Paul Milstein Hall – A Transformational New Building for AAP
Cornell University’s College of Art, Architecture and Planning (AAP), one of the five colleges with oversight for the Program in Real Estate (PRE), is excited as Paul Milstein Hall hurdles important development milestones. Paul Milstein Hall is AAP’s first new building in over 90 years, and will have a transformational effect on the college. Kent Kleinman, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of Art, Architecture and Planning said, “Paul Milstein Hall will connect Rand and Sibley halls and be a center of academic activity in the college by providing a dynamic new teaching facility, increased studio space, room to review and exhibit student work, and a spectacular auditorium.”
With 22,000 square feet of open studio space, a lecture hall for 275 people, and 6,900 square feet of critique space, Milstein Hall enables AAP to cater to its students’ learning objectives in a way that has not been possible due to previous space limitations. The opportunities for new pedagogical methods for the nation’s top-ranked undergraduate architecture program, in addition to its world class Masters, PHD and Professional degrees—including PRE—are exciting to both the faculty and the student body. Pike Oliver, senior lecturer for PRE, commented, “The construction of Milstein Hall is quite exciting. From my office in West Sibley I am able to see the changes that are taking place daily, and it is fantastic to see the growth of additional modern facilities available to AAP and PRE students.”
Paul Milstein Hall was made possible through a generous donation from Paul and Irma Milstein. Paul Milstein (1922-2010), father of PRE advisory board member Howard Milstein, had a long and illustrious career in real estate development and investment. The Milstein family has built or bought multi-family residential properties comprising more than 50,000 apartments, 8,000 hotel rooms and 20,000,000 square feet of office space over the past 60 years. Milstein’s developments surrounding Lincoln Center, Times Square, the Upper East Side and Battery Park are often regarded as catalysts that helped spur urban rejuvenation in those neighborhoods.
The construction of the building is currently meeting projections as the exterior façade of metal and glass is being applied while interior finishes take place. One of the most intriguing aspects of the design of Milstein Hall is the interior concrete dome. The dome will house a lecture hall for up to 275 students and its unique design required a distinct set of concrete forms in order to meet design specifications. The concrete was recently poured for the stem walls of the dome and it is near completion. If the rest of the construction meets the scheduled milestones Paul Milstein Hall should be completed and ready for instruction for the fall 2011 semester. PRE and AAP look forward to seeing the completion of Paul Milstein Hall and enjoying access to this unique and inspiring building. For up to date information on the status of the building construction follow Paul Milstein Hall on Twitter.