COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY RECORD  April 8, 1994  Vol. 19 No. 23

      $10 MILLION FAIRCHILD GIFT TO BUILD HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER

   SECOND AUDUBON UNIT TO GO UP NEXT YEAR

      A gift of $10 million to Columbia by the Sherman Fairchild 
      Foundation will make possible the construction of the next major 
      research building at the Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology 
      Park at the Health Sciences campus in Washington Heights, the 
      University announced Tuesday.

      The gift will allow construction to begin early next year on the 
      Center for Disease Prevention, which will rise seven stories at 
      the southeast corner of St. Nicholas Ave. and W. 168th St. at 
      Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

      The $66 million building will house biomedical research aimed at 
      detecting, diagnosing and preventing diseases and developing new 
      clinical applications to treat them.

   SECOND BUILDING

      It will be the second of five major buildings in the projected 
      $300 million Audubon Research Park that will further help a 
      community already being revitalized by new schools and other new 
      construction.

      The first, the Audubon Business and Technology Center, is now 
      under construction at W. 165th St. on the site of the old Audubon 
      Ballroom, which is being partly restored, and is expected to open 
      early in 1995.

      The new Center is also funded by state and federal grants and by 
      Columbia.

      President Rupp, in making the announcement, said, "Columbia is 
      immensely grateful to the Sherman Fairchild Foundation for this 
      gift, which will help reduce the cost of health care in America, 
      reinforce the nation's global leadership in biomedical research 
      and technology, and strengthen the city and state economies, with 
      particular impact on the medical center's immediate neighbors."

      Herbert Pardes, vice president for health sciences and dean of the 
      Faculty of Medicine, said, "This magnificent gift is a major step 
      in forging the links between university and industrial research 
      that will be pivotal in future medical breakthroughs. Columbia has 
      already achieved global renown as a preeminent center for basic 
      biomedical research. These expanded facilities will enhance the 
      University's outstanding research enterprise, advancing the 
      frontiers of medical science and stimulating the development of 
      innovative medical treatments. With the help of this new facility, 
      we can continue to attract the world's very best scientists to 
      Columbia."

      The new research Center will be a cornerstone of the Audubon Park 
      and technology transfer at Columbia, said Rupp. It will help 
      Columbia respond to the trend in national policy toward increased 
      collaboration between academic research and industry in developing 
      new medical treatments and technologies.

      The federal government is restructuring research policy along such 
      lines, and the construction of the Center will put Columbia in a 
      firm position to build on its strengths in responding to this new 
      direction, he said.

      The new Center will contain academic research to detect, diagnose 
      and prevent diseases at their earliest biological and metabolic 
      stages, he said.

      The new Center will be a 169,000-square-foot structure, containing 
      100,000 square feet for new laboratories. The architects are 
      Davis, Brody & Associates.

      The Audubon Park's development parallels an unprecedented 
      coalescence of new construction and expanded public services in 
      the immediate neighborhood.

      The $85 million New York State Psychiatric Institute is under 
      construction on land adjacent to the campus.

      Two new schools, an addition to a third, and a new police station 
      are under construction within one block of the Audubon Park.

      The Washington Heights Child Care Center is being developed on 
      W.166th St. near Audubon Ave. on land donated by Columbia, and 
      Presbyterian Hospital is planning to establish a new community 
      clinic at that corner.

      The indoor running track at the Armory on W.168th St. opened last 
      year, restoring its historic role as a training ground for Olympic 
      athletes and a sports facility for school children and area 
      residents of all ages.

      Currently, children from schools throughout New York City are 
      using the track, and eventually more than 5,000 students and 
      community residents are expected to use it on a regular basis.

      In the Audubon Park itself, attractive new storefront retail 
      facilities will be created,

      Columbia will work with potential donors and the city to upgrade 
      Mitchel Square Park, and a community health clinic and a permanent 
      memorial to Malcolm X will be situated in the restored portion of 
      the Audubon Ballroom.