| Sharon Jones Schweitzer | 210-999-8406 | SJones@Trinity.edu |
| Trinity Selects Design For New Northrup Hall |
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March 15, 2001— Trinity University has selected the design proposal of the New York firm of Robert A. M. Stern Architects for its new $23 million administration and academic building. The mixed-use facility will become the centerpiece of the 117-acre campus just north of downtown San Antonio. The new building will replace the 49-year-old Northrup Hall but will retain the Northrup name. The design will provide a new front door to the Trinity campus and create an immediately recognizable symbol that will join with the University's Murchison Tower and the Margarite B. Parker Chapel as the primary architectural focal points. “This design best complemented the existing campus architecture, it fit the site well, and did a superior job of integrating the academic and administrative areas,” said Trinity President John Brazil in announcing the selection, which was the result of a national architectural design competition.
The compact, four-story building will contain two wings connected by a central lobby on each floor and a glass-enclosed grand staircase that runs through the entire building. An acequia-like waterway will figure prominently in the entrance to the new structure. Miller Fountain, long a beloved Trinity landmark, will be relocated to the center of campus. Larger than the existing Northrup Hall by approximately 30,000 square feet, the modern structure will permit consolidation of student services to provide “one stop shopping.” Among the services expected to occupy the first floor are financial aid, the business office, and personnel services. The second and third floors will accommodate academic departments and administrative offices. The fourth floor will house offices for the president and vice presidents as well as a boardroom. Each floor will incorporate a lobby space. Additional features include more classroom space, conference rooms, and a lecture hall. Based in New York, Robert A.M. Stern Architects has designed buildings throughout the United States. Two examples of their work in Texas include the Jones Business School at Rice University and the Hobby Fine Arts Building in Houston. In addition to Stern, several San Antonio-area firms are expected to be involved with the project, including Kell-Munoz, architects; Rialto Studio, landscape architect; Silber and Associates Consulting Engineers, Inc.; and Cochrane and Associates, code consultants. Final drawings for the 85,000 square foot building are expected to take approximately one year. Current plans call for occupants of Northrup Hall to vacate the structure in May of 2002. The new facility is expected to take 18 to 24 months to construct. Founded in 1869, Trinity University was moved to its current location just north of downtown San Antonio in 1952. Many buildings on the “skyline campus” were designed by the late O'Neil Ford, a noted architect whose firm Ford Powell Carson was assisted by other firms in developing a unique and consistent architectural language of brick, metal, and glass. Trinity is a highly selective, professionally oriented liberal arts and sciences institution. The residential, primarily undergraduate coeducational university, noted for its superb facilities and undergraduate research opportunities, currently enrolls 2,500 students. |
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Last updated on March 16, 2001 by the Office of Public Relations |
