Yale University has selected an architecture firm to renovate its Commons and Memorial Hall and establish a university-wide student center on the New Haven, Conn., campus.
Yale announced that Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners will design the new Schwarzman Center, named for alumnus Steve Schwarzman, who donated $150 million for the project.
The overhaul of the Commons and Memorial Hall will transform the 84,000-square-foot complex, constructed for Yale’s Bicentennial in 1901, and create a modern space for students of this century.
Beyer Blinder Belle has worked on renovations of landmark buildings and sites, such as Grand Central Terminal and City Hall in New York City.
The Schwarzman Center will establish, for the first time, a center dedicated to cultural programming and student life at the center of the university. It is being designed to bring together students and faculty from all of Yale’s schools and colleges. Officials want to create an intellectual and social center where students across schools and disciplines share ideas, collaborate, and find inspiration.
“Yale has lacked a central gathering space that can serve as a locus — and a catalyst — for students from every part of Yale to interact with one another," says Peter Salovey, President of Yale University. "We thank Steve Schwarzman for his vision and support in helping us advance our vision of a more unified, accessible, and innovative university.”
The building will have cutting-edge technology, which will enable those at Yale to interact virtually with peers around the globe and reach new audiences through digitally streaming performances.
Schwarzman, a 1969 graduate of Yale, is the founder and CEO of Blackstone, a global equity firm.
The center is expected to open in 2020.
