NEWS CENTER

Yale University’s $163 million Schwarzman Center is not only a new hub for students, but adds to downtown New Haven’s arts, entertainment and social scene, officials said.

“I don’t think there’s a space like this, not just in Connecticut, but anywhere,” said the center’s Executive Director Rachel Fine.

The center is named for billionaire Blackstone founder and 1969 alum Stephen Schwarzman, who donated $162.8 million for the project.

The 123,000-square-foot renovation and expansion, which debuted in late 2021, transformed the historic Commons dining hall and three floors of the adjacent Memorial Hall, at the corner of College and Grove streets, into performance, exhibition, meeting, dining and gathering spaces that aim to be a central hub of student life.

The Schwarzman Center also hosts performances and cultural events in the historic 2,650-seat Woolsey Hall.

The 120-year-old Commons — think Harry Potter’s Hogwarts — accommodates up to 4,000 students during lunchtime Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. But with its new flexible seating, it’s also being used for a wider menu of cultural events.

Multiple screens and new sound, lighting, audio and acoustic systems allow it to host live performances, screenings and other events for students and the general public.

Read the full article from Hartford Business Journal, here.

Posted November 13, 2023
By Frank Rizzo
Hartford Business Journal Contributor