NYU to Open New Academic Center in Greenwich Village

New York University in New York City is getting ready to open its newest academic building, the John A. Paulson Center. The 735,000-square-foot vertical campus in Greenwich Village was designed by Davis Brody Bond and KieranTimberlake, according to a news release, and its purpose is to both demonstrate and encourage students’ academic and social lives. The facility includes academic, athletic, performing arts, and residential space, as well as common areas and a pedestrian corridor open to the public.

The center is named after NYU alumnus John A. Paulson, who contributed a $100-million gift toward the building’s construction. A news release reports that the gift is the largest that the NYU Washington Square Campus has ever received, as well as the largest building that NYU has built in the Washington Square core. Construction began in 2016, and the building is scheduled to open this month.

“Great cities need great universities, and universities need space to fulfill their academic missions,” said NYU President Andrew Hamilton. “The Mercer site [named for the building’s placement on Mercer Street] is a once-in-a-generation campus building, and its singleness is matched only by the uncommon generosity of John Paulson’s extraordinary gift. We are honored by his support for the University and particularly this building, which fulfills so many crucial needs for NYU now and far into the future. We are immensely grateful to him, and thrilled to recognize him by naming the building the John A. Paulson Center.”

The Paulson Center features 58 classrooms; athletic facilities for men’s and women’s basketball, fencing, wrestling, volleyball, and squash, as well as a six-lane pool; performance spaces including a proscenium theater, warehouse theater, orchestra ensemble room, and support space for the School of Music; three residential towers with space for 407 freshmen and 42 faculty apartments; communal study spaces; 25,000 square feet of green roof space; and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, according to the news release.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Chicago District Completes Construction on New Elementary School

    North Chicago School District 187 in North Chicago, Ill., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forrestal Elementary School, according to a news release. The new school marks a major investment in military-connected students and families at Naval Station Great Lakes.