on the edge of financial failure, but was of a caliber that prompted Anna Pavlova to call it "the kind of school other schools should follow." Although the mortgage was paid off and the building had been donated to the school in 1929, financial difficulties inevitably grew during the Great Depression. Ultimately, convinced that finances would not allow the school to do more than "tread water", Nellie Cornish resigned her position as head of the school in 1939.
In December 2024, Cornish announced that it intended to merge with Seattle University and become the latter's flagship arts program when an agreement is finalized by May 2025. Under the proposal, the two colleges would maintain their separate campuses in the city; Cornish would retain its 379,564 square feet (35,262.6 m2) of space for 500 students—a decline of 38 percent from peak enrollment in 2003. The merger became official on June 2, 2025.
== Campus ==
Cornish College of the Arts operates a three-part campus in the South Lake Union, Seattle Center, …
