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| Vol. 24, No. 16 | March 4, 1999 |
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| Vol. 24, No. 16 | March 4, 1999 |
BY HANNAH FAIRFIELD
Two buildings now under construction near campus are sure to have a positve impact on student life at Columbia: a 373-bed residence hall at Broadway and W. 113th Street and a Jewish center on W. 115th Street between Broadway and Riverside drive.
Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life
Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Student Life opens its doors in the fall of 1999. The University will celebrate the completion of the building's structural steel in a "Topping Out Party" at the construction site Thursday, Feb. 25 from noon to 2:00 p.m.
"Not only will this building provide a home and a focus for Jewish life on campus, but it also has an outreach component," said Rabbi Charles Sheer, Jewish Chaplain at Columbia, who will oversee the new center. "We hope that through it we will be able to reach students who are not involved in the program presently but who will be drawn to the new space and Jewish student activities."
The six-floor, 28,000-square-foot building on 115th Street, with one wall sheathed in Jerusalem stone, was designed by the Gruzen Samton architectural firm. It will contain meeting and conference rooms for the 31 different Jewish student groups currently on campus. It will also contain a grand hall/sanctuary, chapel, and office spaces for the Rabbis, program staff, administrators and student leaders, who will be moving from their limited space in Earl Hall. In addition, the $11.5 million building will provide four meeting rooms for student groups or classes, a large student lounge, a library and a Beit Midrash, which will house a Hebrew language Judaica library.
"We are creating spaces for prayer, for study, for socializing and for public use," said Robert Pollack, president of the Jewish Campus Life Fund and professor of biological sciences, who also served as dean of Columbia College from 1982-89. "The building is a place where people join together to learn how to make the world a better place, which is not only a spiritual obligation but also an obligation of education."
Robert K. Kraft, CC'63, University Trustee and owner of the New England Patriots professional football team, made a lead gift of $3 million for the building. "My motivation was to help to create a campus environment that gives students exposure to spirituality," Kraft said.
Alumni, parents and prominent Jewish leaders such as Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Edgar Bronfman, Ira Rennert, Earle Kazis and Herman Wouk have provided their support of this vital effort.
Broadway Residence Hall
The Broadway Residence Hall, located at W. 113th Street and Broadway, will be the newest addition to Columbia's fleet of student housing. The excavation of the site is currently underway, and the building will be ready for move-in day in the fall of 2000.
Designed by Robert A.M. Stern, Columbia alumnus and former director of the Architecture School's Preservation Program, the $53 million building will include the facade of the historical Sigma Chi building on W. 113th Street. Of the 14 floors, the first two will be occupied by the Columbia branch of the New York Public Library, allowing expansion of the branch now on W. 113th Street near Amsterdam Avenue. There is also retail space planned for the first floor.
In addition to the 373 student beds available-80 percent of which are in single rooms-the building boasts four music practice rooms, two computer labs, the senior class deans center, two large student spaces on the 14th floor, and a lounge and kitchen on each floor. It will share its main entrance with Hogan Hall on 114th Street.
"We're excited that the new building will create new housing opportunities for students," said Ross Fraser, the director of residence halls. "With Hogan and Watt Halls, the area will be a real hub of housing for seniors."