A couple with connections to Duluth have given to a St. Paul university what is described as the largest single contribution given to a Minnesota college or university, it was announced Wednesday.
Lee and Penny Anderson donated $60 million to the University of St. Thomas.
The donation, which is part of the university's $500 million capital campaign, will be used for a new student center and to improve athletic and recreational facilities.
Lee Anderson has made his mark in Duluth, as well. As the principal partner in A&L Properties, he has helped develop a number of projects, including the Technology Village, the Oneota Industrial Park, the Denfeld Center and the Bridgeman-Russell building. His firm also is involved in the multimillion-dollar redevelopment of a block of Superior Street just east of Lake Avenue in downtown Duluth.
Anderson also serves as CEO of APi Group, a St. Paul-based company whose holdings include several Duluth businesses, including the Jamar Co., Thompson Electric, Lakehead Electric, ASDCO, Viking Automatic Sprinkler Co. and Arrowhead Refrigeration. Together, the firms employ more than 700 people in the Northland.
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Anderson doesn't make Duluth his primary residence, spending most of the year in Naples, Fla., but he does own two high-profile homes here. He purchased a 117,750-square-foot lakefront residence at 3700 London Road that once belonged to Robert Congdon for $850,000 in 1998. In 2003, Anderson added to his residential holdings by buying a neighboring 11-bedroom, 11-bathroom home for $3.6 million. That home was built in 1929 for Marjorie Congdon Dudley.
