NYU and Columbia have been hogging all the expansion headlines, but Fordham University has a not-so-little $1.6 billion plan of its own for its Upper West Side campus. The Jesuit school wants to fill out its superblock next to Lincoln Center with a series of tall new buildings to be constructed over the next 25 years, and last summer Fordham won approval to do just that, despite some heated opposition?including from residents of The Alfred condo building, whose views and vicinity are going to get a bit more crowded. The first piece of Fordham's puzzle is a 22-story law school building and dorm, which?surprise!?just broke ground. These Jesuits aren't messing around!
The $250 million building, designed by Pei Cobb Freed, had a rendering reveal way back in March 2009, but the gallery above has a more detailed look. It fronts on West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, with a curtain wall of cast stone, metal and glass. The wavy look is meant to be an engaging gesture to Lincoln Center, from which this building will be very visible. In other words, the building is all like Hiii!!!
The Fordham Law School will occupy the lower nine stories, and 430 undergraduates will live on top. The 468,000-square-foot building will have a two-story atrium, moot and trial court facility and a 562,000-volume law library. Workers are already on the site, and excavation is set to begin this month. Fordham won't hold a ceremonial groundbreaking until May 2, and the building will be completed in 2014. Will Fordham freshmen make it a ritual to drunkenly jump into the Lincoln Center fountain? God we hope so.
· Fordham coverage [Curbed]
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