NEW HAVEN, CT.- Yale's major new building comprising the renovated and restored Art & Architecture building, the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art, and the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library, will welcome studentsand staff in August 2008. The Art & Architecture building, which has been renovated with the support of Sid R. Bass, will be renamedPaul Rudolph Hall and will be officially rededicated on November 8, 2008.

The project has been designed by Charles Gwathmey, of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, whoreceived his Master of Architecture from Yale in 1962, while Mr. Rudolph was chairman of the Department of Architecture.The new building, which will enable continuous interchange between the Department of the History of Art and the School ofArchitecture, is part of the Master Plan for the Yale Arts Area, an ambitious initiative to expand and improve the University's arts facilities.

Yale University President Richard C. Levin states, "Yale's commitment to its unparalleled arts programs is superbly embodied in the renewed Rudolph building, which will house the School of Architecture; the JeffreyLoria Center for the History of Art, offering greatly expanded and improved facilities for this esteemed department; and theRobert B. Haas Family Arts Library, which links the two buildings and will serve as both a physical and intellectual meeting place.The arts complex, a critical element of the Master Plan for the Yale Arts Area, makes an important contribution to the University's continued leadership in the arts."

Robert A. M. Stern, dean of the Yale School of Architecture, adds, "Paul Rudolph was one of the most talented, inventive, and important architects of the last century, and the Art & Architecture building is among his greatest achievements. Thus the restoration of this building is crucial not only to Yale, but to the history of modern architecture in America. Moreover, Charles Gwathmey's design, carried out with both great sensitivity and a deep knowledge of Rudolph's aesthetic intentions, provides a valuable example to others who plan to restore modernist structures, a subject of increasing importance today."

Charles Gwathmey notes, "Working on a project as important as the renovation and restoration of Paul Rudolph's iconic Art & Architecture building is a privilege--one that carries with it enormous responsibility, not only to the building itself and the people who will use it, but also to its rich history and its architect's vision. We have tried to honor that history and vision by returning the building to Rudolph's original intention. Additionally, the design for the arts complex as a whole represents an expansion and enrichment of the Art & Architecture building, while at the same time establishing a separate and unique identity for the new Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art.

Arts Complex - In creating the arts complex, Gwathmey Siegel & Associates was charged with several tasks. Primary among these were to restore Rudolph's historic building--a masterpiece of space, light, and mass--to its original intention, and to introduce state-of-the-art technology, air conditioning, and LEED standards; to design a new facility to serve Yale's eminent Department of the History of Art, ensuring a building with its own signature identity; to create an expanded art, drama, and architecture library with a street-level presence and entry; and to maintain a harmonious relationship both among the elements of the arts complex and between that multifaceted structure and the surrounding streetscape. In the resulting design, the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art is added to the north side of Paul Rudolph Hall, reflecting Rudolph's original plan to expand the building to the north, with the Haas Family Arts Library bridging both buildings.

Work on the Art & Architecture building has included a mix of literal restoration, interpretive renovation, and sensitive intervention, all sympathetic to Rudolph's vision. Mr. Gwathmey's design restores open spaces that have been fractured, revives vertical views that have long been blocked by prior renovations and ill-placed partitions, recaptures Rudolph's concept for the building's fenestration, and restores the exterior walls. The renovation also includes the complete restoration of the penthouse and rooftop terrace, creation of an easily accessible entrance to the main lecture theater, Hastings Hall, and installation of replacement windows that use contemporary technology and materials. In addition, new lighting and furnishings are being introduced throughout the building.

Other essential changes to the Art & Architecture building are not visible. These include the introduction of air conditioning, for which the architects are installing a state-of-the-art system, in keeping with the University's commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable construction. (The entire project anticipates a LEED silver rating.)

The arts and architecture library is being vastly expanded and transformed, as the University's art-and-architecture and drama libraries and its arts of the book collections--currently located in separate buildings across campus--are being integrated into a single, comprehensive resource. The new Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library straddle the two buildings of the arts complex at the ground-floor level.

Mr. Gwathmey has used the tower that once marked the north end of the Art & Architecture building to create a "fulcrum" between Paul Rudolph Hall and the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art. The design thus bridges old and new literally, functionally, aesthetically, and figuratively and, in a subversion of architectural tradition, creates a solid rather than a void at the center of the two structures. In so doing,the design articulates both Rudolph's ceremonial stair leading to the second level and the new ground-level entry to the building, which houses the elevators, circulation, reception, and lobby spaces for both buildings.

The 87,000-square-foot, limestone-and-zinc clad Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Artincludes expanded and generously appointed teaching and lecture spaces and student and faculty support facilities that will serve the department for generations to come. Also included are new gathering spaces for students and faculty, including a street-level café that will be open to the public and outdoor terraces on the fourth and seventh floors, each offering previously unavailable views of Paul Rudolph Hall, as well as panoramic views of the campus and city. One of the chief improvements provided by the new facility is that--for the first time--the Department of the History of Art is to be housed in the same building as the arts library. In addition, the proximity of the Department of the History of Art and the School of Architecture will facilitate the exchange of ideas among students and faculty in the two disciplines.