Brooklyn's Progress
September 2003

Story provided by Brooklyn College

An all-encompassing construction plan officially began in July that will transform the west side of the Brooklyn College campus.  Referred to as the West Quad Project, it promises to forward the college’s paramount mission of academic excellence, a student-friendly environment, a link between the east and west sides of campus and a strong connection with the surrounding community.  Noted architect Rafael Viñoly envisions a modern completion of the original 1937 plan, with a second leafy Quad and an elegant new building that will house a state-of-the-art physical education and athletics facility and consolidate under one roof many of our student services.

The plan promises to reinforce for Brooklyn College what the Princeton Review recently hailed as the “most beautiful campus in the country.”  The facility will house a swimming pool with a high diving board, two gymnasiums, a dance room, racquetball courts, a fitness center and research labs.  Enrollment services–admissions, financial aid, scholarships, registration and bursar–will be under one roof making it easier for students to get assistance and information.  The four-story building will be available for use by students, faculty, staff and local residents with an athletic pass.  Special features will include a two-story lobby with a coffee/juice bar and a suspended staircase to the upper level of the atrium.  The pool and gym spaces will be two-stories high with windows at the upper story, letting in abundant natural light.  Three racquetball courts will also serve as squash courts.  In addition, a grassy quadrangle will be located in front of the building to mirror the east quadrangle.

“The College’s growth and expansion continues unabated,” said Christoph M. Kimmich, president of Brooklyn College.  “The building of the new West Quad project unifies the College in the spirit of the original 1937 plans.  It is especially gratifying to witness the completion of a campus that has been seventy years in the making.”

In addition to the West Quad, the new Brooklyn College Library opened in October and its beauty, accessibility, and sophisticated technology quickly made it the favorite destination of students and faculty alike.
The project time-line is expected to be approximately four years in length ending in December 2007.

Vinoly has a distinguished history of private and public projects, with strong ties to the City University of New York.  His renovation at John Jay College of Criminal Justice won him the prestigious Bard Award and the Municipal Art Society Award.  He has also done work at City College and Lehman College.  Recently, Vinoly built the new center for performing arts in Philadelphia.  In addition, his proposal for the new construction at the World Trade Center was the runner-up.

Brooklyn College, founded in 1930, is one of the eleven senior colleges of the City University of New York.  Recently, Princeton Review’s The Best 345 Colleges, 2003, ranked the College first in the nation for the beauty of its campus and fifth for “best academic bang-for-your-buck.”  The College enrolls 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students who are representative of the ethnic and cultural diversity of Brooklyn and New York City.   Respected nationally for its rigorous academic standards, Brooklyn College takes pride in such innovative programs as The On-Course Advantage (TOCA); the prestigious Honors Academy; and the core curriculum, which has been hailed as one of the “bright spots” in American higher education. Visit the College Web site at: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/.