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CARDOZO
emerges
NEW
Five years and some $40 million later, Cardozo's much refurbished, expanded, and newly built home in the Brookdale Center is ready to greet a long-awaited spring, its New York City neighbors, and those who study and work at 55 Fifth Avenue. During the winter of 2003, as scaffolding and painted panels were removed, it became clear to visitors, neighbors, and the Cardozo community alike that the Law School had undergone a transformation--inside and out.
The sleek, fresh design is apparent as
soon as you walk through the new Fifth Avenue entrance, which opened in
January as students returned for the spring semester.What's not immediately apparent is that each of the Law School's entire 11 stories has received some sort of upgrade, expansion, facelift, or full renovation. Technological enhancements and new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems have also been added. In addition, the acquisition in the late 1990s of two full floors of 55 Fifth and of nearly 100 apartments at 15 East 11th Street has greatly expanded the Cardozo campus.
Lobby and Jacob Burns Moot Court Room
Guided by a Cardozo Board committee
chaired by Sheldon Solow, a New York City developer and builder,
Cardozo and the University hired the internationally known
architectural firm of Davis Brody Bond to design the ground floor.
While restoring the building's original neoclassical facade, the firm
also oversaw expansion of the lobby, the addition of a new seminar
room, and the design and building of a new Jacob Burns Moot Court Room.
The expansion was made possible with the reacquisition of several
thousand square feet of space at the building's southern end. The goal
was to create a campus center that would bring students and faculty
together and act as an intellectual and social venue, while providing
more classroom and student space.
The centerpiece of the 16,000
square-foot facility is the round wood and limestone-clad moot court
room. Using warm wood and bronze accents, the architects created a
250-seat room that exceeds 4,000 square feet-double the size of the Law
School's original moot court room. This summer, the court room will
receive its final enhancements--a limestone outer wall that features
quotations from Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo's writings and the names of
the Law School's major donors, as well as state-of-the-art audio/visual
enhancements and a production studio. The spacious, bright lobby
surrounding the court room doubles as a lounge and gracious setting for
Law School banquets and receptions. Floor-to-ceiling windows face both
Fifth Avenue and 12th Street, making optimal use of the vibrant
backdrop Greenwich Village provides.
Dr. Rebecca and
Lillian Chutick Law LibraryJanuary also saw the opening of the redesigned main floor of the Dr. Rebecca and Lillian Chutick Law Library, which in 2001 expanded from three to four floors when the University acquired the 9th floor. The law library has always been the "brains" of the School; as designed by SLCE Architects, it is now a true showpiece. The architects, who are responsible for the successful redesign of the classrooms and 9th, 10th, and 11th floors replicated the rounded designs of the lobby for the 7th floor. The main floor's soaring, vaulted ceilings are accented by geometric forms that reappear in the warm wood paneling gracing the reading rooms, the circulation and reserve desks, and the book shelves. In the bright, inviting alcove near the library's grand circular entrance, wood and glass cases display recent faculty publications. This space will be used for informal conversations with recently published faculty. It also provides a comfortable place to check a reference or meet a friend.
The reading rooms feature
beautiful wooden tables and classic library chairs, as well as
upholstered arm chairs in shades of blue and light green that
complement the rich green tweed carpeting. Large windows provide
magnificent views of Greenwich Village below. An ultra-modern computer
lab boasts more than 30 new Internet-connected work stations with
state-of-the-art black, flat screen monitors and Aeron chairs.The interior staircase providing access to the rest of the library now extends to the 9th floor, where more book stacks and additional study rooms were added, providing quiet space for individual and group study.
Classrooms, Offices, and Conference Rooms
The main lecture halls on the second,
third, and fourth floors were rewired, newly carpeted, and redecorated
with wooden desks and upholstered chairs. Electrical outlets at each
desk are available for laptops. In addition, advanced, multimedia
instructional equipment enhances the larger lecture halls, with video
teleconferencing capabilities added to one. When it acquired the 9th
and 11th floors, the Law School gained new offices for student journals
and organizations, offices and workspace for its rich clinical program,
several new conference rooms, and more commodious areas for admissions
and career services. The offices on the 10th floor, including those for
student services, financial aid, and the registrar, were greatly
refurbished and reconfigured. The Law School's primary conference room
can now accommodate board and faculty meetings, as well as small
luncheons and dinners.The Alabama Residence Hall
In 1998, Yeshiva University purchased the
majority of shares in a historic co-op building located one short block
from the Cardozo campus. Today, more than 100 students live in studio
and one-bedroom apartments on one of the most attractive residential
streets in Manhattan. Students from across the country can now attend
Cardozo without having to tackle New York's residential housing maze.The Power of Philanthropy
The scope of these renovations would not have been possible without the generosity of Cardozo's Board, alumni, parents, and friends. We gratefully acknowledge those who have supported this component of our broader capital campaign by designating their gifts to the Cardozo Building Fund, be it for the lobby, library, or other building renovations.
Special thanks go to Yeshiva University trustee and former Board Chair Robert M. Beren, whose gift of $1 million, conditional upon raising an equal amount in matching gifts, helped to raise awareness of the importance of philanthropic support to our ability to complete this project.
We also salute our alumni, who have responded to the need for support at unprecedented levels. The leadership of our alumni board members is especially appreciated. Alumni support ranges from $500,000--the largest gift from an alumnus in Cardozo's history--to those whose gifts of $2,500 will be recognized with seats in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room.
Gifts of $1 Million and Above
Robert M. Beren
Jacob Burns Foundation
Jeffrey & Sivia Loria*
Earle I. Mack*
Gifts of $500,000-$999,999
Nate Kacew '98 *
Howard Lorber, The Lorber Charitable Fund
Gifts of $100,000 to $499,999
Anonymous *
Anonymous
Tiffany & Evan H. Berger '92 *
Kenneth & Sherry Endelson
Kathryn Greenberg '82 & Alan Greenberg
Ronnie & Samuel J. Heyman *
Shimmie Horn '95 *
Steven & Ruth Katz
Jonathan Kukin '87 *
Hon. Frank Lautenberg *
Jill & James Schwalbe '93 *
Wendy & Stephen B. Siegel *
Sheldon Solow *
Rachel Sussman
Debra Weiss '90 & Stephen A. Weiss '90*
Gifts of $25,000 to $99,999
Arlene & Harvey R. Blau *
Lawrence Blenden '86
The Garden City Group, Inc.
Ira Kukin *
Mitchell Maidman '88
Lawrence Ruben *
Sy Syms Foundation
Alan Weiler
Seeger Weiss LLP
Gifts of $2,500 to $24,999
Howard Abrahams '94
Lori-Ann Bernath '79
Rosemary Byrne '80
Arlene & Jeffrey Cohan
Linda Cohen '95
Larry Cunningham '88
Joan Ehrlich '87
Hon. Sandra Feuerstein '79
Raymond Gindi '92
Jack Byron Hartog
Sandy Hausler '87
Mary L. Ryan Hendry '79
Sharon Ashley Lewis '87 & Jeffrey Lewis '86
Jerry Migdol '79
Tricia Pantzer '98 & Jason Pantzer
David Rudenstine
David Samson '93
Rochelle Schattner '80 & Glenn Schattner '79
Sarah Steiner '83
Karel Turner '87
Janis Warren '79
Elia Weixelbaum
Mark Yagerman '79
Jay Ziffer '83
* denotes member of Cardozo Board
If you would like to be part of Cardozo's historic Building Campaign, please call the Office of Development at 212-790-0288.