to accept DCAD students as part of a teach-out plan.