Brooklyn College Welcomes First New Building in Nearly 40 Years

The first building to be constructed on the Brooklyn College campus in nearly 40 years officially threw open its doors on Tuesday, Sept. 22, after a 1 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that was attended by 200 college and CUNY officials, state and local lawmakers, faculty and staff members, students and other members of the college community.

The West Quad Building, a 145,000-square-foot glass-fronted structure that dominates the new quadrangle west of Bedford Avenue, will serve as both a one-stop student services center and the hub of state-of-the-art physical education and recreational facilities.

With high-spirited enthusiasm, the college’s cheerleader squad opened and closed the ceremony, which was presided over by Karen Gould, the college’s newly installed president.

"This is an auspicious day for Brooklyn College," Gould said. "We are especially excited because the West Quad Building represents the fulfillment of a promise—to provide our students with one convenient location for many of the services they need, from applying to the college and registering for classes, to receiving financial aid information and scholarship assistance.

"No less important," she added, "this new building will also serve a stellar array of athletic and recreational activities, offering our students the opportunities to engage in the kind of sports events, training and physical exercise that will enhance their academic experience at Brooklyn College and help them to realize their full potential."

Gould went on to praise her predecessor, former president Christoph M. Kimmich, "for the brilliance of his vision and his steadfast commitment" to the completion of the West Quad Building project.

CUNY Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Office Allan Dobrin and Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and Management Iris Weinshall also spoke at the ceremony.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, himself a graduate of the college,
came to the podium to marvel at the immense changes that had been made to the west end of the campus, highlighted by the new building, since he graduated in 1970. A number of state legislators, including State Senator John Sampson, Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs and Assemblyman Nick Perry, whose support for the West Quad Building project provided much of the funding that went into its construction, also spoke.

Arvind Badhey, a junior in the B.A.-M.D. Program and member of the track team, rounded off the speeches with a loud sigh, expressing the relief felt by many athletes that the West Quad Building was at long last opened.

After the ribbon was cut, guests entered the building to enjoy a buffet luncheon and to join guided tours of the facilities.

Although most of the student services have already moved in, finishing touches are still being applied to the athletic facilities, which are expected to be fully operational in the near future.

The building’s ground floor is home to the Enrollment Services Center and a full-service café. The Admissions Welcome Center, as well as offices for Admissions, Recruitment, Scholarships and Student Financial Services, is on the second floor. The Registrar’s and Financial Aid offices and the Office of the Assistant Vice-President of Enrollment Services are all on the third floor.

The fourth floor is given over to department and faculty offices for the Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science; the Recreation, Intramurals and Intercollegiate Athletic Office; a coaches bull pen; a teaching lab and three research labs for Physical Education.

Athletic facilities will be spread over three floors. The lower level will house a 11,700-square-foot competition gym with retractable seating for 700 in bleachers on both sides. It will feature a 25-yard swimming pool with eight lanes and two diving boards as well as a lift for swimmers with disabilities. It will also include three racquetball/squash courts; a two-court practice gym for basketball, volleyball and badminton; two weight and fitness rooms; training and equipment rooms; equipment check-out counter and four sets of locker and shower rooms from men and women.

On the ground floor there will be a 2,500-square-foot weight and fitness room, access to the pool and competition gym spectator seating, and an observation area for the pool and gyms.

The second floor will contain a 3,400-square-foot dance studio and a 3,400-square-foot multipurpose room.

Although a variety of construction projects on campus have been undertaken over the past few years, resulting in the expansion, renovation and addition to a number of buildings, the West Quad Building is the first totally new structure to be opened since the debut of James Hall in 1971.